VALHALLA, N.Y. – In the battle of the top two teams in the region, and two of the top 10 ranked teams in the country, the No. 7 Monroe University – Bronx men's soccer team and No. 10 Westchester Community College battled to a 1-1 tie on Thursday afternoon. The match took place at Barrett Field on the campus of WCC.
 
The Express (8-1-1, 7-1-1 Region 15) and Vikings (6-0-3, 6-0-3 Region 15) remain tied with each other for first place in the Region 15 standings with 15 points each. 
 
Westchester scored first during the 21^st minute. Rookie Demoni Gordon shot the ball that was denied by freshman goalkeeper Raymond Romero but then classmate Kenneth Concha gathered the loose ball deep inside the box and poked it into the net to put the Vikings up by a goal. Gordon was credited with the assist on the play.
 
Down by one in the second half, Monroe was able to sustain consistent pressure in Westchester's defensive part of the field. The Blue and Gold finally broke through in the 69^th minute as freshman midfielder Dieuvenson Leger gathered the loose ball during a scramble deep inside the box and rifled the ball inside the lower center part of the cage to even the contest at one goal apiece.
 
The Vikings had a chance to retake the lead with 12:03 left to play but the shot by Gordon was saved by Romero. The Express had most of the chances down the stretch. Their best opportunity came with just 33 ticks left in the match as sophomore forward Chrismonor Eugene lined a shot, point-blank, but it was stopped by Westchester's freshman goalkeeper Jonathan Batista.
 
The hard-fought regional match ended in a 1-1 draw.
 
For the afternoon, Monroe had the advantage in shots, 14-8, but Westchester earned the edge in shots on target, 6-5. The Express took six of the seven corner kicks during the match and outshot the opposition by a 9-2 margin during the second half.
 
In net, Romero made five saves for Monroe. Batista stopped four shots for Westchester.
 
The Express will take a break and then return to action next Saturday, October 12, for a key Region 15 matchup at nationally ranked No. 5 and defending Region 15 Champion Nassau Community College. The action begins at 5:00 p.m.

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE UNIVERSITY
The athletic program at Monroe University encompasses a total of 31 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, the Monroe University marching band, and the newly added esports and men's volleyball programs, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
For more information about the Monroe Express, please visit us at www.MonroeExpress.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe Express), Twitter/X (@MonroeExpress), Instagram (@MonroeExpress), and Threads (@MonroeExpress).