NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 10 Monroe University – Bronx men's soccer team earned a convincing victory in Region 15 play over LaGuardia Community College, 8-0, at Flowers Park on Tuesday afternoon. The Express bump their Region 15 and overall record to 5-1-0, while the Red Hawks fall to 0-5-1 for the season and in the region.
 
It was a historic match for Express freshman midfielder Xcaret Gonzalez who netted four goals during the afternoon, which puts him in a four-way tie for first place on the program's all-time single-match scoring list. He tallied the first four goals of the contest for the Blue and Gold, becoming just the second player in team history to score four straight goals in a game. Mamadou Diombera ('18) also did it for Monroe against Orange County Community College back on September 15, 2018 in Middletown, N.Y.
 
The Express had a strong attack, putting up 58 shots including 28 on goal. Monroe's tenacious defense only surrendered three shots during the afternoon and none of them were on target. 
 
"I'm very happy because we were able to win again after the disappointment of not being able to turn the score around in the last game," Express Head Men's Soccer Coach Jose Hernandez said. "I'm also very proud of the boys who were able to contribute to this game and that we were able to rotate the whole squad since we have three matches in a row this week and it's very important that we all work in the same direction."
 
Gonzalez scored the first goal just 6:32 into the contest when he forced a turnover just outside of the box and then launched the ball into the back of the net for the official match-winning tally. Gonzalez added two more goals during the period, both assisted by rookie defender Jonathan Lima. The final goal of the half came with 0.6 seconds left on the clock which allowed Monroe to go into the half with a 3-0 cushion.
 
Less than nine minutes into the second stanza, Gonzalez netted his fourth goal of the afternoon off a feed from freshman midfielder Juan Ramirez. Less than a minute later, it was Ramirez's turn to find the back of the net. Classmate Kevin Chipantiza earned his first collegiate point with the assist on the tally. 
 
During the 63^rd minute, Chipantiza directed the ball to freshman defender Soumana Konate who wedged the ball into the back of the cage for his third goal of the year to give Monroe a 6-0 lead.
 
Sophomore forward Donaven Turner took a feed from Konate, during the 79^th minute, and buried his first goal as a member of the Express to pad their lead to 7-0. Just over a minute later, Konate shot the ball which was stopped, but then he got his own rebound and drilled the ball into the back of the net to make it 8-0 in favor of the Blue and Gold. That ended up being the final score. 
 
In net for Monroe, rookie goalkeeper Raymond Romero and sophomore netminder Lincoln Henwood combined to earn a shared shutout. For LaGuardia, sophomore goalkeeper Yahyaa Doumbia made 11 saves, while freshman goalkeeper Kazi Ahmed stopped nine shots.
 
It's a quick turnaround for Monroe as they will travel to Lakewood, N.J. to take on Georgian Court University (JV) on Wednesday afternoon. The action begins at 3:30 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).