NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The Monroe University – Bronx men's soccer team opened the 2025 season with a loss in Region 15 play to Ulster County Community College, 5-2, at Flowers Park on Tuesday afternoon.

The Senators (2-0, 2-0 Region 15) scored two goals in the opening half, the first by Caleb Nicolas in the 16^th minute and the second by Andrew Foster in the 39^th minute, to take a 2-0 lead into the intermission. 

The Express (0-1, 0-1 Region 15) got on the board in the 53^rd minute, as Juan Ramirez took a feed from Alejandro Aguilar and line the ball into the back of the cage from 25 yards out to slice the Blue and Gold's deficit to 2-1. 

The momentum did not last long for the Express as Foster and Nicolas each connected for their second tallies of the afternoon, in the 59^th and 72^nd minutes, respectively, to bolster Ulster County's advantage to 4-1.

Monroe did not go down without a fight as Aguilar found the back of the net for his first collegiate goal off a pass from Ramirez to narrow the Senators' lead to 4-2 with 10:21 remaining in the contest. 

That's as close as Monroe got as Ulster County added an insurance tally, courtesy of a tip-in rebound by Jack Moore,  with 10 ticks left on the clock to pad the visiting tam's lead to 5-2. That ended up being the final score. 

Monroe had the advantage in shots during the contest, 19-14, with each team producing 10 shots on net. The Express also had the edge in corner kicks, 6-5. 

Angel Grijalva made five saves for Monroe. His counterpart, Santiago Saavedra, stopped eight shots to earn the win for the Senators.

Matt Urquia tallied three assists for Ulster County during the afternoon.

Monroe – Bronx will travel to Massachusetts on Saturday for a non-region showdown against nationally ranked No. 10 Northern Essex Community College. The action at Whittier Tech Soccer Field will begin 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).