SELDEN, N.Y. – The Monroe University – Bronx men's soccer team closed out Region 15 regular season play with a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Suffolk County Community College on Thursday afternoon. The contest took place at Ammerman Campus Soccer Field.
The Express finish regional play with a 9-2-1 record and 28 points (9-4-2 overall). Monroe has a chance to clinch the No. 2 seed depending on the results of other Region 15 matches.
The Sharks (8-3-2, 7-2-2 Region 15) dominated the first half by outshooting the Express, 9-5, during the first 45 minutes of the contest. Suffolk County tallied a goal in the 41
st minute as Samuel Rivas launched the ball off a free kick from the right wing and Monroe goalkeeper
Kimany Arzu tried to cradle it. However, he couldn't hang on to the ball, and it snuck into the net to give Suffolk County a 1-0 lead. That was the score after 45 minutes of play.
Monroe completely turned the tide in the second half, dominating the time of possession and keeping the ball in its attacking end. The Express had the advantage in shots over the opposition, 12-3, during the second stanza.
The Blue and Gold's strong effort was awarded in the 59
th minute as
Brandon Loyola dished the ball to
Cheikh Toure from midfield. Toure found a speeding
Oumar Barry deep in the box who tipped the ball into the net off a through pass to even the match at one goal apiece. It marked Barry's 16
th goal of the season, extending the program's all-time single-season scoring record.
Monroe had several chances to take the lead but could not finish. The Express' best opportunity occurred in the 74
thminute as Loyola executed a corner kick and
Mamadou Top jumped up inside the box and headed the ball, but it sailed just over the net.
The Blue and Gold's defense did not allow the Sharks any real opportunity to score, and the match ended in a 1-1 tie.
"I think we had a decent first half, but we knew we needed to make a few adjustments at halftime," Express Head Coach
Jose Hernandez said. "In the second half, it was really all us. We pushed them back, controlled the game, and kept them in their own half. We found the equalizer early and created so many chances to get the winner. Unfortunately, the ball just didn't go in. Overall, I'm really happy with the performance, especially in the second half. I'm proud of the intensity, commitment, and work ethic the boys showed throughout the game. Of course, we wanted the three points, but the performance gives us a lot of positives to build on."
In the match overall, Monroe had the advantage in shots, 17-12, including a 5-4 edge in shots on target. The Sharks won the battle of the corner kicks by a 5-3 margin.
Arzu made three saves for the Express. Benjamin Allen stopped four shots for the Sharks.
Monroe – Bronx will close out the regular season on Tuesday with a non-region match against the ninth-ranked team in NJCAA Division II, Mercer County Community College. The action at Mercer Soccer Field, in Trenton, N.J., will begin at 4 p.m.
"Now, we turn our attention to Tuesday's out-of-conference game before the playoffs," Hernandez said. "We'll use that opportunity to keep improving, fine-tune the details, and make sure we're ready to compete at our best when the playoffs begin."
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