UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The Monroe University – Bronx men's soccer team captured the Region 15 and North Atlantic District Championships for the second time in program history on Saturday afternoon, edging previously undefeated and nationally ranked No. 4 Nassau Community College by a score of 1-0. The historic moment occurred at Mitchel Athletic Complex.
The Express clinch a berth in the upcoming NJCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship Tournament which will take place November 10-15 at Dallas College Mountain View Soccer Field in Dallas, Texas.
It was a thrilling match between the top two seeds in the region and a pair of top 10 programs in the country.
"Thank you to all my players and coaches," Express Head Coach
Jose Hernandez said. "None of this would be possible without them. The job we did this year was fantastic. The goal this year was to win the region. Last time we won this, I was a player. I feel happy to win this both as a player and as a coach. This team is made for a lot of good things. Now we go nationals and I think we can do a great job over there."
#1-seed Nassau (14-1-1) had multiple chances to take the lead during the 19
th and 20
th minutes of the contest but shots by Andy Gonzalez and Alexis Gomez were denied by Monroe's goalkeeper
Raymond Romero. After Gomez's shot resulted in a second save by Romero, Gonzalez gathered the rebound for another try but shot the ball just over net to keep the match scoreless.
Mamadou Bangoura had chances to break the ice for Monroe (12-5-2) during the middle stages of the first half but both of his attempts on target were stopped by Nassau netminder Victord Lozano.
The Express capitalized in the 41
st minute, as
Amedeus Aventurin fed the ball to
Robert Arias who rifled the ball into the back of the cage to put the Blue and Gold up 1-0. It marked Arias' third goal as well as his seventh and eighth points of the regional playoffs. He now has four goals and 13 points so far this season.
Nassau closed out the first half in a fury as a shot by Gonzalez was blocked by Monroe defenders. Edgar Velazquez gathered the loose ball and lined it towards the net, but Romero made another key save to keep the lead at 1-0 for the Express heading into halftime.
The Blue and Gold kept Nassau at bay during the majority of the second half. However, with 18:01 left in regulation, Monroe was handed a red card and had to play the remainder of the match at an 11-on-10 disadvantage.
Because of being up one player, Nassau tilted the field and kept the ball in its attacking zone. They got off a few shots during the attack, but they were all off target.
After spendings several minutes in its defensive zone, Monroe finally retrieved the ball and ran to the opposite side of the field. Now the Express put the pressure on and then earned four consecutive corner kicks across the 83
rd and 84
thminutes. None of those opportunities from the corner resulted in a goal.
With less than two minutes to go, Nassau got the ball and entered Monroe's defensive end. The Lions provided a strong attack which led to a corner kick. Kevin Medina got the ball off the pass from the corner and tried to shoot it, but the attempt was blocked.
Cheikh Toure intercepted the ball for the Express and sprinted down the field, one on one with the opposing goalie. Toure drilled the point-blank shot, but it sailed just to the right of the net. That kept Monroe's lead to one.
Then, Nassau took the ball and moved it down the field. However, no shot was attempted as Monroe pushed the ball towards the middle of the field in the closing seconds and then the clock hit zero. The Express clinched their first region and district championships since spring of 2021.
The Lions had the slight edge in shot attempts, 13-10, during the afternoon. Both teams registered three shots on goal each. Monroe dominated the corner kicks, 7-3.
Romero stopped all three shots he faced for the Express to earn the shutout victory. It marked his second-career playoff solo shutout.
"Winning the championship feels such an amazing joy," Romero said. "At the end of the day, we did this together as a team. We are excited to go and compete in nationals and show what Monroe's got for everybody."
Lozano made a pair of saves for Nassau.
Arias of the Express was named the Region 15 Tournament MVP. Aventurin,
Brandon Loyola,
Mamadou Top, and
Maynor Palacios were named to the Region 15 All-Tournament team.
For updates regarding Monroe competing in the upcoming NJCAA Postseason, as well as details regarding the NJCAA Selection Show, check out
www.MonroeExpress.com as well as our social media channels.
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). Catch us on YouTube at
www.YouTube.com/MonroeExpress.
