The Monmouth University men’s soccer team enters a must-win situation when it hosts preseason Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference favorite Quinnipiac Saturday night.
The Hawks (5-9-2, 2-5-1), who will hold Senior Day, will need two wins to close out the season for a shot at a conference tournament berth. Both of those games are at home, where the Hawks have a 4-1-1 record in 2017.
Last time out, Monmouth was edged in extratime at Fairfield University, 2-1, with Colin Stripling being the lone Hawks goal scorer. Stripling leads the team with four goals and is tied for the team lead in points with senior Jake Areman (nine). The two will be honored before the game for Senior Day, along with defender Joey Gudzak, midfielder Andrew Gee, and goalkeeper Chris Seager.
After starting conference play 2-3, Quinnipiac (6-8-1, 5-3-0) have won three consecutive games to improve its record to 5-3 in the MAAC.
Quinnipiac defeated Manhattan College, 1-0 Marist College 3-2 in extratime, and Siena College 2-0. The Bobcats are led by junior midfielder Matthew Taylor, who has registered seven points on two goals and three assists. Junior forward Rashawn Daly, sophomore forward Eamon Whelan, and freshman defender Simon Hillinger have each added two goals on the season. Senior midfielder Max Rothenbuecher is tied for the team lead with three assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Chrysostomos Iakovidis has started all 15 games in net, making 33 saves with a 1.04 goals-against average while also earning five shutouts.
