No. 4 Monroe Mustangs Men’s Soccer Captures Thrilling Victory over No. 5 Eastern Florida State

BALTIMORE, Md., August 25, 2019 – The No. 4-ranked Monroe College Mustangs men's soccer team justified its spot near the top of the NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Poll on Sunday, holding on to defeat No. 5 Eastern Florida State College in an early-season Top-5 matchup at the CCBC-Essex Kickoff Classic. The Mustangs improve to 2-0 on the year, while the Titans drop to 2-1. The majority of the first half was silent as five shots on goal and 12 total shot attempts in the first 44 minutes could not reach the back of the net. With just 15 seconds remaining in the half, Roque Viegasnetted the first goal of the day to give the Mustangs a 1-0 advantage heading into the break. The momentum from Monroe's late goal carried into the second half, as Luca Erhardt doubled Monroe's lead in the 50th minute. Just seven minutes later, Viegas tallied his second score of the day, putting the Mustangs up, 3-0, at the 56:54 mark. The Titans then began to battle back, responding 94 seconds later when Aedon Kyra scored to cut the deficit to two. Levonte Johnson then scored for the Titans in the 67th minute to make it a one-goal game. Erhardt got the Mustangs back on the board with his second of the day at the 77:48 mark, putting the Mustangs ahead by two late in the game. Just a minute later, Kyra scored once again, this time on a penalty kick, to once again get the Titans back within one. Mustang goalkeeper Victor Camps made a pair of crucial saves in the next three minutes, and the Mustang defense forced a number of wide shots by the Titans, keeping them off the board down the stretch to hang on for the 4-3 win. Camps made five stops in his first start of the season to start his year with a 1-0 mark. Eastern Florida State's Hayden Sarjian made six saves but allowed four goals to shoulder his first loss of 2019. Erhardt and Viegas provided two goals apiece in Sunday's win. Leon Sitz added an assist on Erhardt's game-winner late in the second half. The Mustangs held a slim 18-16 edge in shots in the win, including a 10-8 advantage in shots on goal. Monroe also earned seven corner kicks, while the Titans had just two. The 2-0 Mustangs will get a week off before hitting the road on Tuesday, Sept. 3, to take on Rowan College at Burlington County in Pemberton, N.J. The game is set to kick off at 3 p.m.