NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Monroe College Men’s Soccer team was one of two schools left standing at the end of the 2016 NJCAA Soccer Championship, but were bested by Tyler Junior College, 2-0, in the championship game on Saturday. The Mustangs finished the year ranked 2nd in the country.
The game was scoreless at the half, with the normally stalwart Monroe defense thwarting any Apache opportunity to score. The back line of Pablo Pertusa and Osman Fofanah combined with goalie Svyat Kozak to keep Tyler off the board in the first 45.
Tyler scored a pair of second half goals and went on to win, 2-0. Ben Mardones had a pair of shots for Monroe, and Luiz Soupinski offered another.
Despite the loss, the team had a season full of achievements. They closed out the year with a 19-1 overall record, underscored by a 19-match winning streak. They scored a golden goal in double overtime to reach the National Championship game. Additionally, they captured both the Region XV and Northeast District titles. Six players earned All-Region accolades, and Felipe Hideki was named the Region XV Player of the Year. Monroe outscored its opponents 103-12 on the season.