Courtesy of MCCTribunes.com
ROCHESTER – The MCC men’s soccer team closed the regular season on a five-game winning streak thanks in large part to a defense that allowed just a single goal over that span. The Tribunes used that same recipe for success on Saturday, and the result was another Region III championship.
The Monroe defense thwarted any Mercyhurst North East effort on John L. DiMarco Field. An opportunistic Tribune offense took care of the rest in a 3-0 victory that cemented the program’s fourth consecutive regional title and eighth in the last nine years.
MCC (10-3-2) will host the Northeast District tournament next weekend, where a spot in the NJCAA Division I national tournament will be on the line. Details on the district tournament will be released in the coming days.
Anchored by Matt Murray and Andriy Demydiv, the Monroe defense continually turned away any Saint advances. Mercyhurst North East managed just two total shots, one of which was easily turned away by MCC keeper Kyle Bimek to secure the shutout.
The Tribunes got all the scoring they needed in the 19th minute. After a takedown in the box, sophomore midfielder Anthony Paris put home the resulting penalty kick to make it 1-0.
The Tribunes added a pair of goals in the second half. Tournament MVP Matt Englert pulled off an incredible individual effort to free himself and score in the 56th minute. Ethan Witkowski then finished off the scoring in th 64th, taking a Ryan Gray cross and gathering himself before blasting a shot into the upper left corner for a 3-0 lead.
MCC finished with a 26-2 advantage in total shots.
Leave a Reply