MONTCLAIR, N.J. – On Saturday night at Montclair State University Soccer Park, the Red Hawks defeated The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) 3-1 to continue their winning streak in conference play.
With this eighth straight victory, Montclair State now holds an 8-2-1 overall record and 3-0 in the NJAC.
Montclair State emerged strong from the first whistle, pressing hard and creating numerous scoring opportunities.
The Red Hawks put TCNJ’s defense to the test in the game’s opening minutes. The first player to threaten was midfielder Samuel Epitime, whose effort on goal in the fourth minute was saved by the Lions’ goalkeeper.
Alfredo Rojas soon made another attempt, and this time, when the ball was deflected, it fell perfectly to Epitime. He struck the net with a one-timer to give Montclair State a well-earned early lead and made no mistakes this time.
However, sixteen minutes in, TCNJ took advantage of a mistake made by the Red Hawks’ defense. The Montclair State defense became unorganized after a long throw in from TCNJ, which resulted in a left-footed shot that curled into the near post. After going seven straight games without letting up a goal, the Red Hawks’ defense was scored on.
Montclair State is ranked #8 in the nation according to United Soccer Coaches.
Photo courtesy of Matt DeLuca
Ian Chesney, a leader on Montclair State defensive line, acknowledged the goal caught them off guard.
“Obviously, we’ve had a strong point on not giving up goals,” Chesney said after the match. “But you can’t keep a clean sheet forever. It shocked us a bit, and we lost momentum, but it’s about fighting for the full 90 minutes, and we knew we had to bounce back.”
Soon after TCNJ got into the back of the net, the Red Hawks recovered. As the defense tightened up and stopped making more mistakes, Montclair State regained control of the game. Following the goal, Chesney underlined the significance of focus.
“From that point on, it was about doing everything correctly and making zero mistakes,” Chesney said. “We couldn’t let that happen again.”
In the thirty-fifth minute, a skillfully executed offensive play gave Montclair State the lead again. Forward Chris Fontanazza received a pinpoint pass from Osbin Mendez and raced down the far sideline before putting a low ball into the box. To recover it, Salem Ellisy turned his defender and fired home to give the Red Hawks the lead again.
In the second half, TCNJ was reduced to 10 men after a straight red card for a hard foul at midfield. With an extra man, Montclair State attacked and scored a third goal to complete the victory. Mendez was at the center of everything again, setting up Fontanazza with a corner kick in the 74th minute. Fontanazza battled through tight defensive marking to head the ball into the net, ending TCNJ’s chance to win the match.
Speaking about his pivotal goal, Fontanazza highlighted how it affected the game’s momentum.
“I knew that third goal was huge for us,” Fontanazza said. “Especially with them being a man down. After that, they were flat, and we closed the game out.”
Montclair State remains undefeated in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).
Photo courtesy of Matt DeLuca
According to head coach Todd Tumelty, the win proves that Montclair State can handle the hardships and physicality of conference play.
“The NJAC is a tough, physical conference, and every team gives you their best effort,” Tumelty said. “It’s always more intense than nonconference games, and today was no different. But we handled the challenge well.”
The Red Hawks aim to extend their winning streak. Tumelty acknowledged his team’s advancement from having a rough start to the season.
“Early on, we were trying some different things, but we went back to what we’re good at – being strong defensively and finding goals when we need them,” Tumelty said. “The guys have really bought into it.”
With just four shots on target from TCNJ, Montclair State’s defense – which has been outstanding all season – resisted the early setback. Goalkeeper Alexander Velasquez made three crucial saves, highlighted by a key stop during a counterattack in the first half.
The Red Hawks will now play three games away from home, beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 9, against Alvernia. With a spotless NJAC record and a team playing at full capacity, Montclair State will aim to maintain its current momentum as it pursues another conference championship.
“We’re 3-0 in the conference, and it feels great,” Fontanazza said. “Our depth is a huge part of that. We have guys coming off the bench, keeping the energy up and helping us get results. We’ll need to keep that going as we head into these next games.”
