Montclair State men’s soccer lost just one match during the 2025 regular season, but a conference semifinal match against TCNJ sets the stage for postseason expectations.
The men’s soccer team has another regular-season title under its belt. After tying Rutgers-Camden on Oct. 29, they secured the No. 1 spot in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and will play in the semifinals this coming Wednesday.
This team is no stranger to the postseason, having made the playoffs every year since 2003 and won nine championships in the past 25 years. Their most recent championship win was in 2023, beating Rowan University 4-2. Still, the young team first must tackle the semifinals.
Building off a tradition of success, Head Coach Todd Tumelty has produced another winning season for Montclair State. The Red Hawks have gone 12-1-5 overall, staying undefeated at home and all throughout the month of October. With just one loss in the conference, the team has earned its twelfth NJAC Regular Season Championship and eighth under Tumelty’s tenure.
Many players on the team are underclassmen, with little combined experience playing for the Red Hawks. Key freshmen starters Tomas Monteiro and Pierre Soumeillant will make their collegiate postseason debut, while many sophomores are ready to remedy the loss from last year. Despite the young team’s lack of seniority in collegiate athletics, they have accomplished a great deal thus far.
After their recent tie against Rutgers-Camden, Tumelty told Montclair Athletics, “I’m proud of this team. It’s not easy to win in this league. This is a new group of young guys, and getting this win and seeing how hard it was, is a great sign for this program moving forward.”
Montclair State will take on The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) in their semifinal match on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Coming off a loss against Rowan, the Lions hope to turn things around in the playoffs and get a shot at the championship game.
For the past seven consecutive seasons, the Red Hawks have not lost a single game to TCNJ. In spite of a historical 28-37-6 record against the Lions, Montclair only accumulated seven of those losses in the past 25 years.
For most of those years, former TCNJ head coach George Nazario coached the Lions until his retirement before the 2024 season. Now, under the leadership of P.J. Ringel, the Lions have gone 9-4-5 and made their first semifinals since 2016.
Freshman forward Tomas Monteiro celebrates after a goal against DeSales University on Oct. 8. Owen Klasey | The Montclarion Photo credit: Owen Klasey
Montclair State last played against TCNJ on Oct. 4, beating them 2-1 on their own home turf with notable performances from Monteiro and sophomore Sebastian Lapczynski. The Red Hawks dominated on offense, outshooting TCNJ 20-8. While the Lions were able to capitalize on corner kicks, they were unable to follow through and ended the game with a loss at home.
However, TCNJ turned things around and went on a torrid winning streak in mid-October, staying undefeated throughout five games. Along with climbing the ranks of the NJAC, this winning streak led to five players receiving NJAC weekly awards. Despite losing some steam in their recent 2-1 loss against Rowan, TCNJ picked things back up in its momentous 5-1 victory in a quarterfinal match versus Rutgers-Camden.
Now, the Red Hawks move on to the postseason, where the rubber finally meets the road. They’ve spent all season fighting for first place in the conference and have yet to lose a game at home. After earning the bye and preparing for the semifinals, they are one step closer to bringing home the championship trophy.
