Ricardo Aguirre | The Montclarion
The Montclair State men’s soccer team dominated The City College of New York (CCNY) in their first home game of the season Monday evening with a 7-0 victory.
In a very physical game, the Red Hawks started by applying heavy pressure which resulted in senior Mike Taranto’s shirt being ripped after a tackle. Nine minutes into the first half, junior Kevin Simek scored his first goal of the season after a cross by sophomore Stefan Koroman reached Simek unmarked.
After a shot by Rafael Terci, which CCNY goalkeeper Bryant Ibarra was able to deflect towards the post, a penalty was called in favor of the Red Hawks. Simek converted with a hard shot to the lower left corner and put the Red Hawks up 2-0 over CCNY. Freshman Chaz Burnett scored 25 minutes into the first half, giving Koroman his second assist of the game and the Red Hawks their third goal.
Shortly after, Taranto tapped in a ball given to him by junior Jake Seaman in order to put Montclair State ahead 4-0. After an assist by freshman Dimitri Mataras, Devaughn Foster scored with about three minutes left in the first-half to give the Red Hawks their fifth goal of the night. Mataras then chipped the ball past the keeper with seconds left in the first-half after another perfectly placed ball from Koroman.
The second-half was a battle of the midfield, with various attempts from sophomore Jermaine Small using his explosive speed to try and break through the defense on the right wing. Mataras went on the score sheet early on in the second-half giving the Red Hawks their seventh and final goal of the home opener.
After such a monumental win, the men’s soccer team gets ready to face Moravian College on Wednesday, at Montclair State Soccer Park.
