The Montclair State University men’s soccer team has been on quite the hot streak as of late. The Red Hawks blanked the New Jersey City University (NJCU) Gothic Knights by a final score of 4-0, giving them their 10th straight win. This 10-game winning streak is Montclair State’s longest since 2014, when they won 11 games straight.
Men’s soccer head coach Todd Tumelty is happy with the way his team is playing all around but wants his team to continue doing just that.
“We’re playing well and moving the ball well, closing space quickly, and we’re doing all the things we need to do,” Tumelty said. “But we have to continue to do that. We can’t take days off because training’s been good, so hopefully we can continue the streak.”
The Red Hawks dominated the game from the get-go, as they got on the board very early on. Senior forward Rafael Terci made a perfect pass to junior forward Jose Huerta, who buried a shot right past Aldahir Cazun to give Montclair State a 1-0 lead just 1:35 into the contest. Huerta was credited with his 10th goal and 23rd point of the season, while Terci was credited with the assist.
Red Hawks sophomore forward Dimitri Mataras (16) defends against New Jersey City University's Angelo Romano (21).
Olivia Kearns | The Montclarion
“I think it’s good compared to last year,” Terci said. “This is kind of similar to my freshman year where we’re dominating. I expect us to win all the games, so I’m just happy with the season.”
That early goal was definitely a sign of things to come for Montclair State. They played circles around NJCU all throughout the first half. The Gothic Knights only managed to get two shots, neither of them on goal, throughout the first half. Montclair State rarely allowed NJCU to get the ball past midfield and into the 18-yard box. Sophomore forward Chaz Burnett made the score 2-0 with a header that floated into the net at the 35:19 mark for his ninth goal of the season.
The second half was more of the same, dominance from the Red Hawks over the Gothic Knights both offensively and defensively. The entire game, Montclair State lead NJCU in shots 31-3, shots on goal 14-1 and corners 10-2. The Red Hawks added two more goals to ultimately put the game away.
Collin Mulligan scored his second of the season from a beautiful pass from Terci 6:21 into the second half, while Brent Llewellyn scored off an assist from Dimitri Mataras at the 88:16 mark.
Red Hawks' forward Jose Huerta (17) dribbles the ball toward the goal.
Olivia Kearns | The Montclarion
If there’s one thing Tumelty has to be happy about with his team, it’s the star power he has on offense. The Red Hawks have four players in the top seven in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) in points. Huerta leads the team with 23 (10 goals, 3 assists), followed by Terci with 22 (7 goals, 8 assists), Burnett with 21 (9 goals, 3 assists) and Nixon Soglo with 20 (9 goals, 2 assists).
“It’s a team that’s not based around one guy,” Tumelty said. “It’s a team effort so everybody chips in. We got some guys scoring. We got some guys who are creating chances for us, so it’s good to have a well-rounded team.”
With this win, Montclair State improves to 13-1-1 overall, 6-0-0 in the NJAC for first place in the NJAC standings with three games to go in the regular season. They go on the road to face Stockton University this Saturday, host The College of New Jersey on Senior Day the Saturday after, and close out the regular season on the road against Kean University on Oct. 24.
