#18 MCC Falls to Rival #20 Monroe in Thriller

ROCHESTER, NY - In a competitive and heated matchup, the Monroe University Mustangs squeaked a win versus the Tribunes in a 3-2 thriller. 

The game was tight from the beginning, with each team bringing the intensity. Monroe scored early off a set piece by Braxton Richards in the 9th minute, giving the Mustangs an early 1-0 lead. The Tribunes were effective offensively at pushing back on the Mustangs, earning four corner kicks in the first half, but could not find a score. The Mustangs extended their lead late in the first half, as Reno Ishida scored off an assist by Alejandro Silvestrin in the 43rd minute, doubling their lead going into the half. 

Despite the deficit, MCC was not fazed. Early in the second half, Manato Ogawa (Saitama, Japan) found Jacob Sevene (Greece, NY) for the Tribs' first goal, building some team momentum and cutting the lead in half. From then on the tension at John L. Dimarco Field ratcheted up, with a number of fouls and cards shown to both teams. After a long period of back and forth, the Tribunes were awarded a penalty in the 87th minute with an opportunity to tie the game. With the stadium in silence and several coaches, fans, and players unable to look, Ollie Weir (Falkirk, Scotland) struck the ball into the side netting, drawing the game level. 

With only a few minutes left, the Mustangs pressed hard to retake the lead in the last few minutes. In the 90th minute, the Mustangs were awarded a penalty, with a chance to win the game. After some hesitations, Mustang's Harumi Yunaiyama placed the ball in the bottom right corner, pulling out a win for the Mustangs.

In what was a hard-fought game, MCC was one minute away from stealing points from their rivals of the same name. The Tribunes will look to bring that same energy for their final home game of the regular season and sophomore night when they take on Montgomery College.   

NEXT UP: Montgomery College (MD) | 10/18/24 (1 pm) | John L DiMarco Field (Monroe CC, Brighton Campus)