FC Monmouth Cruises Past Torch FC, 4-0
LANSDALE, PA – FC Monmouth blanked BuxMont Torch FC 4-0 last night at the Dock Mennonite Academy, bumping their record in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) up to 4-3-1.
“Some of the younger guys that haven’t gotten much time played the bulk of the minutes tonight,” said Head Coach Brian Woods. “There were a few things that maybe we could have done better, but all in all I was happy with the result.”
Starting Lineup
FC Monmouth: Moreira, Judge, Bland, Pereira, Cheslock; Akampeke, Covello; Fogerty, Hammer, Pugliese; White
BuxMont Torch FC: Fukuzawa, Khan, Kosoko, Lewis, Logan, Marculo, Navarrete, Parsons, Powers, Rojas, Smith
Stat Breakdown
FC Monmouth vs BuxMont Torch FC
Shots 17 vs 3
Shots on Target 6 vs 2
Goals 4 vs 0
Corner Kicks 10 vs 3
Saves 1 vs 2
Recap
FC Monmouth wasted no time asserting their dominance over the hosts when they took the lead just three minutes in. Forward Ryan Hammer scored his first-ever FC Monmouth goal after some quick passing saw him tap a pass on the ground across goal from forward Justin White into the back of an open net. Hammer said, “It’s good to get in there and play a full ninety minutes and really feel like you’re making a bigger impact than you think you are sometimes.”
Though the visitors had been controlling the game in its early stages, Torch FC equalized in the 16th minute, but it was ruled offside. Goalkeeper Malcom Moreira, who made his first start for the club yesterday, came out to clear a cross into the box and his mishit punch landed at the feet of a Torch player, who tapped it into the back of the open net.
Moments later, FC Monmouth doubled their lead via an own goal committed by Torch’s Tyler Smith. A cross was sent in from the corner and midfielder George Akampeke just mistimed his jump, seeing the ball sail over his head towards Smith. The defender’s header flew into the right corner of the net. “I thought we came out flying a bit,” said midfielder Chase Covello. “We just wanted to score early, we got that done, and then we just kept going for goals.”
Early in the second half, Hammer scored his second goal of the match, this time from long distance. BuxMont Torch FC goalkeeper Jorge Navarrete was unable to handle the forward’s effort, parrying it into his own net. “We knew the keeper had soft hands sometimes,” said Hammer. “I was trying to take long shots…I guess he misjudged it and it hit off his hand and went in.”
“We’ve been telling Hammer to shoot from distance every time he gets in the game,” said Woods. “It worked out for us this time, so I’m happy to see that he was able to do what he’s capable of doing on the field.”
Covello finished off the scoring for FC Monmouth in the 62nd minute. Midfielder Dylan Fogerty brought the ball to the byline and sent it back into the box for Covello, who shifted it onto his right foot and scored with a low-driven shot inside of the far post. The midfielder said that his first club goal was a great personal moment for him. “I’m really proud to just play for the club every week and represent the owners and all of the effort they put into the team. It’s nice to give back, not just do my job,” he said.
With the 4-0 win, FC Monmouth was able to bring three points back to Red Bank where they will face West Chester United SC on Saturday in what could potentially be the most important match of the season as they try to find a way into the playoffs. “In the beginning of the year we hoped that we’d have these kinds of games coming up,” said Woods. “We couldn’t be more excited about it."