FC Monmouth Falls in Season Opener to FC Motown

RED BANK, NJ – In its first game since June 29, 2019, FC Monmouth (0-1-0) fell 2-0 to in-state rival FC Motown (1-0-0) Saturday night.

FC Motown attempted four of the first five shots of the game, with all four being stopped by goalkeeper Matt Perrella. After back-to-back shots from FC Monmouth, including one from defender Zachary Pereira that had to be deflected out of play, FC Motown closed the first half with three more attempts.

The scoreless first half was the first time in which the two sides played a full 45 minutes with no goals, spanning back their three previous meetings.

After FC Monmouth forward Josh Hesson tried to catch FC Motown’s goalkeeper by surprise, the visitors opened the scoring on the counter in the 58th minute. A little more than 10 minutes later, FC Motown headed a ball off of a corner towards the FC Monmouth net. That shot deflected off of a FC Monmouth player and landed in the back of the net for their second goal.

FC Monmouth had a chance to cut the deficit in half in the later stages of the game, but midfielder Cameron Allen’s shot was deflected away by a FC Motown player right in front of the net. That was their last shot of the game, as the visitors were able to close out a season opening victory.

AT THE MICROPHONE

“There were 11 guys out there with no subs and we were able to stay in the match with one of the best teams not only in our conference but probably in the country… Everyone was a key performer. I could name everyone on the field for us that was a key part for us. There wasn’t one person that mailed it in, they all gave 110 percent, and that’s all I could ask for right now.” - Head Coach Brian Woods

“They’re always tough, obviously only having 11 guys made it difficult for us. We were stretching them out throughout the game and had moments when we could have gone ahead. Having a different scenario would have been great, but it was also our first game together and we were shorthanded. It’s a tough loss but we played well and there is a lot to build on.” - Goalkeeper Matt Perrella

NOTES AND NUMBERS

Pereira’s start brought him into a tie with former midfielder Dylan Fogerty for the most games played in team history (20).

Perrella’s seven saves were the most all-time for a goalkeeper in their FC Monmouth debut. It was also the most saves recorded by a FC Monmouth goalkeeper since July 7, 2018, when Scott Weigel had eight.

The game marked the first time in club history that every starter played the full 90 minutes. The fewest number of subs used by FC Monmouth was two, which was done on multiple occasions.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE

FC Monmouth will travel to Scranton, PA on Wednesday, May 19. Kickoff against the Electric City Shock is slated for 7:00 p.m.