FC Monmouth vs Hershey FC Match Preview
Following a 1-1 draw midweek in Pennsylvania against Torch FC, FC Monmouth returns to Count Basie Park for their third match day in just eight calendar days, playing host to Hershey FC at 6pm Saturday night.
In an up-and-down performance midweek, FC Monmouth showcased their resilience on the road in Pennsylvania, pulling back a point from a wonderfully-placed free kick from fan-favorite Michael Mallon.
Despite not having won a game up until this point in the season, Head Coach John Killick feels that the squad is still growing and gelling together, and with every passing training session, the team moves closer to grabbing those elusive three points.
“We are certainly getting there,” began Killick, who is absolutely relishing the opportunity to coach such a dedicated group of players.
“We have such a wonderful group of lads. The guys show up week-in and week-out ready to learn, ready to improve. It’s just a matter of time before we start turning these losses and draws into wins.”
Veteran midfielder and FC Monmouth staple Joseph Lozowski weighed in on the team’s form, and on the outlook for the season.
“We’ve suffered from a lot of injuries this season, and it has been quite difficult,” stated Lozowski.
“We just have to keep moving forward and put these results and injuries behind us [as best we can]. There’s a lot of games left out there, and we will have more opportunities to improve!”
It is important to note that FC Monmouth returns just five players from last season’s campaign, with a majority of them injured, including veteran and First-Team All-MAAC selection George Akampeke.
This combination of a large squad-turnover and incredibly frustrating amount of injuries has made it much more difficult for both the players and coaching staff alike, so FC Monmouth’s competitiveness and dedication despite difficulties has been a testament to how thoroughly this squad is committed to the cause and club.
Despite selection problems, Killick has tried his best to rotate the team, and with fixtures coming thick and fast, that remains the case this weekend.
Here is your FC Monmouth 18-man roster for the match against Hershey FC:
#1 Jake Nicoll GK
#33 A.J. Montana GK
#3 Mason Martelloni Defender
#6 Robert Tapp Defender
#20 Jack Longo Defender
#23 Connor Anderko Defender
#27 Evan Walters Defender
#2 Brett Sieg Midfielder
#8 Johnny Hart Midfielder
#10 Daniel Ramm Midfielder
#12 Aniello Lubrano Midfielder
#17 Michael Mallon Midfielder
#42 Rob Saunders Midfielder
#66 Rhys Cotter Midfielder ©
#7 Christian Hernandez Forward
#11 Mickael Rodriguez Forward
#30 Alexander Navarrete Forward
#77 Louis Pennington Forward
With some familiar faces and new faces alike, Killick thinks that this team is more than capable to handle Hershey FC at home, and will be gunning for the three points from the off.
“We can certainly change our season with one positive result. We have to go for it. Momentum is everything in football- we just need a spark.”
As always, FC Monmouth would love to thank our supporters, staff and players for their dedication each and every session, game and season. Without every single participant in this process, FC Monmouth would just be an idea, and not the wonderful reality it has blossomed into today.
Additionally, we would like to cordially invite you to both this match, and all of our remaining home games. With fresh food options available, capacity seating for group events, and ways to involve your children or youth program in the match build-up and at halftime, FC Monmouth is the Jersey Shore’s premier destination for a coupling of high-level soccer and family fun.
Tickets are still available for the rest of our home games this season here.
Let’s put our best foot forward and try to capture these three points, as it could pave the way for an extremely successful change of fortune for the remainder of the season.
We hope to see you there. Let’s go Monmouth!
Kieffer Braisted is a writer and social media manager for FC Monmouth. Having graduated from Kean University with a degree in communications and journalism, Kieffer brings a plethora of experience to the FC Monmouth media team, and will be producing both written content and managing social media platforms for the club.