Hawks begin soccer season ranked No. 15
The Hawks ended the 2009 season ranked No. 13 when they were 18-2-2 and defeated the University of Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
They return all but one starter from last year’s Northeast Conference regular season and tournament championship team that beat UConn, 1-0, in West Long Branch in its NCAA Tournament opener.
The Hawks’ 2009 season ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 loss at Harvard.
This marks the first time that a Monmouth University program has been ranked in its preseason top 25 poll. The Hawks’ No. 15 national ranking is the highest preseason selection for an NEC school since Fairleigh Dickinson’s men’s soccer team was ranked No. 14 to begin the 2002 season.
Senior midfielder Ryan Kinne (Naugatuck, Conn.) and senior goalie Bryan Meredith (Scotch Plains-Fanwood) have been named to the Hermann Trophy National Player of the Year Watch List.
Coach Robert McCourt has done a fine job tapping local talent, led by sophomore midfielder Ryan Clark (Freehold Township High School). Clark was an NSCAA North Atlantic Region First Team pick and a First Team All-NEC selection in 2009. He was also a First Team Freshman All-American.
Old Bridge’s R.J. Allen (St. Joseph’s of Metuchen), a junior defender, was a First Team North Atlantic Region selection and a Second Team All-NEC pick. Allen was the NEC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Former Manalapan High School striker George Quintano, now a junior, is one of the team’s top finishers.
Last season, McCourt led the Hawks to the best record in program history, the program’s fifth straight NEC regular season title and third league tournament championship.
Monmouth will open the 2010 season on Sept. 3 in Morgantown, W.Va., vs. West Virginia in the West Virginia University Nike Classic. The first home game for Monmouth is set for Sept. 10 when the Hawks host St. Peter’s at 3 p.m. The NEC Tournament will begin on Nov. 12.
