RED HAWKS PLACE FIVE ON NSCAA METRO ALL-REGION TEAM

Montclair, NJ (12/16/07) – The Montclair State men's soccer team was well represented as the Red Hawks placed five players on the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) Division III Metro All-Region Team.

Juniors Tyler Masterson (Long Valley, NJ / West Morris Central) and Nick Mele (Delran, NJ / Delran) were named to the First Team while Owen Nichols (Princeton, NJ / Princeton) and John Esposito (Hillside, NJ / Hillside) were selected Second Team. Sophomore Joe Cullen (Clementon, NJ / Highland Regional) was picked for the Third Team. All five players were named to the All-NJAC Team in November.

All five played an instrumental role in helping the Red Hawks to their finest season in the history of the program as MSU posted a 19-3-1 mark and captured its second straight New Jersey Athletic Conference championship. Montclair also made its furthest advancement in the NCAA Division III Tournament reaching the Elite 8 before falling to three-time defending national champion Messiah College, 1-0. Montclair was ranked No. 7 in the final NSCAA Division III Top 20 poll.

Mele, the NJAC Goalkeeper of the Year and First-Team All-NJAC selection, posted a 0.60 goals against average and made 87 saves while posting 12 shutouts. A three-time NJAC Defensive Player of the Week award winner, Mele set the Montclair single-season record for victories and posted the second-highest total for shutouts in a season as he led the conference in both those categories. In addtion, he was second in the league in save percentage (.870) and fourth in total saves. In the final NCAA Division III statistics, Mele was ranked sixth in save percentage and 18th in goals against average. The Red Hawks were ranked in the Top 20 as a team in goals against average (16th), save percentage (9th) and shutouts per game (9th).

Masterson was one of the top scorers in the NJAC this past season as he collected 16 goals and finished with 36 points. Masterson ranked second in the league in points scored and goals. In addition, he led the NJAC in game-winning goals with seven, including the deciding goals in MSU's two NCAA Tournament victories as he scored two goals apiece in Montclair's 2-1 win over Penn State-Behrend in the second round and against New Jersey City in a 3-2 overtime triumph in the "Sweet 16" at Messiah College. He finished one game-winning goal shy of matching Sebastian DiBello's 1996 record.

Nichols finished fifth in the NJAC with a team-best 10 assists while Esposito appeared in all 23 games this season and had five goals and six assists. Ranked third in the NJAC in game-winning goals with four, Esposito recorded the assist on the game-winning goal in the NJAC Championship Game. Cullen collected two goals and five assists.