Box Score

Montclair, NJ (10/19/11) – Senior midfielder Sean Pauls (Denville, NJ / Morris Knolls) and senior forward Kevin Zalewski (Parsippany, NJ / Parsippany) scored first half goals that would eventually stand up as Montclair State edged Muhlenberg College, 2-1 at a rainy and windy MSU Soccer Park on Wednesday.

Junior goalkeeper Anthony Rogic (Boonton, NJ / Morris Catholic) stopped two shot as the Red Hawks improved to 12-2-2 on the year with their ninth win in their last 10 outings.

Junior midfielder Nate Squire (Wilmington, DE / Wilmington Friends) scored for the Mules, who fell to 8-4-1 on the year.

The Red Hawks got out to a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute scoring off a corner kick. Brian Cullen (Clementon, NJ / Highland Regional) served the ball into the box toward the far post. Goalkeeper Jas Chojnowski (Churcville, PA / George School) stopped the initial shot by Pauls, however the ball came right back out to Pauls, who tapped the ball into the net for his sixth goal of the season.

Montclair would extend the lead at 21:58 of the period as Zalewski scored on a rebound of his own penalty kick after being fouled just outside the six yardline. It was his eighth goal of the year as MSU took its 2-0 lead into halftime.

Muhlenberg would get a chance late in the second half as Tim Leischner (Scotch Plains, NJ / SP-Fanwood) bent a corner kick toward the back post. Rogic would get a hand on it to prevent the ball from going in, but the rebound landed right in front and bounced right in front before being kicked away by a Montclair defender.

That would prove big as 20 seconds later, Muhlenberg was awarded a penalty kick. Squire would bury the attempt for his third goal of the year as the Mules closed the gap to 2-1 with 19:06 remaining.

Muhlenberg would get one more chance with 13:41 left however Ryan Barlotta’s (Glen Rock, NJ / Don Bosco Prep) shot went wide.

Chojnowski made six saves for Muhlenberg, which was outshot 13-8 but held a 5-4 edge in corner kicks.
Both teams return to action on Saturday, October 22 with conference contests. Montclair State hosts Richard Stockton at Sprague Field beginning at 6:00 pm. Muhlenberg is on the road at Gettysburg for a 7:00 pm Centennial Conference match.