MONTCLAIR STATE FINISHES NO. 7 IN NSCAA DIVISION III POLL

Montclair, NJ (12/2/07) – Coming off its finest season to date, the Montclair State men's soccer team added another first as the Red Hawks finished in the Top 10 in the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) Division III national poll for the first time in school history. MSU, which reached the Elite 8 for the first timeended the year as the No. 7 team.

It is the second straight season that the Red Hawks have finished in the NSCAA's Top 25. Last year, Montclair was 13th in the final poll after advancing to the NCAA Division III Tournament "Sweet 16".

This year head coach Brian Sentwoski's team took another step in what has been the two finest years in the history of MSU program. Montclair finished the season at 19-3-1 losing to perennial national title contender and Final Four participant Messiah College, 1-0 in a thrilling match back on November 18.

The Red Hawks qualified for the NCAA's by capturing the New Jersey Athletic Conference title for the second consecutive year as Montclair finished 7-2 during the regular season and earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. After beating Rowan, 2-0 in the semifinals, MSU won the championship by knocking off New Jersey City, 1-0 in the NJAC Tournament final. Freshman Aytac Malta (Lake Hiawatha, NJ / Parsippany) scored the game-winning goal as the Red Hawks made their second straight and eighth overall appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Receiving a first-round bye for the second straight year, Montclair knocked off Penn State-Behrend, 2-1 in the second round as junior Tyler Masterson (Long Valley, NJ / West Morris Central) scored both goals. The victory put Montclair back into the "Sweet 16" again where this time it would advance as the Red Hawks met a familiar foe in NJCU. In the third meeting between the teams in just over a month and second in two weeks, Masterson again scored twice, including the game winner in overtime as MSU moved into the Elite 8 with a 3-2 victory.

Over the past two seasons, Montclair State has gone an incredible 39-4-2, including 27 of those wins by shutou while being ranked in the NSCAA Poll throughout the 2006 and 2007 campaigns.