BY DOMINCK RINELLI JR.
Correspondent

In his second season at the helm of the men’s soccer program at Monmouth University, head coach Rob McCourt has turned the program around in remarkable fashion.

Just last season the Hawks finished in eighth place in the Northeast Conference with an overall record of 7-8-3 and a 2-4-3 mark in conference play.

Fast forward one year, and Monmouth has claimed the 2005 NEC regular season title — their first since 1990, after defeating Mount St. Mary’s, 2-0, this past Sunday to improve their record to 9-3-6 overall and 6-0-3 in NEC play.

“It’s a tremendous positive for our program,” said McCourt. “Being able to win the regular season title and go undefeated in the conference is a direct reflection of our players’ dedication and hard work that they have put in all season.”

The Hawks first lit up the scoreboard at the 4:52 mark. Monmouth was awarded a free kick from 40 yards out, and sophomore Tom Gray, an all-state performer at Middletown South, took advantage of the opportunity. Gray’s kick traveled to junior Hugh MacDonald, who headed the ball past the Mount’s goalie to put Monmouth in front 1-0.

Less then 10 minutes later, junior Steven Holloway was fouled in the box, which set up a penalty shot. Senior Ed Hayden capitalized on the kick to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead during the 14th minute of play.

Both teams were unable to find the back of the net throughout the remainder of the contest, and senior goalkeeper Art Satterwhite recorded five saves in the game to pick up his league-leading 10th shutout of the season and the 18th of his career.

“Defense wins championships, and all of our guys, from the defenders to our midfielders, have played a huge part in our success,” said McCourt.

By defeating the Mount, the Blue and White are not only the NEC regular season champions, but they also have earned home field advantage for the NEC Tournament, which begins Friday.

“We are excited to host the NEC Tournament and hope to get support from the Jersey Shore soccer community,” said McCourt.

“Home field in a conference tournament is pretty big,” MacDonald said. “I had a chance to play in two conference tournaments at VCU, and we were lucky enough to have home field one of those years. We easily won it, so I think home field is big once playoffs come around.”

The Hawks will open tournament play on Friday at 11 a.m. when they will face the fourth-seeded Sacred Heart Pioneers. The winner of the Monmouth/Sacred Heart matchup will play the victor of the Central Connecticut State/Robert Morris game on Sunday at noon. Monmouth played Sacred Heart on the road on Oct. 16, and the game ended in a 1-1 double-overtime draw.

“Each game is a battle,” said McCourt. “Our guys are great, and we are not getting ahead of ourselves. We are taking one game at a time and keeping our goal of making the NCAA Tournament in perspective.”