THE BASICS:

Score: Monmouth 1, Holy Cross 0

Records: Holy Cross  (2-3-2, 0-0-0 Patriot League); Monmouth (3-3-1, 0-0-0 MAAC)

Location: Worcester, Mass. (Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium)

Date: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015

Time: 7:05 p.m.

The Lead: John Egan scored the game winning goal in the second half for the Hawks, as the Holy Cross men's soccer team fell to Monmouth, 1-0, on Saturday night in a non-conference match.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Crusaders took the first shot in the fifth minute. Sophomore Yuji Callahan (Okinawa, Japan) took a corner, which made its way to sophomore Brad Ross (Nashville, Tennessee) who headed a five-yard shot at Monmouth's goalkeeper Eric Klenofsky who made the diving save.
• In the 36th minute, Monmouth had an opportunity on a free kick. David Acuna Camacho took the kick, putting the ball in the box, which was then shot wide by Colin Stripling.
• Sophomore Eric Dixon (San Diego, Calif.) had an eight-yard laser of a shot saved by Klenofsky in the 37th minute.
• Holy Cross senior goalkeeper Kevin Wright (McKinney, Texas) made a run off his line in the 42nd minute on a 50-50 ball, diving to intercept the pass, preventing Danny Figarella from scoring.
• The score was 0-0 at the half. The Crusaders led in shots on goal 2-0. Both teams had three corner kick attempts.
• Monmouth took the lead in the 51st minute (50:52) when Anderson Asiedu received the ball outside the 18-yard box from Egan, who got the ball back from Asiedu on a give-and-go. Egan then hit a one-timer to the back of the net.
• In the 54th minute,  Matt Villano (Basking Ridge, N.J.) flicked in a header past Klenofsky off a free kick taken by sophomore Justin Carfora (Plainview, N.J.), but the goal was waived off by an offside call.
• Holy Cross came close in the 70th minute when Carfora sent a free kick from 25-yards out, forcing Klenofsky to make a diving catch.
• The Crusaders had another opportunity in the 87th minute when Dixon received the ball from 10-yards out and hit a hard header on target, which Klenofsky claimed.
• The Crusaders were unable to score an equalizer as the Hawks won the game 1-0.

KOOLMAN ON THE GAME: 

• “In the first half, we were a little flat,” said Holy Cross head coach Marco Koolman. “In the second half we picked it up. We did everything right, but we were unable to finish. When you have that many chances, we need to be able to find the back of the net.”

 INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Klenofsky finished the game with six saves to earn the victory.
• Holy Cross outshot Monmouth 17-5, while the Crusaders had six shots on net and the Hawks had one.
• The Crusaders had 10 corner kicks, and the Hawks took four.

BEYOND THE BOX:

• Egan leads the Hawks on the offensive end with two goals and three assists, racking up seven points so far in the season.
• Monmouth made the 2014 NCAA tournament.

UP NEXT:

• The Crusaders kick off the Patriot League season when they travel to Bethlehem, Pa., on Saturday, Sept. 26, to take on Lehigh at 1:00 p.m. 

KEEP CONNECTED:

• There are numerous ways to stay connected with the Holy Cross men's soccer team. Follow the Crusaders on Twitter @HCrossMSoccer, on Facebook and on Instagram. You can also get the latest news and results on the team sent directly to your e-mail. To sign up for e-mail alerts go here.