The 2023 Montclair State Men’s Soccer team has aspirations of becoming NJAC kings for the first time since 2019. The Red Hawks claimed the top spot on the coaches' preseason poll just a year after a magical 2022 season.
Last year saw the Red Hawks dominate their way through the NJAC regular season, going 8-0-1 in the conference and claiming the NJAC Regular Season Championship. While the season ended in heartbreak after falling to Rowan 3-0 in the championship, head coach Todd Tumelty has his team primed to make another run at it and—this time—finish the job.
The Hawks open up the season on September 1 at MSU Soccer Park at 7pm against New York University (NYU).
Key Players:
Amer Lukovic: Lukovic was a huge part of the Red Hawks offense last year. The Junior led the team in shots (71), goals (11), and points (23) and has established himself as a top player in the conference. Lukovic was clutch for the Red Hawks as well, scoring five game-deciding goals in eight of their wins—including in the NJAC Semi-Final match against Rutgers-Camden.
Shane Keenan/Boris Del Valle: Kennan was voted 2022 NJAC Goalkeeper of the Year and was lights out in the net. The fifth-year keeper finished the year having 29 saves, allowing only seven goals on the year. Del Valle started all 10 games he appeared in last year. A fifth-year keeper himself, Del Valle led the team in wins—going 8-1-0 with 26 saves and only six goals allowed.
Opponent Preview:
The Red Hawks cannot take this NYU team lightly in their home opener. The Violets finished last year with a record of 9-5-3, with six of those nine wins coming on the road. NYU finished 3rd in the UAA conference and has experience playing in Montclair when stole a game in overtime from the Red Hawks two years ago.
The Violets return Third Team All-American Arkan Tahsildaroglu, who was the team leader in every offensive category last season. The Red Hawks will need to keep him at bay and jump on a lead early to fire up the crowd and start the season off right.
Prediction:
The first match of the year will always have some growing pains, no matter the sport. Players will shake the cobwebs and teams will work on building up their chemistry. Montclair has the advantage of having many of their top players returning from last year. In front of what is sure to be a big home crowd tonight, look for the Red Hawks to jump on top early and win their first match of the year.
Check back here after the game for a full recap!
