Boxscore

Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, Del. - After a scoreless first half, the University of Delaware men’s soccer team lost 2-0 to Monmouth on Wednesday night at Delaware Mini-Stadium. With the loss, Delaware fell to 1-4-1 and Monmouth improved to 3-1-1.

Despite its record, Head Coach Ian Hennessy feels his team is close to where it needs to be.

“The players and I feel that we are performing very well in a number of phases of the game,” Hennessy said. “But others need continued improvement before conference play, and we will eventually get it right. They are a terrific group of young men and certainly a group better than results thus far.”

Delaware has now been outscored 6-3 by its opponents in the second half. Six of the 11 goals the Blue Hens have allowed all year have come in the second period.

The Blue Hens took 10 shots in the first half and Monmouth took eight, but the the game went into halftime scoreless.

But almost four minutes into the second half, Monmouth’s Chase Barbieri put home a shot from inside the six off of a pass by R.J. Allen to put Monmouth up 1-0.

The best chance Delaware had to score was with about 25 minutes left in the game when Abdul Faisal Alhassan-Chibsah found a loose ball just outside the 18-yard line in the middle of the field, but shot it wide right.

Monmouth’s Ryan Kinne would later add an insurance goal with a little over three minutes left in regulation to ice the win for the Hawks.

Blue Hen goalkeeper Conrad Rusnak (at right) saved nine shots in the losing effort for the Hens, including a diving save while the game was still scoreless.

AGATE:

Delaware..................0....0.....0
Monmouth................0....2.....2

Scoring Summary: Second Half: MU - Chase Barbieri (R.J. Allen), 48:51; MU - Ryan Kinne (Chase Barbieri), 86:48. Shots: UD - 15, MU - 13; Corner Kicks: UD - 6, MU - 5; Saves: UD - 9 (Conrad Rusnak); MU - 6 (Bryan Meredith); Fouls: UD - 14, MU - 9; Offsides: UD 2, MU 3.