FOLEY, Ala., November 17, 2018 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's soccer team is the 2018 NJCAA Div. I Women's Soccer National Champion. With three straight goals, including two late in the second half, the No. 2-seed Mustangs defeated top-seeded Tyler Junior College, 3-1, at the Foley Sports Complex, to capture the Mustangs' first national crown since 2014.
Tyler got on the board in the second minute of the game, but
Francesca Sullivan tied things up late in the first half.
Maria Santin gave the Mustangs the lead in the 73rd minute, and then set up
Angie Ponce for the Mustangs' third score with six minutes to play to put the game out of reach and earn the team's second-ever National Championship.
Marta Alemany was once again brilliant in the win. After getting caught early in the game, she made five huge saves and a number of other big plays to keep the Apaches off the board the rest of the way.
Â
After an incredible tournament that does not necessarily show up on the stat sheet,
Yolanda Albalat was named the NJCAA Div. I Women's Soccer Championship Tournament Offensive MVP. Alemany's stellar play throughout the week earned her Tournament Defensive MVP honors. Santin, Ponce and
Alba Gonzalez were all represented Monroe College on the All-Tournament Team.
Â
Tyler did not waste any time grabbing an early lead in Saturday's championship. Tyler's Akane Takada sent a cross up from just ahead of midfield to Hitomi Kono, leading her toward the box.
Marta Alemany tried to get a jump on it and came way out of the net, but she was just a hair too late, as Kono was able to control and kick it past her into the net to take a 1-0 lead at the 1:35 mark.
Â
Alemany almost got caught again, but instead flashed her brilliance in the 23rd minute. She stopped a shot right at the top of the box, but was caught on the ground, where Kono found the ball with a nearly wide-open opportunity. Instead, Alemany got up, and barely got a hand on the shot, sending it just inches wide to the right of the net to keep the Mustangs within one.
The Mustangs got a free kick near the sideline midway between the midfield line and the goal with about four minutes remaining.
Alba Gonzalez sent an absolutely perfect cross into the middle of the box, where it found
Francesca Sullivan, who sent a beautiful header right under the crossbar and just inches over the keepers outstretched hand, tying the game at 1-1.
 The Apaches had one more opportunity with just under two minutes until the half. A cross from the corner made it into the middle of the box, where Sullivan put it off her head, but this time trying to send it away from the goal. The ball went toward the Mustangs' goal line, but Alemany was able to grab it to end the scoring chance for Tyler, sending the game to the half with a 1-1 stalemate.
Â
The Mustangs had a great chance in the 62nd minute.
Angie Ponce had an opportunity from in close, but had the ball cleared out of the box.
Anya Donelan kept possession for the Mustangs, found
Yolanda Albalat heading toward the net after beating a pair of defenders. Albalat was one-on-one with the keeper, but Andrea Neves made a great stop for the Apaches to keep the game tied.
Â
In the 73rd minute,
Anya Donelan brought the ball to the far left corner of the box. She crossed it over to
Maria Santin, who finally had some space near the goal. She made one move past a defender and buried it to the right of the net, giving the Mustangs a 2-1 lead late in the contest.
With just under seven minutes to play, Santin brought it deep into Tyler territory. She sent a through ball into the box, where Ponce came streaking from the left wing to find it, beat the keeper, and put it into the net to give the Mustangs a 3-1 lead that they held through the final buzzer.
The 2018 NJCAA National Champion Mustangs finish an undefeated season at 16-0-1. Monroe allowed just two goals throughout their title run in Foley. The Mustangs' historic season also saw them capture the 2018 Region XV Championship, as well as the 2018 Northeast District Championship before proving themselves as the best team in the nation.
Â
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 27 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
Â
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at
www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (
Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (
@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
