Men's soccer falls short against Dubuque

The Monmouth College men’s soccer team opened up regular season play hoping to contend for a MWC title after starting the season ranked 6th in the Midwest Conference preseason poll. The Scots had 44 points in the poll, just three behind 5th ranked Cornell College. The Scots will look to challenge top-ranked St. Norbert, who received eight first-place votes, and enters the season ranked 25th in the country. Last year, the Fighting Scots finished with a 7-7-1 overall record, going an even 4-4-1 in Midwest Conference play. It appears to be a promising season, however, as Monmouth returns nine starters for 2019. Last Friday, The Scots were supposed to begin the season in St. Louis against Webster University, but it had to be postponed due to severe weather.

Thus, the Scots opened up their 2019 campaign with a home matchup last Sunday against the University of Dubuque. In a close contest, the Scots fell by a score of 2-0. The Spartans struck once in the 22nd minute, then again in the 67th minute. Despite the final score, the Scots featured solid efforts at goalkeeper, with Kieran Marshall and Marcos Garibay combining for six saves. Along with the defense, Duh Thang threatened the Spartan defense with two shots on goal. Unfortunately, they were both saved by Dubuque goalkeeper Brandon White. The Fighting Scots will be looking for their first win of the season this weekend, with a road trip to Cedar Rapids to face North Central (MN) and Lakeland University.

While the Scots do have to travel this weekend, it will be at a neutral site. Both games are set to begin at 4:30 PM Friday and Saturday, with North Central (MN) being the first to face the Scots.

Riley Dulin - Sports Editor