Men's Soccer Preview: Monmouth

NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware men's soccer team will play Monmouth on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, their final CAA road game of the season and the start of a two-game road trip.

What You Need to Know:

Delaware opened its season with a 2-0 win over Mount St. Mary's on Thursday, August 25, giving head coach Tommy McMenemy his first career victory. The Blue Hens also defeated George Washington on Sept. 13 and Stony Brook on Oct. 15, both wins featuring two goals by Sam Donnellan. Delaware played Saint Joseph's to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 6 and UNCW to a 2-2 draw on Sept. 24.
Donnellan was named CAA Rookie of the Week on Sept. 19, Sept. 26, and Oct. 17. He is the only CAA freshman to win two Rookie of the Week honors so far this season, and was the first Delaware player to receive back-to-back Rookie of the Weeks since Roberto Giménez in September 2011 and the first with three Rookie of the Week honors in a season since Giménez in 2011.
Donnellan scored eight goals in his first 14 career games, the fastest Blue Hen player to score eight career goals since former All-American Guillermo Delgado did so in his first five games. Donnellan's eight goals are the most by a Delaware freshman also since Delgado had 15 in 2013, and the most by any Delaware player in a season since Delgado had 12 in 2017. He is tied for second in the CAA in goals scored, trailing Elliot Goldthorp (11) of Hofstra and tied with Ryan Carmichael of Hofstra. Donnellan is also tied with Denis Krioutchenkov of Davidson, Palmer Ault of Butler, and Matthew Bell of Marshall for the most goals among Division I freshmen this season.
Seidu Shamsudeen and Orri Thorhallsson have scored three goals for the Blue Hens, while Alonso Rodriguez has scored two and Brandon Sengphachanh has scored one goal. Thorhallsson (two), Florian Phlepsen (two), Aron Adalsteinsson (two), Liam Fuller, Jordan Miller, Alonso Rodriguez, Petros Fokas, James Watson, Charles Giordano, and Carlos Fernandez each have recorded an assist.
Adam Vik has recorded 52 saves through the first 14 career games of the season, first in the CAA, including a career-high eight against Hofstra. He has recorded shutouts against Mount St. Mary's in his collegiate debut on August 25 and George Washington on Sept. 13.

The Opponent:

Monmouth is 6-5-1 overall and 2-4-1 in the CAA so far on the season. During the non-conference portion of their schedule, Monmouth defeated St. Joe's 2-0 and played Drexel to a 1-1 draw, common opponents of Delaware.
Ben Zakowski has four goals to lead the Hawks , while Luke McBeth has three assists to lead the team. Eryk Dymora has 35 saves as the goalkeeper.
Head coach Robert McCourt is in his 19th season with Monmouth and enters the game with a career record of 182-113-58. McCourt has led the Hawks to conference championships in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2015.

How to Follow: Live Stats I Live Video
Live stats and live video will be available for the match on bluehens.com.

Up Next: Delaware heads to Maryland for a matchup with the Terrapins, currently ranked No. 7 nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, on Tuesday.

Follow Us on Social Media: For the latest on the Delaware men's soccer program, follow the Blue Hens on Twitter @DelawareMSOC and Instagram @DelawareMSOC and like "Delaware Men's Soccer" on Facebook.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aron Adalsteinsson

Guillermo Delgado

Sam Donnellan

Carlos Fernandez

Petros Fokas

Liam Fuller

Roberto Giménez

Charles Giordano

Jordan Miller

Florian Phlepsen

Alonso Rodriguez

Brandon Sengphachanh

Seidu Shamsudeen

Orri Thorhallsson

Adam Vik

James Watson

University of Delaware Athletics