STANDISH, Maine -- Mount Ida's men's soccer secured another big win on Thursday night, as they knocked off Saint Joseph's (Maine) 2-0 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's soccer action.
The Mustangs (8-5-2, 5-2-1 GNAC) have already clinched a spot in the conference postseason tournament, and now can wrap up at least a #4 seed and a home game in the quarterfinals if they beat Norwich this Saturday (2:00 pm, Alumni Field).
Sophomore forward Carlos Martinez (Chelsea, Mass.) scored both of Mount Ida's goals and junior goalie Mat Pils (Monroe, Conn.) made two saves to record his sixth and the team's seventh shutout of the season.
Martinez leads the team with eight goals this year, and has two game-winners, while Pils lowered his goals against average to 1.06.
It took less than nine minutes for Mount Ida to get on the scoreboard, as Martinez opened the scoring with a booming long-distance kick. After a Saint Joseph's foul, Martinez launched a bending free kick from near midfield over the head of Monks goalkeeper Scott Benner (Post Falls, Idaho) to lift the visitors to a 1-0 lead at the 36:24 mark of the first half.
Martinez struck again 12 minutes later off a perfect lead pass, to double his side's advantage. Pushing upfield, junior Dishawn Miller (Bristol, Conn.) delivered an outstanding long-distance feed to Martinez, who was streaking towards the left post and beat a pair of defenders to create a 1v1 situation with Benner. With little space, the sophomore quickly tapped the ball into the right corner to make it a 2-0 game with 24:36 left in the opening stanza.
Benner made three stops, including a terrific save on a penalty kick in the 55th minute by Martinez, who was bidding for a hat trick.
Both teams posted nine shots in the GNAC tilt and Saint Joseph's held a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks on the afternoon. For the Monks, the home loss is just the team's second of the year and first since the Royal Blue dropped a 3-2 decision to Thomas College on September 4th.
The win for Mount Ida was the first over the Monks (10-6-1, 6-2-0 GNAC) since 2010, and the first time that the Mustangs have beaten Saint Joseph's by more than one goal in eight all time meetings (4-4).
Both teams resume play versus a conference foe on Saturday, when Saint Joseph's travels to Lasell College for a 2:30 PM kick-off and Mount Ida hosts Norwich University at 2:00 PM. For the Monks, the contest against the Lasers marks the 2013 regular-season finale, while the Mustangs cap the regular season schedule with a home contest against Brandeis University on Monday at 6:00 PM.