RESULT: Hartford 3, Monmouth 1
RECORDS: Hartford (1-0-2), Monmouth (0-3-0)
LOCATION: Hesse Field (West Long Branch, N.J.)
THE LEAD: Junior Brian Richards struck twice and senior Javoni Simms added one goal as the University of Hartford men's soccer team cruised to a 3-1 win at Monmouth, the 2015 MAAC preseason favorite, on Friday night at Hesse Field. Simms opened up the scoring with his second goal of the year in the opening minute while Richards, who transferred to Hartford from Dayton, provided what proved to be the deciding factor of the match with his first goal as a Hawk in the 18th minute. Following a marker from Monmouth's Colin Stripling in the 30th minute, Richards put Hartford in front by a two-goal margin in the 38th minute, helping his team lock up its first win of the season. Junior goalkeeper David MacKinnon recorded one save on the night. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Hartford wasted little time to get on the scoreboard against Monmouth on Friday night, as senior Javoni Simms reached the back of the net on an unassisted goal just 49 seconds out of the opening whistle.
• The Hartford Hawks continued to apply pressure as junior Brian Richards put a header on goal in the 11th minute before freshman Mikkel Song forced Monmouth keeper Eric Klenofsky into action again seven minutes later on another header. That header by Song set up the eventual game-winning tally, as Richards tracked down the rebound and sank the ball into the back of the net in the 18th minute of action.
• Hartford continued to be the dominating team, as Simms created back-to-back scoring opportunities in the 25th and 26th minutes. Both of his shots went high of the target. .
• Less than four minutes later, the Monmouth Hawks would cut Hartford's lead in half as Colin Stripling beat David MacKinnon with a shot on a corner kick. The goal, which saw David Acuna Camacho earn the assist, was just Monmouth's second look on the night.
• The Monmouth goal was not a momentum changer, though, as Hartford kept the pressure on and extended its lead back to two goals before the end of the first half. In the 38th minute, Richards got his head on a cross from freshman Andri Jonasson, and quickly put the visiting squad in front by two goals at 3-1.
• Monmouth had one more look at closing in on Hartford's lead, but the visiting team's back line was on point, and made the team save out of a corner kick by Stripling in the 68th minute.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Hartford held a 7-4 advantage in shots in the decisive first half, and went on to outshoot Monmouth by a 10-7 margin
• The home team attempted six corner kicks on the night while holding Hartford to two
• Between the posts, junior keeper David MacKinnon was forced into action once; in the 67th minute, Hartford's back came up with an impressive stop on a shot on goal by Colin Stripling out of a corner kick, preventing Monmouth from closing the gap to one goal
• For Monmouth, Eric Klenofsky made a pair of saves and allowed three goals

NEWS & NOTES:

• Junior Brian Richards recorded the first multi-goal outing for the Hawks this season.
• A transfer from Dayton, the multi-goal game is the second of his career as he scored twice for the Flyers in a 3-0 win over Detroit
• Senior Javoni Simms has scored one goal in back-to-back outings as he provided the lone goal of a 1-1 draw at Siena on Tuesday
• Simms is the Hawks' active goal leader with 22 on his career
• Two rookies – Mikkel Song and Andri Jonasson – recorded their first career points on assists; Song's assist came on Richards' first goal, the eventual game-winner, while Jonasson handed out the assist on the insurance goal before halftime
• Hartford has begun a season unbeaten through its first three games for the last two seasons as it went 2-0-1 to start 2014
• Friday's meeting between Hartford and Monmouth ended a 29-year hiatus between the two squads; with the win, the Hartford Hawks improve to 2-1-0 against the Monmouth Hawks.

UP NEXT:
The Hawks have one week off before they head to Virginia for their next two contests. Hartford first heads to VCU on Friday for a 7 p.m. tilt before it takes on Old Dominion on Sunday at 7 p.m.