HAMDEN, Conn. – Junior midfielder Francois “Paco” Navarro (Paris, France/William Carey) scored twice as the Monmouth University men’s soccer team defeated Quinnipiac, 3-0, Thursday afternoon on the Quinnipiac Soccer Field. With the win, the Hawks improve to 7-3-2 (2-1-1 NEC), while the Bobcats lost for the first time in league play to drop to 4-5-2 (2-1-1 NEC).

 

The Hawks immediately pounced on the Bobcats, scoring in the 7^th and 11^th minutes. Navarro found the back of the net off a Matt Beverin (Glen Rock, N.J./Glen Rock) cross at the 6:09 mark. In the 11^th minute, Alex Weidman (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) scored from inside the six-yard box off a Joseph Schmid (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) assist.

 

Early in the second half, Navarro delivered the final dagger off a free kick in the 51^st minute to give Monmouth a commanding 3-0 lead.

 

Monmouth senior goalkeeper Alex Blackburn (Natick, Mass./Natick) made three saves in posting his sixth clean sheet of the season. Quinnipiac’s Borja Angoitia stopped two shots in the loss. For the game, the Bobcats took a slim 8-7 edge in shots, while the Hawks took a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.

 

The Hawks return to NEC action on the road Sunday, when they travel to Emmitsburg, Md., to take on Mount St. Mary’s. Kickoff from Waldron Family Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.