GORHAM, Maine – Junior Austin Bell (Gorham, Maine) scored his second goal of the season in the 74th minute to lead the Saint Joseph's College Monks to a 1-0 win over University of Southern Maine Huskies in a non-conference men's soccer game

The Monks earn their eighth straight win to improve to 9-1-2.  Southern Maine falls to 1-7-3 on the season.

Despite outshooting the Huskies 24-3 for the game, SJC and USM were locked in a scoreless battle thanks in part to an outstanding goalkeeping effort from Husky sophomore Simon Hulbert (Bar Harbor, Maine).  Hulbert made nine saves in the game in addition to making several key defensive plays to break up potential scoring opportunities.

With just over 15 minutes left in regulation, Saint Joseph's continued to pressure the Huskies back line before Bell broke through for the score.  Sophomore Mitchell Cyr (Rochester, N.H.) sent in a long ball into the box, finding freshman Mitchell Duncan (Sanford, Maine).  Duncan took the initial shot for the Monks only to have his strike deflected to the foot of Bell.  Bell then sent a low, driven shot to the far post to beat Hulbert for the score.

Southern Maine had a chance for the equalizer late in the game when senior Kyle Curley (Gorham, Maine) took a direct kick from 35-yard out that sailed just inches above the cross bar, but it was as close as USM would get the rest of the way as SJC claimed its sixth road-win of the season.

Sophomore goalkeeper Blake Mullen (Manchester, Conn.) earned the shut out victory. Although Mullen did not record a save, he halted several dangerous crosses into the box to keep Southern Maine off of the scoreboard.

NOTEWORTHY

• With the victory, the Monks break the program's winning streak record – previously St. Joe's had won seven straight during the 2013 and 2015 campaigns
• The win also extends the Monks' undefeated streak to a team-record 10 games
• Opponents have not scored a goal against Saint Joseph's over the last 545 minutes of play and the Monks have outscored foes by a 19-6 margin through 12 contests

NEXT!

Southern Maine hosts Thomas College in a non-conference game on Wednesday (4:00 p.m.).  Saint Joseph's College hosts Keene State College on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.) in a non-conference tilt.

THANKS IN LARGE PART TO USM SPORTS INFORMATION

#GOMONKS

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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.