WILKES-BARRE, PA (October 9, 2018) – Kyle Bentz scored with 2:59 remaining in the second half to give the Wilkes University men's soccer team a 2-1 victory over King's College on Tuesday night at McCarthy Stadium.

The Monarchs (7-4-2, 2-1 MAC Freedom) out-shot the Colonels (7-4-1, 2-1 MAC Freedom) 11-6 in the match. King's had many opportunities to score in the first half getting off nine shots but were not able to find the back of the net.

Liam McLoughlin took on a couple defenders in the fifth minute before finding an opening for a shot that just missed wide right. A minute later the Monarchs had another good look at net when Quentin Szeker-Cortes sent in a free kick from the left side connecting with Ryan Romeo in the middle of the box. Romeo's shot sailed high just missing the crossbar. Romeo had a second chance at goal a couple minutes later on a corner kick by Szeker-Cortes, but his header went wide right.

Romeo kept the pressure on the Colonel defense early in the 15th minute when he one-timed a throw in from the left side. His shot was saved by Tim Gallagher to keep the match scoreless. The Colonels took their only shot of the half in the 17th minute following a turnover in King's defensive end. Camry Huff found himself with just the keeper to beat and sent a shot in from the left side. Owen Geedey made a great save on the ball knocking it over the goal line for a corner kick.

McLoughlin missed wide right in the 26th minute following a cross from the right side before Aidan Oyler rocketed a shot from distance that Gallagher was able to save from going into the back of the net. In the 41st minute Aidan DeCamillo sent in a cross from the left side where Fabio Massa headed the ball towards goal from the middle of the box. However, Gallagher was able to make his third save of the half to keep the match tied. August Axtman had a good look at goal following a foul just outside the box in the 43rd minute but his quickly taken free kick just missed right of the net.

The Monarchs got on the board early in the second half when Alastair Dinnan found Fabio Massa on a corner kick for the first goal of the match. Massa headed in his second goal of the year and fifth of his career. Dinnan assisted on his second goal of the year and sixth of his career.

The Colonels quickly countered with a strike by Gabriel Nieves from distance that Geedey needed to catch for a save. Nieves then evened the match with a goal in the 53rd minute. Following a Monarch foul near midfield, Shane Henehan sent a long free kick in towards the box that Michael Buckholtz headed towards the left wing. Nieves caught up to the ball and knocked it inside the left post for his third goal of the year.

Wilkes kept pushing for the go-ahead goal but the Monarch defense held steady to keep the score tied at 1. The Monarchs earned back-to-back corner kicks in the 71st minute but were not able to get a shot off. The Monarchs looked like they had scored the go-ahead goal in the 76th minute when Szeker-Cortes found McLoughlin open behind the Colonel defense. However, his goal was waved off by an offside call.

Neither team was able to get a shot off until the 88th minute when Wilkes earned a corner kick. Ed Lukowski sent the kick in from the left side and a streaking Bentz one-timed the ball out of the air and into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the year.

The loss ends a five-match unbeaten streak for the Monarchs and drops them into a three-way tie for second in the conference standings with Wilkes and Manhattanville.

The Monarchs and Valiants will faceoff on Saturday in Purchase, NY at 3 p.m. on GoValiants.com Field. It will be King's final regular season conference match against Manhattanville as the Valiants leave for the Skyline Conference next year.