It hasn’t taken long for Ocean Township High School grad Jacob Rubinstein to make his presence felt on the Monmouth University men’s soccer team.
The former Spartan standout was named the Adidas/Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week, giving the Hawks a sweep of the NEC weekly awards last week. Senior Ryan Kinne (Naugatuck, Conn./Naugatuck) was named the Adidas/Northeast Conference Player of the Week.
The duo helped lead the Hawks to win the Save Face West Virginia University Classic in Morgantown, W.Va. The victory has helped move the Hawks up to No. 7 in the country (they were No. 15 in the preseason poll).
In addition to claiming the league honor, Kinne was also named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week and the Big Apple Soccer Men’s College Player of the Week.
The senior Hermann Award Watch List member was named the Most Valuable Player at the West Virginia Tournament after having a hand in all three Monmouth goals, scoring twice and adding an assist. Kinne set up the game’s lone tally in a 1-0 double-overtime victory over the host Mountaineers in front of 2,209 people. The midfielder slipped past a defender and sent a cross to Rubinstein, who found the net in the 105th minute.
Kinne then struck for both goals in a 2-0 triumph over Binghamton two days later. He gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead over the Bearcats in the 42nd minute when he scored off a spectacular direct kick from just outside the 18- yard box and added his second goal in the 87th minute on a perfect half-volley from the edge of the box after a corner kick. Kinne now has 25 career tallies, which places him sixth on Monmouth’s all-time career list.
Rubinstein had a memorable debut for the Hawks, scoring his first collegiate goal in the 105th minute against the Mountaineers. After Kinne beat his defender down the sideline and sent a cross into the box, the freshman calmly settled the pass and slotted it past the Mountaineer keeper to give Monmouth the road victory. He fired a team-high three shots in the match, two of which were on goal.
Monmouth followed up its WVU win with a pair of victories to move to 4-0.
The Hawks opened their home schedule by defeating St. Peter’s, 2-1, on Sept. 10.
Rubinstein opened the scoring for the Hawks, heading in a well-placed Kinne corner kick for his second career goal.
Kinne scored the game-winner in the 62nd minute on an assist from goalie Bryan Meredith. Meredith delivered a long pass that Kinne was able to score off. It was Meredith’s first career assist.
Meredith helped the Hawks preserve their one-goal lead when he stopped a penalty kick in the 80th minute.
Sunday, Sept. 12, the Hawks hit the road and defeated American University, 3-1, in Washington, D.C. Erkko Puranen (Viitasaari, Finland) scored twice, and Chase Barbieri (Hillsborough) tallied the insurance goal for the nation’s seventh-ranked team.
Monmouth travels to Seton Hall on Friday for another in-state match-up that starts at 1 p.m.T
he Hawks return home for games with New Jersey Institute of Technology on Sunday that starts at 1 p.m. and Loyola (Maryland) on Sept. 25 in a 4 p.m. start.
Monmouth will begin defense of its NEC title on Oct. 1 at Quinnipiac in Hamden, Conn.