IRONMEN PICK UP 7TH WIN AND TIE FOR FIRST PLACE

NEWARK, NJ- The New Jersey Ironmen (7-3) found success Thursday night in their first game over the international border, defeating the expansion La Raza de Monterrey (4-8) by a score of 21-12 at the Arena Monterrey in Mexico. The game was the first meeting of the two clubs, and it is also the first of a three-game road swing for the traveling Ironmen.

New Jersey midfielder Lazo Alavanja put the visiting Ironmen on the board a mere 30 seconds into the contest when he scored an unassisted notch. La Raza then tallied a trio of unanswered goals before New Jersey midfielder Frederico Moojen netted a power play three-pointer off a feed from teammate Goran Vasic to pull his club within one point, 6-5. Alavanja then registered his second two-point goal of the evening by finishing off a Juninho da Silva pass before Juninho booted a two-pointer off his own from playmaker Vasic to end a high-scoring first period, 9-6.

The Ironmen took a defensive approach in the second period with their lone goal coming off the foot of forward Dan 'Dizzy' Antoniuk from an Alavanja assist. MISL veterans Genoni Martinez and Dino Delevski each scored two-pointers in the second frame for the hometown La Raza, sending New Jersey into halftime with a tight 11-10 advantage.

Alavanja finished off a hat trick when he hit a solo shot from beyond the three-point arc for the first goal of the third stanza, and Antoniuk stretched the Ironmen lead to 16-10 by scoring an unassisted notch of his own at the 8:07 mark of the same quarter.

After a Delevski two-pointer in the final period pulled Monterrey within four points, 16-12, the Ironmen sealed the win with an unassisted two-point notch from Moojen and a solo three-point knock from Vasic.

The 21-12 victory improves the New Jersey overall record to 7-3, and it puts the club into a four-way tie for first place in the MISL.

Courtesy John Archibald/ NJ Ironmen