The field hockey team added two more wins to their slate this past weekend. The Hawks had two road matchups against Bryant University and Siena College.
The Hawks traveled to Smithtown, Rhode Island on Friday night to take on Bryant. It was the conference opener for Monmouth.
Monmouth got to a very fast start, as they scored four goals in the first half. Michelle Pieczynski finished with a goal and two assists while Patricia O’Dwyer added a goal and an assist. Goalie Teresa Mathews had six saves, only allowing one goal. The Hawks scored their first goal in the 17th minute when Pieczynski found Kayleigh Kalamar who connected to the left corner of the cage to score her second goal of the season.
Just three minutes later, Pieczynski fired a pass to O’Dwyer who connected for the Hawk’s second goal of the game. It was O’Dwyer’s seventh goal of the season. With a little under 10 minutes left in the half, this time Pieczynski was the one on the scoring end. She used a backhand shot to sink the ball, and she was successful. It was her team-leading 12th goal of the season.
MU scored again two minutes later, as Kimmy Baligian passed the ball to Ashley McPeek on a corner who then pushed it over to O’Dwyer who gave it to Alex Carroll who struck for the fourth goal of the game. The strong team effort proved how dominant the Monmouth offense has been all season. Bryant scored their first and only goal with just under two minutes left in the first half.
The second half shared no action from either team, but it was good enough to preserve the 41 win for the Hawks. Monmouth controlled shots 1911 and penalty corners 159.
Monmouth’s next matchup was against Siena College on Sunday afternoon in Loudonville, New York.
Pieczynski revealed her dominance once again, as she racked up three goals and one assist. Baligian and McPeek also added a goal apiece.
Monmouth struck first when Pieczynski received a sharp pass from O’Dwyer. Pieczynski fired a shot as it went through the back of the cage for the first goal. At about 21 minutes into the half, Siena struck for their first goal. The Hawks responded only about five minutes later when Pieczynski took it herself as she dribbled up close and fired the ball for her second goal of the game.
With a one point lead going into the second half, Monmouth head coach Carli Figlio and her squad had a nail biter looming ahead. Siena tied the game at the 41st minute. Then, nine minutes later, Pieczynski was at in again as she beat the defender to score her third goal of the game. It marked her third hat trick of the season. Three minutes later, McPeek received a pass from Morganne Firmstone along the end-line which she turned into another scoring opportunity, which was successful. Now with a two goal lead, Monmouth had to do anything in order to preserve the game. Unfortunately, Siena’s Jessica Smith scored two goals in a three minute span to tie the game up at four.
It was crunch time now, and the Hawks were more than familiar to these types of situations. In the 63rd minute, Kimmy Bagilian received a crisp pass from Pieczynski. Bagilian then turned and fired a shot as she saw the ball hit the back of the cage. It was another epic win for the Hawks, which put them at a comfortable record of 104.
Monmouth outright dominated on shots, 348, which according to the Monmouth Athletics site, was a season high in shot attempts for Monmouth.
The Hawks are rolling now, and look like a strong threat to contend for the conference title. The next two matchups for Monmouth are home. This Friday they will host Quinnipiac University at 4:00 pm, and on Saturday they will welcome Sacred Heart University, with the game time at noon.
