The women’s lacrosse team opened up NEC play with a win and a loss over the weekend. The Lady Hawks now stand at 2-8, but despite what the record is, they have plenty of optimism and confidence to improve as conference play gets under way.
On Friday afternoon, they defeated Saint Francis (PA) 11-6. SFU got off to a fast start, taking a 1-0, but Monmouth responded by scoring four consecutive goals in a nine minute span. SFU struck for a second time not too long after the Monmouth run. The Hawks then struck for one last time before halftime, taking a comfortable 5-2 lead at the break.
SFU began the second half with two straight goals to turn Monmouth’s lead into a one goal ballgame. Less than four minutes later, Alex Marino struck for the second time of the game. The Monmouth lead then disappeared when SFU added two more goals to tie the game up at six goals apiece.
It was a nail biter with about 13 minutes left in the game, but Monmouth then blew it wide open by scoring five straight goals to seal the victory.
Marino led the charge with three goals on nine shot attempts. Kayleigh Gibbons compiled two goals and three assists. Sam Lillo and Erica Abenschoen each added two goals apiece. Monmouth dominated in shot attempts, 33- 19. They also only committed a total of nine turnovers, compared to SFU’s 17.
The Hawks stayed on campus to take on Robert Morris University on Sunday afternoon. This time around, it was a lot tougher. The matchup of two 2-7 teams proved to be a tight one, didn’t prove to be victorious for the Hawks. Monmouth and Robert Morris exchanged goals back and forth throughout the first half, and went into the half with a one goal disadvantage to Robert Morris.
Robert Morris held a 6-4 lead with just under 22 minutes left in the game. Soon after that, Monmouth took control and scored four consecutive goals, to give them an 8-6 lead. With a boost of confidence now, the Hawks had the chance to seal it, but struggled to do so. Robert Morris went on an impressive 3-0 run to close out the game, giving them a 9-8 win over Monmouth.
For the Lady Hawks, Sam Lillo had three goals while Gibbons had two goals and two assists. Marino also added two goals.
PHOTO COURTESY of MU Photography
