The field hockey team fell last weekend to St. Francis (PA), but picked up two wins over this past weekend.
The team currently sits at 4-11. They are 2-1 in conference play so far. Despite the fact that the overall record on paper isn’t great, it is the NEC record which will decide if they qualify for the postseason conference tournament or not. So, head coach Figlio and the team are determined to continue to add conference wins to their resume.
On October 7 in Loretto, Pennsylvania against St. Francis (PA), the Hawks fell in the conference matchup. St. Francis got on the board twice within the first 20 minutes of the game before Monmouth could score. Within the 23rd minute, Amanda Schoenfeld found Trish O’Dwyer, who struck for MU’s first goal. Shortly before the end of the first half, St. Francis scored again to make it a 3-1 game at the half.
St. Francis continued to dominate in the second half, not giving up any goals to the Hawks and adding one more of their own. St. Francis struck for the final time on a penalty corner at the 44th minute, preserving a 4-1 victory over the Hawks. St. Francis forward Autumn Pellman only scored one goal, but she was still a dominant offensive threat. She attempted 11 shots, with six of them on goal. The Monmouth defense struggled containing her on the offensive end, allowing Pellman to create numerous scoring opportunities.
St. Francis led in shots 20-11 over the Hawks and dominated in penalty corners, 8-1.
On Friday, the Hawks traveled to Hamden, Connecticut to take on Quinnipiac University. The 8-5 Quinnipiac squad would be a tough challenge, but MU has faced off against plenty of tough challenges this year, facing two top ten nationally ranked teams this season.
Monmouth got on the board first in the 13th minute when Orla Macken found Alex Carroll on a penalty corner. The rest of the first half was quiet, and the Hawks kept their 1-0 lead at the break. Within ten minutes of the second half, Kimmy Baligian found the back of the net for the Hawks. Then, in the last ten minutes of the game, Monmouth sealed it with Tara Brown’s goal in the 63rd minute.
The goalie play and the defense was what really made the difference for Monmouth. The defensive unit only allowed four total shot attempts in the entire game, not giving up a goal. The 3-0 victory was a confidence builder and gave the team momentum going into Sunday’s game against Sacred Heart.
On Sunday against Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Connecticut, the Hawks came out on top again. MU got going early, scoring twice within the first five minutes of the game. The first came on a quick pass from Amanda Schoenfeld to Michelle Pieczynski, who found the back of the net. Only a couple minutes later, Tara Brown found Schoenfeld who fooled the goalkeeper to add another goal for MU. Sacred Heart finally got on the board at the 20th minute, and the score remained 2-1 Hawks at halftime. Sacred Heart didn’t give up, and made it a ballgame at the 43rd minute with another goal, tying it up a two.
Then only a few minutes later, The Hawks took the lead back when Pieczynski found the back of the net again. Within the 62nd minute, Macken found the back of the net off of a penalty corner.
Schoenfeld was the star of the game and an important factor on the offensive end. She was part of every goal scored by MU. She scored one goal and had three assists.
Goalkeeper Teresa Mathews had nine saves and only gave up two goals. Sacred Heart did have the advantage on shot attempts and penalty corners, but missed more opportunities than the Hawks, as MU preserved the 4-2 victory on the road.
Amanda Schoenfeld was named NEC Player of the Week based off of her success in the team’s past couple of games.
The field hockey team’s seven game road trip came to an end on a high note, picking up their first four wins of the season, including two this past weekend. The Hawks will play host to Bryant University this Friday to continue conference play. Game time is set for 4 pm.
