The women’s soccer team is off to a 2-3-1 start to begin their 2016 season.
The MAAC preseason favorites as voted on by the league’s coaches, MU fell to Bucknell, 3-1, on Aug. 19 before playing Lehigh to a scoreless tie in double overtime in the home opener on Aug. 22. Since then, the Hawks fell to Drexel, 1-0 on Aug. 28 and picked up two wins on the road, shutting out American (4-0) and Seton Hall (1-0).
Senior forward Alexis McTamney, voted as the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year by the league’s eleven head coaches, recorded the game-winning goal with five seconds remaining in regulation against Seton Hall on Sept. 4.
“It was a challenging weekend and our team responded in a very positive way. To be on the road for two games and to get two shutouts is a credit to the resiliency of our team,” Monmouth head coach Krissy Turner said. “Alexis scored a terrific goal to win the game and finish off a great team victory.”
The goal was McTamney’s first of the season, 26th of her career and 12th game-winning goal with the blue and white.
In their first win of the season against American on Sept. 2, Monmouth was led on offense by junior defender Miranda Konstantinides, who picked up her first two colligate goals. She scored in the 19th minute and again in the 67th minute. Sophomore forward/midfield Alli DeLuca and freshman defender Jessica Johnson also recorded their first colligate goals for the blue and white. MU outshot American, 16-1, in the contest.
Monmouth concluded their week on Sept. 11 at home against Princeton, when they fell in double overtime, 2-1, to the undefeated Tigers. Junior forward Rachelle Ross scored MU’s lone goal in the 25th minute of the first half, giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead at the time.
“I just saw an opportunity off the corner kick. Julie Spracklin popped it right over, I was lucky enough to there, and I anticipated it. I just took one touch right by the goalie and it went in,” Ross said.
Princeton added a goal of their own two minutes later to even the score at one, and the game would remain that way until the 107th minute, when Mimi Asom scored the game-winning goal for Princeton with 2:17 to spare in the second overtime frame.
“I thought we competed really well. We showed that we can play at this level and play successfully. We were just a little bit unfortunate not to convert on a couple opportunities off the crossbar. Their player finished her chance, and that’s why they won,” Turner said.
In the season’s opening contest, a 3-1 loss to Bucknell, graduate defender Gabriella Cuevas scored the lone goal for the Hawks, a header in the 22nd minute that gave them a 1-0 halftime advantage.
Next up for the blue and white is a trip to Poughkeepsie, NY for a game against conference rival Marist (2-4) on Sat, Sept. 17. Kickoff from Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field will be at 4 p.m.
“Marist has a certain style of play that is difficult to play against, so we’re going to need to be ready to play at a very high level,” Turner said.
PHOTO COURTESY of Mark Brown/B51 Photography
