The women’s lacrosse team was defeated in all three of their matchups over spring break. They competed against three highly talented teams in Delaware, Boston College (BC) and Towson. Monmouth now has a season record of 2-7 and have concluded non-conference play.
The Hawks faced off against the Blue Hens on Wednesday, Mar. 8 under the lights at Hesse Field on The Great Lawn. A closely contested first half ended up meaning nothing as Delaware dominated the second half to easily triumph 19-9 in the end.
Monmouth once again scored first, registering a goal within the game’s first three minutes. Delaware recorded back-to-back goals to gain to the lead, but Monmouth answered with a goal of their own to tie the contest.
Delaware took the lead in the 17th minute and carried that lead into half in a close 6-4 game. But the Blue Hens took control in the second half scoring 13 goals on 20 shots to win handily, 19-9.
“Delaware took advantage of their opportunities on the draw, which led to many more opportunities on offense, especially in the second half,” Head Coach Eileen Ghent said after the game. The Blue Hens controlled 23 of 30 draws and with 16 of those coming in their second half explosion.
The Hawks next opponent was Boston College and that game took place on Wednesday, Mar. 15 in Chestnut Hill, MA. Monmouth once again kept the first half close but eventually succumbed to a talented Boston College team.
The Eagles struck first in the initial minute but the Hawks retorted with a goal of their own three minutes later. BC netted back-to-back goals but Monmouth scored right before half to make the score 3-2.
Coming out of the half Boston College scored quickly, but Monmouth answered to keep the game close. Over the next ten minutes the Eagles went on a tear, registering seven straight goals to make the score 11-3 with 10 minutes to go. The Hawks added two goals in the end but never mounted a meaningful comeback attempt and in the end the final tally was 14-5, Boston College.
Boston College received votes in the Mar. 13 Inside Lacrosse Poll. Even though the Hawks lost, the first half proved that the Hawks can compete with highly rated teams. Not to be forgotten in the loss was sophomore goalie Riley Brager’s performance. She logged a career-high 14 saves against a total of 36 shots, with 23 of them coming in the second half.
“We played a very tough first half, but unfortunately couldn’t sustain it for a full 60 minutes,” Ghent said. “Boston College did a great job on the draw in the second half, which was the major source of the momentum shift.”
Monmouth culminated non-conference play on Sunday, Mar. 19 in an afternoon tilt against Towson. The Tigers, ranked 15th in RPI and 20th in the Inside Lacrosse Poll, did not leave any doubt in this contest winning 17-6.
The Tigers roared out of the gate, netting nine straight goals before the Hawks got one of their own. Monmouth tallied one more before the half but the idea of a comeback was slim to say the least judging by the first half performance of Towson.
Towson pounced early in the second half adding two more to their total to extend their lead to 10. Monmouth failed to mount any sort of substantial comeback attempt in the second half and in the end, the Hawks failed to reduce the differential by more than 10. Monmouth was outshot 33-20 and for the first time this season failed to score on any of their three free position shots.
“We are continuing to improve although the win-loss record doesn’t quite show it,” Ghent said. “Towson was excellent on the 50/50 balls and used those possessions to get their offense going. We are looking forward to the beginning of MAAC play and to use our out of conference experience to prepare us.”
The Hawks next take on Quinnipiac as they begin their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference portion of their schedule. Monmouth will be looking to snap a three-game slide and return to their winning ways on Saturday, Mar. 25 at 5:00 p.m. in New Haven, CT.
PHOTO COURTESY of Karlee Sell
