With another 2-0 shutout, the Monmouth University women’s soccer team defeated Canisius College on Saturday afternoon at Hess Field on The Great Lawn.
This final score was a repeat of their last game against Niagara University, which was also a 2-0 shutout. This victory against Canisius, will add to the teams 6 game winning streak (5-0-1).
The Hawks’ kept their drive from last week’s win against Niagara University, where they went 4-0-1. After having a few days’ rest before the game against the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) foe, the Hawks were more than ready for this match up.
When the game began, the Hawks immediately connected on the field, resulting in the first goal being scored before the second minute. Sophomore forward Madie Gibson started the play by going down the left sideline and crossing it to junior foward Jazlyn Moya, who then tipped it to junior midfielder Alli DeLuca for the goal a minute and an half into the game. Shortly thereafter, Gibson doubled the Hawks’ lead in the 18th minute when a pass by senior midfielder Sophie Centi found itself in front of her, and then right under the crossbar.
Head Coach Krissy Turner mirrored the thoughts of many when she said, “The first half was some of the best soccer we have played all year.”
DeLuca stated in a post-game interview that the team had been struggling with scoring goals, so her quick goal in the first half not only allow the team to get a 1-0 lead, but helped set the tone for the rest of the game. This goal was Monmouth’s fastest goal in a game since Rachael Ivanicki scored 1:35 into the first half again against Canisius on September of 2015.
These two goals kept Monmouth in the lead for the rest of the game. The Hawks’ defense made Canisius fight for shots on their goal, but sophomore goal keeper Amanda Knaub rarely saw any action coming her way. During the second half however, she made three saves and kept their 2-0 lead from the first half intact.
Coach Turner added, “We are proud of another shutout and the victory.”
This was the team’s 11th consecutive victory at home on the Great Lawn. This can be attributed to the fact that they practice here every day and are very comfortable with the atmosphere surrounding their home field. The atmosphere is not the only factor that goes into an undefeated team, the Hawks work extremely hard and they continue to prove that hard work does pay off.
“I just saw Madie, she screamed like what we do every practice, which is crossing and finishing,” DeLuca said, explaining her almost immediate goal at the beginning of the first half. This goes to show that the work the team puts in every day on Hess Field does have major impact on how they perform during games.
This win improved Monmouth’s record to (5-2-2, 2-0-0 MAAC) and left Canisius with their fourth loss of this season. As well as being undefeated in the past six matches, Monmouth is now 4-0-0 at home for the season and have outscored their competitors 40-7 during this 11-game at home winning streak.
Monmouth will be looking to extend the home streak when they play hourglass rival Rider University on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 7:00 p.m.
PHOTO COURTESY of B51/Mark Brown
