Women’s soccer dominated second seeded Manhattan 5-1 on Wednesday afternoon to win the 2017 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship.
The Hawks were able to successfully take care of their first two opponents in the tournament, earning their way to yet another MAAC championship where they took on the Manhattan Jaspers at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, FL.
Monmouth looked to not only gain their 15th win of the season, but also continue their undefeated record against Manhattan where they are 8-0-0 all-time.
The scoreboard didn’t receive much action early on as Monmouth had their first five shots saved by the Manhattan goalie.
The save streak would eventually end in the 38th minute when sophomore forward Lexie Palladino assisted junior midfielder Allie DeLuca who found the inside of the post from 12 yards out giving the Hawks the early 1-0 lead.
On the Manhattan side, they didn’t put a single shot on goal in the first half as sophomore goalkeeper Amanda Knaub was save-less in the first half.
Monmouth outshot Manhattan 11-2 in the first half as they took the 1-0 advantage into the break and hoped to continue the momentum in the next 45 minutes. Keeping the momentum rolling is exactly what the Hawks did as they tacked on four more goals in the second half.
Senior forward Rachelle Ross started off the second half scoring in the 51st minute from six yards out when she received a cross from the 2016 MAAC Tournament MVP sophomore forward Madie Gibson, to give the Hawks the 2-0 lead.
Then in the 68th minute sophomore forward Dana Scheriff dished the ball to junior forward Jazlyn Moya who extended the Monmouth lead to 3-0. The goal was Moya’s second of the season and third of her career.
MU found the back of the net twice more on the afternoon as both sophomore midfielder Jessica Johnson in the 70th minute and Gibson in the 71st went back to back with unassisted goals to give Monmouth the massive 5-0 lead.
Manhattan eventually got one past Knaub in the 77th minute but it was all too late as the Hawks defeated the Jaspers 5-1 bringing home the MAAC championship.
Head Coach Krissy Turner praised the team, “[It was] an amazing performance today. We played great soccer, scored good goals and were just fantastic all around.”
The victory gives the Hawks an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the history of their program.
Senior defender Allie Girardi was named the 2017 MAAC Championship Most Outstanding Player after the game. Her teammates Gibson, Palladino and senior midfielder Miranda Konstantinides were all named to the All-Tournament team.
The tournament victory is Monmouth’s seventh all-time and third as a member of the MAAC conference. They also became the first team since Loyola Maryland to repeat as champions where they are 8-2 all-time in MAAC tournament play.
“I am super proud of the sacrifice and commitment this team displayed all season,” Turner said.
The Hawks will play at fourth ranked Princeton in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament on Friday, Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m. The Tigers defeated MU on Aug. 25 3-0 as the blue and white look for revenge.
They will look to get their first tournament win after losing the previous four times, including last year, losing to 15th ranked Virginia.
PHOTO COURTESY of MAAC Sports
