Women’s soccer came from behind on the road to defeat in-state rival Rutgers, 2-1, on Friday and played American University to a scoreless draw after 120 minutes at Hesse Field on The Great Lawn on Sunday.
“This was a great victory on the road against a quality opponent, I am super proud of the effort we gave tonight,” said Head Coach Krissy Turner.
Rutgers opened the scoring just seven minutes into the match through sophomore forward Amirah Ali. The attacker beat two defenders as she cut in on her right foot across the top of the box before firing a shot. Junior goalkeeper Amanda Knaub dove to her right to make the save, but the ball deflected off of her palm and into the back of the net.
Monmouth senior forward Alli DeLuca responded quickly with her third goal of the season on a blocked shot. DeLuca currently leads the team with seven points on the season.
No sooner did junior midfielder Lexie Palladino give the Blue and White the 2-1 advantage that they would end up holding onto with her goal from 18 yards out. The 30th minute goal was the second of Palladino’s season and also her second game-winning goal of her career.
Knaub finished off Friday’s game strong, saving five shots in the second half to preserve the victory. The milestone win was the first against Rutgers since Aug. 2010 for the Hawks.
“Rutgers is a Top 25 team with a quality program so getting a result against them is huge,” Knaub said. “The game was very tough and physical, but the girls were able to come back from an early goal and come out on top.”
Women’s soccer followed up the win on Sunday where they drew with visitors American University in double overtime. Monmouth’s 12-2 advantage in overtime shots was not enough to get on the board and avoid the draw. They ultimately finished the game leading in total shots 15-4 and corner kicks 11-5.
The 0-0 final was Knaub’s second shutout of the week and her fourth of the season. The performance brought her to an impressive 24 career shutouts in net and earned her Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this season.
“For us to be a championship caliber team, we must find a way to put one in the back of the net on a day like today,” said Turner. “Having to bounce back so quickly after such a terrific win Friday night was the challenge today.”
Despite the disappointment of not adding another one to the win column, Monmouth was able to remain undefeated (4-0-1) all-time against the Eagles and improve their 2018 record to 5-2-1.
The Hawks will open MAAC play when they travel to Rider for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff on Sunday, Sept. 16.
PHOTO COURTESY of Rick Decker
