Field Hockey racked up another win this past weekend, handing in-state rival Rider a 2-1 loss on the road to open up Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play with a victory.
“The determination that the team came into the game with was impressive,” said Head Coach Carli Figlio. “This was a complete team effort and I am really proud of the composure of a really young team in a very big game.”
Senior forward Georgia Garden Bachop continues to show why she was named 2018 MAAC Preseason Co-Player of the Year. She scored both goals for Monmouth on Friday night as the team improved to an overall record of 6-5.
Rider opened the scoring in the 16th minute when a nifty pass from freshman midfielder Kat Conroy left senior midfielder Jessica Randazzo a wide-open net for an easy goal.
The Hawks quickly regrouped and refocused. Three minutes later, a shot from the circle by senior forward Kelly Hanna was deflected by Bachop into the net. With the assist, Hanna has moved into the program’s top ten all-time assist holders.
The score remained deadlocked at 1-1 through to the half time break.
The Broncs threatened immediately into the start of the second half. A corner attempt was followed by a shot that was kept out by freshman goalkeeper Kate O’Hogan. O’Hogan made a total of three saves in the game en route to her second win of the season.
The Hawks, not to be outdone, came right back down the field and ripped four quality shots in a row. Yet, they were unable to convert on any of their chances.
A green card in the 48th minute issued to sophomore defender Hannah Schiavo gave Rider a quality opportunity to go up on the Hawks.
However, it was Monmouth that was able to generate the better of the chances as both Hanna and Bachop took shots while killing off a penalty.
With the clock dwindling down, a green card on the Broncs with four minutes to go gave the Hawks the chance for some last-second heroics. As if it were scripted, Bachop found herself on a breakaway and buried her second goal of the game with a little over two minutes left to go.
All was not over yet as the Broncs had one more scoring chance left in them. With time expired, a corner opportunity was awarded to the hosts.
A shot was recorded by Conroy, but O’Hogan made the save as the Hawks walked off in triumphant fashion.
Monmouth has now won seven in a row against Rider and has outscored their in-state conference rival to the tune of 25-9 over that period of time.
For Bachop, the win was her third multi-goal game this season and she now has six goals in the past four games.
The New Zealand native has a total of seven goals on the season and is three goals away from eclipsing her season tally of ten last year.
On Monday, Bachop was named MAAC Offensive Player of the Week for her performance in Friday night’s win.
Monmouth will continue MAAC play with two conference games at home next weekend.
First on the docket is LIU Brooklyn with a Friday mid-afternoon showdown, televised on ESPN3. In last season’s meeting, the Hawks comfortably beat the Blackbirds 10-1.
On Sunday, the Hawks will welcome Bryant to So Sweet A Cat Field for a 1:00 p.m. matchup. In the 2017 season, Monmouth played the Bulldogs on the road and were victorious by a score of 4-1.
PHOTO TAKEN by Karlee Sell
