Field Hockey secured their third Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship since joining the conference in 2013 on Sunday afternoon with a 2-1 win against Fairfield on home turf at So Sweet a Cat Field.
For the third straight year, Monmouth battled Fairfield or the MAAC title.
The visitors decisively played the better first half, outshooting the Hawks 11-3 and holding a 3-1 advantage in the corner department. However, the Stags were unable to capitalize on their shot advantage and both teams ended the first half in a scoreless deadlock.
The Hawks came out storming in the second half and looked like a completely different team. Monmouth played vigorously and it eventually paid off when sophomore midfielder Ireen Frenken scored the game’s opening goal off of a corner attempt that was assisted by junior midfielder Josephine Van der Hoop.
“I think that we had to adjust some things in the second half,” said Head Coach Carli Figlio. “We played a much more aggressive style of play. We get going with that style of play and we play our best hockey.”
That aggressiveness showed in all the metrics as the team outshot Fairfield 9-3 and took seven corners versus zero for the Stags in the second half.
Senior forward Georgia Garden Bachop provided the crucial second goal in the 41st minute after a defensive stop by freshman forward Annick van Lange sprung a two-on-one.
Fairfield pegged a goal back in the 59th minute but was unable to generate an equalizer despite their best efforts.
The win was even sweeter for Monmouth, as last year the roles were reversed and Fairfield clinched the title in West Long Branch.
“It is awesome, it was a little bit of revenge for last year,” said senior forward Kelly Hanna. “We are really proud to have the title back especially since it is our last year in the MAAC.”
Frenken, van der Hoop, and van Lange were all named to the All-MAAC Championship team while Garden Bachop was named as the MAAC Championship Most Valuable Player.
Field Hockey initially punched their ticket to the final on Friday when they put seven goals past Sacred Heart in the first round of the MAAC Tournament.
Senior forward Elyssa Okken and van der Hoop were all over the field, each scoring twice in the win. Okken’s first goal came off of a fast break opportunity that she successfully converted.
Sophomore midfielder Meg de Lange scored the second goal of the game in the 17th minute after a corner was awarded to the Hawks.
Five minutes later, Okken found herself in the right place in the right time. A loose ball in the circle found her stick and then found the net to put the Hawks up by three.
Van der Hoop rounded out the first half’s scoring with a back-handed shot.
Monmouth went on to score three goals in the second half and the visitors grabbed one back, leading to the final score of 7-1.
The night before the tournament started, awards were given out at the pre-championships banquet. Bachop was named the league’s best overall player as well as Offensive Player of the Year, while Figlio was recognized as Coach of the Year. Bachop, Hanna, van der Hoop, and Frenken were listed on the All-MAAC First Team and sophomore defender Hannah Schiavo made the All-MAAC Second Team.
The Hawks will face William & Mary in the first round of the NCAA Tournament today at 1:00 p.m. on the road in Virginia. If Monmouth wins, they will face the number one overall seeded University of North Carolina next.
PHOTO TAKEN by Karlee Sell
