Women’s soccer secured their seventh straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular season title after defeating Rider with a 4-0 shutout on Saturday afternoon at Hesse Field on The Great Lawn.
This win marks the longest streak of regular season titles in MAAC history. The team is currently in the midst of an impressive ten game winning streak, where they have outscored their opponents 34-2. In the all-time series against Rider, Monmouth leads 13-4-3.
Saturday’s game was off to a thrilling start as junior defender Sarina Jones scored her first career goal, the eventual game-winner in the ninth minute. This goal followed a notable 30-yard run from the defender.
“Sarina was one of the top scorers in high school as a senior in the state of New Jersey,” said Head Coach Krissy Turner. “She has an attacking presence. She gets forward really well out of the back. That’s her first collegiate goal and to come today to help us secure the regular season title is huge.”
The second goal of the game came just 15 minutes later from senior midfielder Lexie Palladino. This goal is Palladino’s 19th career goal, which helped her reach 50 career points. She has eight goals for the season with 17 points, ranking highest for the Lady Hawks. The goal was assisted by fifth year forward Madie Gibson.
Gibson also assisted the third goal of the game which came in at the five-minute mark of the second half. This goal came from sophomore forward Lauren Karabin. After contributing the two assists, Gibson has five for the season and 31 for her career. She has 95 points, which ties her for ninth in MAAC history. She is also fifth in conference history for career assists.
The Hawks put the finishing touches on their 4-0 shutout with less than five minutes to go. Sophomore midfielder Jill Conklin, scored off a free kick by junior midfielder Megan Leffler that hit the crossbar. Leffler picked up her first career assist, while Conklin earned her third goal of the year and seventh for her career.
Monmouth totaled 32 shots during the matchup, 10 being on goal. The powerful Hawk defense shut down the Broncs offense, not allowing them to get a single shot off. Senior goalkeeper Amanda Knaub earned her 11th shutout of the season and 41st of her career.
“Working together, relying on each other, and having each other’s backs while being able to rely on the people behind you whenever we make a mistake is the most important part,” said the defender Jones.
After this shutout, Monmouth has won 20 straight games overall against MAAC opponents with 12 of those games taking place at home.
“We played a complete game today. It is terrific for the program to earn our seventh straight regular season conference title,” said Turner. “We will continue to strive to improve so that we will be at peak performance at the most important part of the season.”
With one game remaining in the regular season, the Hawks will face Fairfield University at Hesse Field on The Great Lawn for Senior Night. The game is set for Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 7:00 p.m.
After earning the regular season championship title, the Hawks look forward to hosting the MAAC Tournament once again. The first game of tournament play will take place at Hesse Field on The Great Lawn on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 5:00 p.m. The opponent of the game is yet to be determined and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
PHOTO TAKEN by Karlee Sell
