In an action-packed weekend in West Long Branch, Monmouth field hockey defeated the fifth seeded University of California Golden Bears, 4-3 at So Sweet a Cat Field on Friday afternoon. On Sunday, Monmouth lost 2-1 to the Stanford Cardinals at home in the American East Championship.
On Friday, Monmouth came back from a 3-2 deficit in the final three minutes of the contest and scored two goals. The dramatic comeback was started by junior midfielder Meg de Lange, who scored the game-tying goal with just under three minutes left.
In the final minute, sophomore forward Annick van Lange scored the game winning goal to cap a dramatic comeback for the Hawks. The win marked the Hawks’ ninth straight victory and fourth straight appearance in a final.
“The character that this team showed today was unbelievable. Credit Cal for a great game today; it was a tremendous hockey game,” said Head Coach Carli Figlio. “I am so proud of our team and how they responded at every turn, dug deep and never stopped for a full 60-minutes. We will enjoy this win, but we will have to quickly refocus for Stanford on Sunday.”
Freshman forward Yasmin Pratt put Monmouth on the board early with two goals in the first 15 minutes of the game. Sophomore goalkeeper Kate O’Hogan recorded three saves. Van Lange’s game winning goal was her 18th goal of the season and her fourth game winner.
Playing in the championship game on Sunday, Monmouth field hockey lost in stunning fashion, 2-1. The Stanford Cardinals earned a spot in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament with the win.
The game winning goal was scored with only 1:56 left in regulation. The ball hit off the corner, allowing Stanford’s Sarah Johnson to knock it in. Monmouth held a high-powered Stanford offensive attack at bay for most of the game.
Stanford got off to an early 1-0 lead, but Monmouth evened the score early in the second half. Senior midfield Josephine van der Hoop tipped in a corner shot from junior Ireen Frenken to tie the score at one a piece.
O’Hogan notched a career-high ten saves on Sunday afternoon, with five of them coming in the fourth quarter when the Hawks needed it the most. She fought off seven corner chances from the Cardinals in the fourth quarter alone.
While the Hawks came up short in the finale, there were a lot of positives that came out of this season, including the fact that Monmouth reached the America East Championship game in its first year in the league.
“I am incredibly proud of the team for the entire year. The growth that happen throughout the season was amazing to watch,” said Coach Figlio. “The standards they created for themselves and to maintain those standards over the last couple months was tremendous.”
The senior class of van der Hoop, Stephanie Bigler and Annie Deusch capped off their Monmouth field hockey careers with four conference regular season championships and two NCAA Tournament berths. The trio amassed a total of 59 wins in their time at Monmouth. They also went an outstanding 21-1 in league play. Coach Figlio was proud of her seniors following the game.
“We want to thank and honor the three seniors for everything they have put forth to this program,” said Coach Figlio. “We hope to continue to honor them for the legacy and standards they leave behind in the years to come.”
PHOTO COURTESY of Monmouth Athletics
