Women’s soccer secured their fourth straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship with two home victories against sixth seeded Niagara on Thursday and second seeded Fairfield on Sunday at Hesse Field on The Great Lawn.
In the first matchup, the first goal of the game came late in the first half from sophomore defender Jesi Rossman. After fifth year forward Madie Gibson’s corner kick was deflected by freshman midfielder Maddison Perna, Rossman was able to put the ball in the net.
Just a minute into the second half, junior defender Sarina Jones scored the second goal of the game off a penalty kick. This is Jones’ second career goal. This put the Hawks up 2-0 on the Purple Eagles.
In the 80th minute of play, sophomore forward Lauren Karabin was able to head the ball into the net off senior midfielder Jess Johnson’s free kick.
Senior goalkeeper Amanda Knaub had four saves on the night.
This win sealed the deal for the Hawks’ to move onto the MAAC Championship game on Sunday.
“In the first half it took us time to settle into the game. The second half I thought we played very well and created some terrific chances,” said Head Coach Krissy Turner. “To score off of three restarts is a great way to advance to the championship game.”
Monmouth was quick to score in the first half of Sunday’s MAAC Championship game with a goal from Karabin assisted by senior midfielder Lexie Palladino and Rossman.
The second goal of the game also came from Karabin in the 34th minute of play assisted by Perna.
In the final minutes of the first half, sophomore midfielder Jill Conklin scored off a diving header. Monmouth went into halftime with a strong 3-0 lead over the Stags.
Just around eight minutes into the second half, Gibson scored off an assist from Conklin and senior forward Dana Scheriff.
Palladino scored the fifth goal of the game in the 68th minute of play. This marks nine goals for her this season and 20 career goals.
Just 33 seconds later Gibson scored her second goal of the game assisted by Palladino. Gibson has eight goals this season and 35 career goals. She has racked up 102 career points making her the fifth player in program history to reach 100 points.
With just a little over 20 minutes left in regulation play, the Hawks’ had the game wrapped up with a 6-0 lead over Fairfield.
The Hawks’ outshot the Stags 20-5 and 13-3 in shots on goal.
Knaub had three saves Sunday night, totaling 14 shutouts this season and 44 career clean sheets. She is tied for the second most shutouts in a season in Monmouth history.
Junior defender Sarina Jones was named the 2019 MAAC Championship Most Outstanding Player. Johnson, Karabin, and Conklin were named to the MAAC All-Championship Team.
“An amazing season capped off with an incredible performance in the final. I am super proud of this team,” said Turner. “My staff did a fantastic job all season long, the players bought in, and the end result is a championship.”
The Lady Hawks look forward to playing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament at Brown in Providence, Rhode Island. Monmouth and Brown have faced off two times in history. Once in 1988 and once in 2010, where the Hawks fell short both times. This matchup will take place on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 12:30 p.m.
PHOTO COURTESY of Monmouth Athletics
