In their final matchup of the regular season, the Monmouth University women’s soccer team (13-2-2, 6-1-2 CAA) defeated the Northeastern Huskies (8-5-4, 5-2-2 CAA) 2-1 in a battle for the 2022 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Regular Season Championship, earning the title in their first season in the conference.
In the game Sunday, Oct. 23, the Hawks took on the Huskies on their home turf, both teams entering the match with identical 5-1-2 records in conference play. The Hawks pushed through an intense and physical 90 minutes of play ridden with conditions of tough rain and wind to secure the gritty win and become the first Monmouth team to earn a regular season title in the CAA.
Throughout the first half, the well-matched teams fought closely against one another until Northeastern’s Megan Putvinski found the back of the net for the first time in the match in the 33rd minute. However, it did not take long for Monmouth to even the score, with an assist from Jesi Rossman allowing forward Lauren Karabin to send the Hawks into halftime with a tie and earn her fourth goal this season.
After the start of the second half, Monmouth continued to pull away from the Huskies. After another shot by Karabin was blocked, she assisted on a goal by midfielder Maddison Perna in the 57th minute, who also earned her fourth goal of the season. The remainder of the second half showed a strong defensive effort from the Hawks to limit the Huskies to just a few tangible scoring opportunities. With a few essential saves from goalie Cassie Coster to add to her impressive first season with the Hawks, Monmouth ended the match with a 2-1 victory and claimed the regular season title.
The game did not come without difficulty, however. In addition to the tough weather conditions throughout the match, the two teams also played an extremely physical game, with the Huskies given four yellow cards also marked for 13 fouls to Monmouth’s five. However, ultimately, the Hawks outshot the Huskies 13-7, with their six shots on goal providing plentiful opportunity to get on the board and secure the win.
Reflecting on the win postgame, first year Monmouth Head Coach Kylee Flynn remarked: “I’m just so happy for the girls. They had something to prove this year, now joining the CAA they did everything we asked and they earned this, they totally earned this.” The win also represents her first regular season title in only her first year as head coach of the Hawks.
In her postgame comments, Karabin also attested to the spirit of the Monmouth squad and community: “It means so much,” she notes. “We love playing at home and we love our fans and this environment. We know we play so much better when we have the community rallied around us, proven today by the energy in the crowd.”
The monumental win just adds another feat to the astounding reign of the program, as the regular season title marks the 11th in program history. The win also adds to the team’s total 13 in the regular season, marking the program’s 16th consecutive season winning double-digit games (excluding Spring 2021, shortened for COVID).
Earning the 1-seed in the upcoming conference tournament, Monmouth will next host the quarterfinals, taking on the 8-seed Hofstra Pride on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 3 p.m.
