In two games on Thursday, Oct. 27 and Saturday, Oct. 29, the Monmouth University men’s and women’s soccer teams each wrapped up their first seasons in the CAA.
In the first of the two games, the women’s team (12-2-3, 6-1-2 CAA) took on the Hofstra Pride (8-7-4, 2-4-2 CAA) in a conference quarterfinal match, a loss ending in penalty kicks that would mark the conclusion of an extremely successful first season in the CAA. The Hawks, placing as the No. 1-seed in the tournament, hosted the No. 8-seed Pride in the quarterfinal round at home at Hesse Field. A match played evenly with great intensity and pace, the game saw a very even number of scoring chances and strong performances from both sides of the pitch. The Pride attempted 12 shots to the Hawks’ 14, but registered more shots on target with seven, compared to five for the Hawks. Monmouth had a slight edge in corner kicks with seven for Hofstra’s three, although otherwise the two teams played a highly competitive match up until the final minutes.
The first goal of the match came from Hofstra’s Anja Suttner, who found the back of the net in the 10th minute, giving the Pride the advantage entering halftime. In the second half, Monmouth forward Summer Reimet found the equalizer, registering her sixth goal of her freshman campaign in the 62nd minute, courtesy of an A’Liah Moore assist. The Pride had an opportunity to retake the lead on a penalty kick taken by Suttner, but Hawks goalkeeper Cassie Coster denied the Pride defender to keep things even.
After two scoreless 10-minute overtime periods, the Pride and Hawks squared off in seven rounds of penalty kicks, with Hofstra’s Krista Agostinello scoring the dagger for the Pride, who ultimately defeated the Hawks 5-4.
Although the hard-fought match ended in a heartbreaking loss, the Hawks can still celebrate the end to an impressive debut season in the CAA, claiming the regular season title and finishing with a record of 12-2-3. Despite the loss, the team also earned their 17th consecutive winning season.
First-year Head Coach Kylee Flynn felt bittersweet after the game, remarking “Although the result didn’t swing our way, I couldn’t be prouder of how our team battled and fought until the final whistle… The work these young women have put in day after day in order to make our mark in the CAA is nothing short of incredible.”
The men’s team (7-7-1, 2-6-1 CAA) also ended their first season in the CAA with a tough loss, losing to William & Mary (5-6-6, 3-3-3 CAA) in Williamsburg, Virginia in their second-ever meeting by a score of 2-1.
The Hawks got in front early on with a goal from midfielder Ben Zakowski in the 30th minute, notching his seventh goal of the season and tying his single-season record set as a freshman in the 2019 season. However, William & Mary found the equalizer just a few minutes into the second half, and scored again in the 88th minute to sink the Hawks and earn their third conference victory. The Tribe were swarming all game and could not be contained, attempting 18 shots to the Hawks’ nine and landing six on target.
After the loss, Head Coach Rob McCourt provided commentary on the team’s final matchup of the 2022 season: “I want to thank my seniors. They had an immense impact on our program, and they will be dearly missed. Full credit to our team today… They put in a tremendous performance, and we are very proud of them.”
The men’s team concluded their first season in the CAA with a final record of 7-7-1, and 3-2-1 on the road.
