After Women’s Soccer ended their regular season with a win against Campbell, they now prepare to face Towson in the CAA Championship on Sunday, Nov. 5. Women’s Soccer ended their regular season on Sunday, Oct. 22 with an 8-22 record in CAA play and an 9-5-2 record overall.
The 2023 season brought the Hawks many accolades. Having ended the regular season on a strong note against Campbell, Monmouth went into CAA playoffs stronger than ever. The Hawks faced Stony Brook in the CAA Quarterfinal game on Thursday, Oct. 26 where the three goals made for Monmouth to advance were all made in the span of 10:02. The Hawks applied pressure early on in the game, outshooting the Seawolves 10-1 in the first half but were unable to get one past Stony Brook’s goalkeeper.
Stony Brook returned the favor applying pressure with a shot on goal early at the start of the second half, but Monmouth goalkeeper Cassie Coster protected the Monmouth goal. In the 75th minute, Monmouth put their first goal on the board when graduate student Marisa Tava shot the ball from the top of the box and into the back of the net for her second goal of the year.
The Hawks didn’t stop there. Freshman midfielder Liza Suydam made her fifth goal of the season to put the Hawks ahead 2-0. Freshman Chloe Messer got her first goal of the season and collegiate career with assists from Suydam and Chloe Ferreira to finalize the score 3-0 and move on to CAA Semifinals. With a 3-0 win, Coster secured her 11th shutout of the season and 20th of her Monmouth career which puts her tied for second in the nation for shutouts this season.
Not only was the defense for Monmouth strong, but the Hawks also dominated offensively against the Seawolves with a total of 17 shots, seven of which were on goal. While Stony Brook had only four shots, one of which was on goal. According to the Monmouth Athletics Website, head coach Kylee Flynn stated, “It was a fantastic performance tonight by our team. We’re proud of their focus and fight for 90 minutes. Marisa had a world-class goal to get us started and Liza did things to keep the scoring going with the relentless support of the Chloe’s. Another three-goal game along with another shutout gives us great momentum going into Sunday.”
On Sunday, Oct. 29 the CAA Semifinals were held in Hempstead, N.Y., where Monmouth faced Hofstra and won 2-1 in double overtime. Hofstra took control right off the bat when Hofstra’s Millie Davis made a shot that came in contact with the crossbar and found Thorhildur, Thorhallsdottir who found the back of the net and gave Hofstra the advantage 1-0. The rest of the period was back and forth both teams having their chances on the net but neither were able to secure any goals. Coster started the second half strong with a crucial save for the Hawks to hold the Pride to one goal.
In the 76th minute, Monmouth was able to break through and tie the game with a goal from Suydam who found her way around a Hofstra defender to put the ball in the far corner of the net. This sent the Hawks and Pride into overtime, where shots were put up for both teams but neither were able to break the tie after a shot off the crossbar for Monmouth and a save from Hofstra’s goalkeeper. The single overtime turned into a double overtime.
At 107:15 Ferreira found sophomore Summer Reimet who was able to get around Hofstra’s goalkeeper and score for a 2-1 win over Hofstra in double overtime.
