Field Hockey split its two games this weekend, defeating Lehigh on Friday, Sept. 12 before suffering their first loss of the season to Yale on Sunday, Sept. 14.
To kick off the weekend, The Hawks traveled to Pennsylvania to take on the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Lehigh started off the scoring in the game with a goal a little over halfway through the first quarter, but Monmouth responded less than two minutes later with a goal by sophomore forward Claire Campen. Despite Monmouth out-shooting Lehigh 6-1 in the first quarter, the game remained tied throughout the first frame thanks to four saves from Lehigh’s goalkeeper Kate Burgess.
A little over a minute into the second quarter, junior defender Anna Moors found the back of the net and gave Monmouth a 2-1 lead. This goal was the only one of the second quarter, as the score remained 2-1 heading into halftime in spite of Monmouth outshooting Lehigh 10-1 in the first half.
In the third quarter, Lehigh started to bounce back and build momentum. A second goal for the Mountain Hawks tied the game before Campen scored her second to give Monmouth the lead back. However, with less than two minutes remaining in the quarter, Kiki Mes tied the game at three for Lehigh heading into the fourth quarter.
The first five minutes of the quarter was scoreless, but junior forward Ava Zerfass scored the go-ahead goal for Monmouth with a little under ten minutes remaining. The goal was Zerfass’s second of the season, and it wound up being the game winner. Despite getting outshot 5-2 in the fourth, Monmouth held on and defeated Lehigh by a final score of 4-3.
Campen led the team in scoring with two goals. Zerfass and Moors tallied one each, while junior defender Luisa Schlueter, junior midfielder Lauren Relik, and sophomore midfielder Keely Bowers each tallied an assist. The win improved Monmouth’s record to 5-0 heading into their game on Sunday against Yale, while Lehigh fell to 1-3.
After their victory in Pennsylvania, the Hawks traveled north to Connecticut to take on the Yale Bulldogs. The first quarter of this game featured strong defense, as sophomore goalkeeper Charlie Bowman made five saves for Monmouth. The first goal of the game did not come until about a minute into the second quarter, as the Bulldogs struck first and took a 1-0 lead. Late in the second quarter, Monmouth tied the game on a goal by Bowers. The Hawks went into halftime tied with Yale at one goal a piece, but Yale was outshooting Monmouth 12-4 at half.
Midway through the third quarter, Yale took the lead on a goal by sophomore Ymre Massée. That goal wound up being the game winner, as Yale’s defense shut down the Monmouth offense for the remainder of the game. Massée scored her second of the game a minute into the fourth quarter, and Yale held strong to beat Monmouth 3-1.
The Hawks were outshot 22-9 by the Bulldogs, with the lone goal coming from Bowers. Schlueter and Relik each tallied an assist on Bowers’s goal. Bowman made ten saves in the loss, the most she’s made in a game this season. The defeat marked Monmouth’s first of the season, as they fell to 5-1. Yale remained undefeated at 4-0 following the victory.
Despite losing their first game, Monmouth rose one spot in the NFHCA Top 20 poll, jumping from No. 19 to tied for No. 18 nationally with Yale. The Hawks now get a full week off before capping off the third and final game of their road trip on Sunday, Sep. 21 against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, who are ranked No. 17 in the NFHCA poll.
