Women’s soccer played their first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) game of the season away to Rider on Sunday at Ben Cohen Field where they were defeated by a goal to nil.
“Tonight’s game was a typical conference matchup,” said Head Coach Krissy Turner. “We created some chances, but Rider finished and we were unable to convert.”
The only goal scored in the game was the result of a corner kick in the 11th minute that was sent into the box by Rider junior midfielder Valeria Pascuet. The cross found senior defender Meghan McCabe at the far left post, who rose above her marker to head the ball back across goal. Freshman defender Niamh Cashin was there for the tap-in to give the Broncs the early advantage. The goal was the first of Cashin’s career.
The Hawks outshot the Broncs 17-8 during the game, including an 8-5 shots on goal advantage.
Freshman defender Jesi Rossman and junior midfielder Lexie Palladino both led the team with five shots each as they searched for a reply to Rider’s early goal. Two out of the five shots on target were executed by Rossman, while the other three came from Palladino. Monmouth also won eight corner kicks compared to Rider’s two.
The Hawks continued to try to claw their way back into the game, but sophomore goalkeeper Carmen Carbonell’s eight saves kept them quiet en route to her first clean sheet of the season.
The loss broke Monmouth’s 13-game unbeaten streak in conference openers as well as their 11-game regular season unbeaten run against the Broncs (8-0-3).
The defeat sees the Hawks’ regular season record drop to 5-3-1 while their MAAC record starts off at 0-1-0. Monmouth’s record away from home this season fell to 3-2-0 due to the loss.
The Hawks match up against fellow New Jersey program Saint Peter’s next. Dating back to their first meeting in 1994, Monmouth has beaten the Peacocks in every match that they have played. The Hawks command a perfect 23-0 record against Saint Peter’s, outscoring them 104-11 in the process.
In the 2017 season, Monmouth met with Saint Peter’s on Oct. 21 and it took a period of overtime for them to get the 2-1 win.
The Peacocks are currently 1-6 on the season. Their lone victory came last Saturday in the form of a 1-0 win versus Canisius in their first conference game of the year. Saint Peter’s began their 2018 campaign with a six game losing streak where they were outscored 23-3.
The Monmouth women’s soccer program will be hosting a pre-game alumni reception from 4:00 p.m-6:00 p.m. before kickoff against Saint Peter’s this weekend. The event will be located in the Pompeii Room inside of Wilson Hall.
The Hawks will return to Hesse Field on The Great Lawn to host Saint Peter’s on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 6:00 p.m. The match will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
PHOTO COURTESY of Rick Decker
