Women’s Lacrosse was defeated by Siena, 13-11, on Saturday afternoon at Kessler Stadium, snapping their five-game winning streak and slipping to an overall record of 9-4 on the season and 3-1 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play.
Monmouth got out to a 6-5 lead going into halftime but then gave up a total of eight goals in the second half.
Siena scored three unanswered goals at the start of the second half to take an 8-6 lead but junior midfielder Rachel Mills then tallied two straight goals to even up the score with 18:23 remaining in the contest.
After trading goals up until the 11:29 mark, sophomore attacker Caroline Bleck netted her lone goal of the game to tie it up at 10-10.
The game was tied until 4:45 when Siena scored the go-ahead goal. They then followed that up with another to make the score 12-10 with only 2:45 remaining in the game.
Junior midfielder Chloe Novak scored with 37 seconds left on the clock to cut the deficit to one, but the Hawks were unable to regain possession of the ball and ultimately gave up the final goal of the game with one second remaining resulting in their defeat.
Saturday’s contest marked the first time Siena beat Monmouth in history as the Blue and White were 7-0 all-time against the Saints going into the game.
“I thought today we came out flat and allowed Siena to hang around for too long which unfortunately in this conference is very dangerous,” said Head Coach Jordan Trautman. “I appreciate the effort we have continue to put forth in tough situations but we need to take the next step in our play and take complete control when faced with adversity.”
Monmouth did put up a valiant effort as, despite the loss, the Hawks outshot Siena 29-26. Monmouth also finished three for five on free position shots, a very impressive 60 percent compared to Siena who was just one for four in their free position shot attempts.
The Hawks did not outplay the Saints in all aspects of Saturday’s contest, however. Siena held a 15-10 advantage in draw controls, including an 8-5 advantage in the second half and a crucial draw with just seconds remaining securing a victory for the Saints. Three of Siena’s players were also able to score hat tricks against the Hawks.
Senior goalkeeper Riley Brager was also outplayed by the goalie of Siena as she only made four saves compared to Siena’s seven saves.
Freshman attacker Hope Steuerwald was another one of the bright spots for the Hawks this past Saturday. Steuerwald finished the day with two goals, making this her second multi-goal game in just three appearances.
Also tallying two goals was senior attacker Jenny Staines and junior attacker Allison Turturro. Staines also was credited with an assist in the game as well. Mills led all Hawks with three goals, her first hat trick of her collegiate career.
Junior midfielder Sarah Gillogly also had a good day as she earned herself two assists. This is the first time Gillogly has had a multi-point game in her career at Monmouth. Senior defender Mackenzie Rendich led the Hawks defensively causing a game-high of four turnovers while also collecting a pair of ground balls in the game.
Along with their game against Siena, Saturday was also Senior Day for Women’s Lacrosse and their nine senior athletes.
After the loss, the Hawks are in third place in the MAAC behind Siena by half a game and one game behind their upcoming opponent, Fairfield.
This afternoon, the Hawks will be looking to hand Fairfield their first loss in conference play this season.
They are on the road in Connecticut for an important game as a win will tie them for first place in the conference.
After just seeing their own five-game winning streak come to an end, the Hawks will now look to snap the five-game winning streak that Fairfield is currently riding.
Coverage of today’s game will begin at 3:00 p.m. and will be streamed live online via ESPN.
PHOTO TAKEN by Karlee Sell
