NEW BRITAIN, Conn.- Monmouth University's women's lacrosse team improved to 2-0 in Northeast Conference play on Sunday afternoon after defeating Central Connecticut State on the road by a score of 18-10.
A high powered offensive attack early in the first half handed the Hawks a 6-0 lead after 18 minutes of play. Junior Megan Nutter (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) scored with just 32 ticks off the clock, which was the only goal scored in the first nine minutes of play. Ashley Waldman (Oceanport, N.J./Shore Regional) gave MU a 2-0 lead when senior Carolyn Raveia (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) exploded for three straight goals in a six minute span. Fifteen seconds after her third goal, Raveia assisted on another Waldman goal, completing the 6-0 run. Central struck back scoring a pair of goals just seconds apart to cut the Blue & White's lead to four but Colleen Burg (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) and Katie Degen (Glen Head, N.Y./North Shore) scored two goals each to give MU a 10-2 lead. After another Raveia goal and two Blue Devil goals, Monmouth held an 11-4 advantage going into halftime.
The second half was much closer, but the lead MU built in the first 30 minutes was enough to hold off any comeback attempt by Central Connecticut. Offensively, Nutter owned the opening minutes of the second frame, scoring three goals, which were all matched by CCSU players. After another Raveia goal put the score at 15-7, the Blue Devils tallied three unanswered scores to close to within five with just over six minutes to play in the game. Monmouth finished strong with three straight goals to end any attempt at a comeback and improve to 7-3 overall and stay undefeated in the conference.
Sophomore goalkeeper Monica Johnson (Radnor, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) made 11 saves in 54 minutes of work, while senior Becca Ozl (Manassas, Va./Osborne Park) came in and made three stops. Goalkeeper Alice Lee had a career-high 21 saves in the loss, as MU outshot the Blue Devils 43-30 in the contest.
Raveia led all scorers with six goals, adding one assist for seven points. Degen also had seven points but set a career high in assists with four on the day. The senior also had four ground balls and five caused turnovers in the win. Burg finished with two goals, two assists and four caused turnovers while Nutter had four goals and two assists for six points. Nutter also finished the game with five draw controls. Waldman had two goals and Ali Pollock (Watervliet, N.Y./Shaker) picked up a goal and an assist on the day.
The Hawks will be back in action on Friday, March 30 when they host Sacred Heart at 4 p.m.
