WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. ? The Monmouth Field Hockey team posted their first win streak of the season ? and first on the new So Sweet A Cat field - with a 3-1 victory over St. Francis University (Pa.) on a chilly Sunday afternoon. Celebrating Monmouth senior day, three seniors got on the scoreboard posting points for the Hawks, including midfield Molly Passarella (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) notching two goals and an assist on the afternoon.
“I couldn't be happier with the effort put forth by these ladies today,” said Coach Carli Figlio. “We came out of the gates slow, letting in an early goal, but the way we responded and played aggressively was fantastic.”
The Red Flash opened up scoring on the afternoon when Claire Wilkie knocked in a flick shot over Monmouth goalie Melissa Katz (Tinton Falls, N.J./Monmouth Regional) to put St. Francis (Pa.) up 1-0 just three minutes into the game. Katz than made a sprawled out, full body save with 17 minutes left in the half to inspire a Hawks scoring spree.
Hearing the roar from the lively senior day crowd of 317, the Blue and White evened the score minutes after Katz's acrobatic save when Passarella followed her own miss, backhanding a shot just over Red Flash goalie Erin Reifsteck to push the Hawks into a 1-1 tie going into halftime.
Just five minutes after intermission, Passarella got right back into the scoring grove notching the game-winning goal for the Hawks on a pass from fellow classmate Courtney Stetson (Woodbury, N.J./West Deptford). Posting a game insurance goal with 15 minutes left to play, Enza Mazza (Oceanport, N.J./Shore Regional) took the senior-to-senior pass from Passarella to score her fourth goal of the season.
“Our seniors have lead us the whole season, and I'm proud of the way they took charge on the last home game of their careers,” prided Coach Figlio.
With the 3-1 victory, the Hawks move to 3-12 on the season and 2-2 in NEC play. With three games remaining in the season, the Hawks ? tied for fourth place overall ? still control the fate of their post-season, needing to post victories on the road in order to make the playoffs.
Four of the top five scoring leaders for the Hawks this season are seniors, with Mazza leading the way with four goals and two assists for ten total points.
The Hawks take their two-game win streak on the road when they travel to Lock Haven, Pa. to take on reigning NEC champion Lock Haven on Friday, October 24th. Game time is slated for 4:00 pm.
