WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. ? The Monmouth University women's soccer team rallied from a 2-0 first half deficit, to claim a 3-2 overtime victory over Fairleigh Dickinson, on Sunday afternoon. Monmouth netted three unanswered goals in the second half and overtime to improve to 6-0 at home, and 9-1-1 overall. Monmouth senior forward Joanna DeMoor scored the equalizer in the 89th minute and the game-winner, just 3:20 into the extra session, to pace the Hawks, who are unbeaten in their last eight matches.
“We showed a lot of heart today in battling back from a 2-0 deficit,” said head coach Krissy Turner. “I am very proud of our team on how we responded.”
Trailing by two goals late in the second half, junior Alessandra DeTata trimmed the lead in half, when the midfielder pounded in a shot off sophomore Mary Wilks' throw-in service.
DeMoor knotted the score at 2-2, when the senior was fed a pass wide down the left flank by freshman Courtney Snyder, circled around the ball, and lifted a shot on frame from a tough angle, which caught FDU netminder Megan MacKellar off her line, and found the far netting.
Snyder crossed the ball into the box, which DeMoor nodded in for her team-leading seventh goal of the year, and fourth game-winner, at 93:20.
Monmouth, which allowed two first half goals for the first time all season, fell behind 1-0 at 19:12, when FDU's top scorer Rashidah Sherman tallied her sixth goal of the season. The Knights took a 2-0 advantage in the 42nd minute, when Zaida Castillo fed Lora Lehr for a breakaway. Lehr, who beat three Monmouth defenders, found herself one-on-one with Hawks' goalkeeper Lia Fierro and converted on the chance.
Monmouth outshot FDU, 17-12 in the contest, forcing MacKellar to make four saves. Fierro made two saves in goal for the Hawks, while improving her mark to 8-1-1 on the year. The Hawks also held a 13-6 edge in corner kicks.
Monmouth, which is now 22-1-2 at home since the 2006 season, is 15-3-2 in its last 20 Northeast Conference matches.
Monmouth, which celebrated “Christie Rampone Day” in honor of the alum, and U.S. National Team Captain, returns to action on Friday, October 10th, when the Hawks travel to Quinnipiac for a Northeast Conference match at 3 p.m.
