WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J.- Monmouth's women's lacrosse team started up the 2008 season on Friday with a 10-9 win over Columbia at Kessler Field.
“A win is always a great way to start a season,” said head Monmouth coach Kelly Van Zile. “The team really picked up the intensity and hustled when they needed to.”
Down by one with just over two minutes to play Columbia gathered the ball on a bad Monmouth pass and started down into the Hawk offensive end. Working quickly Columbia's Holly Glynn fired a shot that was gathered by MU goalkeeper Monica Johnson (Radnor, Pa./Archbishop Carroll). Seconds later Monmouth turned the ball over again and the Lions had their second shot in less than nine seconds at a tie, but this time Johnson was there to turn away Gabrielle Geronimos, preserving the 10-9 Monmouth victory.
The two teams came out of the second half deadlocked at 4-4 but it took just over two minutes for Columbia's Brittany Shannon to give her squad a one goal advantage on a free position goal. Monmouth then unleashed three straight goals, including one from Megan Nutter (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown), a Shawn Evans (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) free position goal and an Ali Pollock (Watervliet, N.Y./Shaker) score at the 19:07 mark to give the Hawks a 7-5 lead. Columbia's Geronimos broke the scoring run but less than a minute later MU sophomore Perry DeWitt (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) gave the Hawks a two-goal cushion on a free position goal.
Marisa Marcelino scored a wrap around goal to cut MU's lead to one before Glynn took a pass from Marcelino, who was positioned behind the Monmouth net, and one timed the ball beating Johnson to tie the game at 8-8. Ashley Waldman (Oceanport, N.J./Shore Regional) one-timed a Nutter pass at the 12:04 mark to give MU the lead. Forty seven seconds later Nutter came from behind the Columbia net and fired a shot high that Lion goaltender Emma Mintz never had a shot at stopping, giving the Hawks a 10-8 lead with 11 minutes to play in regulation. Geronimos cut the lead to one at the 6:14 mark setting up Johnson's last minute heroics.
Monmouth freshman Renae Hill (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) tallied the first goal of the game, her first collegiate goal, just 1:44 seconds into the game. Just over a minute later Columbia's Holly Glynn tied the game at 1-1 before Pollock gave the Hawks the lead again at the 25:38 mark. Columbia's Shannon notched the next two goals, giving the Lions the lead. Pollock and Nutter scored back-to-back goals before Shannon netted a score with less than a minute left in the half to send the two teams into the break tied at 4-4.
Nutter and Pollock each tallied three goals on the day, with Waldman, Evans, Dewitt and Hill all scoring one. Pollock also finished with two ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers in the win.
Shannon finished with a game-high four goals, also tallying an assist for six points. Glynn and Geronimos each had two goals for the Lions.
Johnson finished with 13 saves for the Hawks while Mintz finished with 11 stops for Columbia. The Lions held a 12-10 edge in draw controls while the two teams tallied 28 shots each in the contest.
The Hawks are now 7-7 in season and home openers. They return to action on Sunday to face La Salle in a 1 p.m. home match.
