Philadelphia, Pa.- The Monmouth University Hawks (0-1) team opened up their 2008 season with a 2-1 overtime loss to the La Salle Explorers at Hank DeVincent Field on Friday evening.

The Hawks and Explorers began their season campaigns under sporadic light rain showers that showed on the scoreboard with only three goals on the night. La Salle was on the board first with a goal scored in the eighth minute of play by Maria Allegretto. Junior defender Sarah Keppel (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) answered 19 minutes later with an unassisted goal beating Explorer goalie Emma Ruth to tie the game going into the half.

After a scoreless second half, Hawks goalie Melissa Katz (Tinton Falls, N.J./Monmouth Regional) was beaten on a corner by Explorer Colleen Lechner three minutes into overtime to give La Salle the win. The Explorers outshot the Hawks 7-3 while the Blue and White held the 6-4 advantage on corner opportunities.

Katz finished the game with five saves on seven shots. Freshman midfielder Kayleigh Kalamar (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) and sophomore midfielder Katie Amundsen (Berlin, N.J./Eastern) each recorded a shot for the Hawks.

The loss marked the second straight year that La Salle has beaten the Blue and White in season openers.

The Hawks will look to bounce back with their home opener on Sunday, August 31st as they host the Virginia Commonwealth Rams at 12:00 p.m.