WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. ? The Monmouth University women's lacrosse team fell 17-8 to defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champion Fairfield on Sunday afternoon at Kessler Field in the season opener for both teams.
Fairfield got on the board first when Erin Rigby found teammate Kim Fuchs for the season's first goal with 25:05 left in the first half. The Stags took a two-goal advantage when reigning MAAC Player of the Year Kristen Coleman scored with 15:05 left in the first half. The Stags would stretch their lead to 9-0 before Monmouth sophomore Molly O'Brien (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) scored her first career goal and the Hawks first of the season when she weaved through the Fairfield defense and scored with 2:50 left in the first half. The game would go into the half at 9-1, as Fairfield outshot the Hawks 24-5 in the first half.
MU scored the first tally of the second half when O'Brien fed sophomore Rachel Feirstein (St. James, N.Y./Smithtown East) to cut the lead to 9-2 early in the period. Feirstein added her second tally of the contest to cut the Stags lead to 12-3 with 20:09 left in the contest. After another Fairfield tally, O'Brien logged a free position goal with 15:29 to go in the contest for the Blue and White. After a Stag goal, MU reeled off three straight free position goals as Ali Pollock (Watervliet, N.Y./Shaker), Megan Brennan (King of Prussia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) and Shawn Evans (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) got on the board to cut the lead to 14-7 with 9:23 to go in the game.
Two Fairfield goals followed and Brennan would record the Hawks' final tally with just over two minutes to go in the game before Fairfield Kate McKinley's scored the contest's final tally with 14 seconds left.
O'Brien led MU in her collegiate debut with three points including two goals, while Feirstein added a pair of tallies. Senior Monica Johnson (Radnor, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) made 19 saves in goal for Monmouth in the match. Rebecca White led Fairfield with four goals and six points while Rigby added five points. In all, eight Stags recorded points in the win, and Lauren Chatnik made eight saves in goal for the win.
Fairfield outshot MU 45-17 in the game and held a 19-9 advantage on draw controls.
Monmouth returns to action on Friday, February 27 when they visit Columbia at 3:00 pm.
