Fairfield, Conn.- Monmouth University's women's lacrosse team fell in the NEC semifinals for the second straight year to top-seeded Sacred Heart, dropping a 13-7 game at University Field on Friday afternoon.
Sacred Heart used a four-goal unanswered streak at the end of the first half to take a commanding 9-4 edge into halftime. Monmouth, the fourth seed, attempted a comeback in the second half but the combination of the Pioneer offense and MU turnovers eventually doomed the Hawks.
Monmouth junior Megan Brennan (King of Prussia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) scored the first goal of the game, beating Heart goaltender Chelsea Wagner on an 8m attempt with 26:20 left on the board. SHU senior Mary Montesarchio tallied the equalizer just 80 seconds later on a shot that hit off of MU goaltender Monica Johnson's (Radnor, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) stick and into the net. Sacred Heart went up 2-1 at the 23:40 mark when NEC Player of the Year Amanda Williams went uncovered and beat Johnson on the right hand side. Monmouth's Shawn Evans (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) evened the game back up on a 8m
Sophomore Carissa Franzi (Fairfield, N.J./West Essex) put MU ahead 3-2 after bouncing a ball low and past Wagner but Sacred Heart knotted the game up minutes later. Back to back Sacred Heart goals gave the home squad a 4-3 lead with just over 18 minutes to play. After Sacred Heart notched another score to go ahead by two, Brennan tallied her second goal of the game by outrunning the defense and beating the Pioneer goalie low. Sacred Heart took a commanding lead into halftime by closing out the final 15 minutes with four unanswered goals.
Down by four to start the second half; Monmouth got on the board first with a Brennan free position goal, making the score 9-5 with 26:02 remaining in regulation. Evans netted her second goal of the afternoon in the 23rd minute and MU was back just three. Carissa Hauser's third goal of the match gave SHU a 10-6 lead with just over 16 minutes to play in regulation. Williams added another goal and the Hawks trailed by five before Evans tallied her third of the day. MU would never get closer than four with the defending champion Pioneers
The inability to control the draw plagued the Hawks all afternoon, with SHU holding a 15-7 advantage in the category. Sacred Heart also held a 25-14 margin in shots and committed three less turnovers than Monmouth. Johnson made eight saves for MU with Sacred Heart's Wagner made seven. Brennan led the Hawks with four points on three goals and an assist while Evans had three goals on the day. Both Brennan and Evans were named to the 2009 NEC All-Tournament Team.
Montesarchio and Hauser each had five points for the Pioneers with Williams finishing with four.
The Hawks closed out the season with a 7-11 overall mark but made the NEC Tournament for a record 12th straight year.
