WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Led by Meg Donahue's (Wyomissing, Pa./Berks Catholic) four point afternoon, the Monmouth University field hockey team used goals from six different players to earn a 6-3 win over visiting Lehigh, Friday afternoon at So Sweet A Cat Field. The Hawks, who outshot the Mountain Hawks 20-9 in the game, earned their first win of the season to even their record to 1-1, while Lehigh drops to 1-2 on the year.
"It feels great to get the first win, especially being at home," commented head coach Carli Figlio, whose Hawks improve to 5-4 in home openers during her nine-year tenure. "We will like to build off of this victory heading into Sunday's game with Villanova. Some of our younger players are starting to step up and understand how we want them to play."
Monmouth jumped ahead in the sixth minute when Mallory Kusakavitch (Pittston, PA/Holy Redeemer), who earned her first career start, forced a turnover near midfield. The sophomore played a pass long to freshman Teresa Warner (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Sacred Heart) who dribbled into the circle, cut left and unloaded a backhanded shot that beat Lehigh's goalkeeper, Julia Ward, to give the Hawks a lead it would never relinquish.
A pair of defenders gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead in the 21st minute when junior Casey Hanna (Seaville, NJ/Ocean City) deflected in sophomore Julie Laszlo's (Rotterdam, Netherlands/Rotterdams Montessori Lyceum) shot off a corner play. The goal was the fourth of Hanna's career.
Seven minutes into the second half, Monmouth inflated its lead to three when a broken corner play made its way to Donahue in the middle of the circle. The second-year Hawk sent a shot towards the far post where junior Alyssa Ercolino (West Long Branch, NJ/Shore Regional) guided the ball across the goal line for her first of the year.
Lehigh got on the board in the 46th minute when Lindsey Schott hammered in a rebound to cut the Monmouth lead to two.
The Hawks responded again, nine minutes later, when Laszlo's blast from the top of the circle found netting on a set corner play to push the lead back to three. Monmouth went up four goals on Donahue's backhanded shot in the 60th minute off a feed from Warner.
Freshman Gab Girardi (Roseland, NJ/West Essex) registered her first collegiate point with an assist to senior Cori Allen (Gibbsboro, NJ/Eastern Regional [Iowa]) who capped off the Monmouth scoring. Gabby Tofig and Lauren Dice each registered a goal for Lehigh in the final six minutes.
Sophomore goalkeeper Christen Piersanti (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) recorded four saves for her first win of the season, while Ward turned away five shots in defeat.
Monmouth held a 9-6 advantage in corner opportunities.
The Blue and White returns to the turf on Sunday, September 6th when it welcomes to Villanova to West Long Branch at 1 p.m.
-@MonmouthFH-
