NEW HAVEN, CT– Juniors Meg Donahue (Wyomissing, PA/Berks Catholic) and Julie Laszlo (Rotterdam, Netherlands / Rotterdams Montessori Lyceum) along with senior Casey Hanna (Seaville, NJ/Ocean City) each scored, while junior Christen Piersanti (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) and the defense posted its 10th shutout of the season as the Monmouth University field hockey team closed out the regular season with a 3-0 win at Sacred Heart on Friday night.
The Hawks, the MAAC Regular Season Champions, finish the season 15-2 and 6-0 in league play, both program bests.
Donahue got the scoring started in the 16th minute when she drove straight in and deposited a shot on the left side of the cage. Following the break, Hanna finished off a corner play with her third of year in the 38th minute, while Laszlo registered her team-leading 13th goal of the year to cap off the Hawks' scoring in the 57th minute.
NOTES & QUOTES
“I am so proud of our team for finishing the season strong and unbeaten in league play. We couldn't be more excited to host the MAAC Championships on our field for the third-straight year. The team is focused and ready to prepare for the tournament. We are extremely proud of what we achieved so far, but we look forward to taking each day seriously because we have a few more goals that we set for ourselves that we would like to accomplish. ” – Head Coach Carli Figlio
- The Hawks finish the regular season with the best winning percentage in its 20-year history (.882).
- MU posts its first unblemished conference record.
- The Blue and White set the program's longest winning streak with its eighth-straight win, eclipsing the previous streak set in 2010.
- With three assists on the night, the Hawks set the team record for assists in a single-season (49).
- The Blue and White finished the regular season 6-1 in true road games.
- Donahue has seven points in four career games against the Pioneers (3 goals, 1 assist).
- Hanna's goal is the eighth of her career.
- Ercolino finished the night with a pair of assists, her ninth and 10th of the season and 28th of her career.
- Laszlo extends her point streak to seven games with her three-point outing. The junior defender has 25 points over the span.
- Piersanti was not forced to make to save in her 35th career victory. Her third-straight clean sheet gives her 14 shutouts over her three seasons in cage.
NUMBERS CRUNCH
- Monmouth outshot Sacred Heart 16-1, including 9-0 in the opening 35 minutes. Nine of the Hawks' shots were on cage.
- Monmouth had eight attacking corners, while the Pioneers earned one in the second half.
- Donahue finished with a team high five shots, four of which reached cage, while Hanna registered four attempts on the night.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
The Hawks (6-0 MAAC), Bryant (4-2 MAAC), and Fairfield (3-2 MAAC) will be joined by Rider (4-2 MAAC) which clinched the final spot with its victory over Siena on Friday. Seeding will be finalized on Saturday after the Stags' game with LIU Brooklyn. Fairfield could finish as the second seed based on tiebreaking procedure or the fourth seed with a loss to the Blackbirds.
NEXT UP
Monmouth is set to host the MAAC Championships on So Sweet a Cat Field. The first semifinals game will begin at 11 a.m., with the second game, which will feature the Hawks, will start at 2 p.m. on Friday, November 4th.
-@MonmouthFH-
