WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ- Monmouth University (9-5, 5-0 MAAC) sophomore Kate Ryan (Morton, PA/Springfield) scored an unassisted goal 43 seconds into overtime to break a 7-7 tie and give Monmouth it's first win over Fairfield (6-7, 2-3 MAAC) in 10 games on Wednesday afternoon.

"I think our team came out ready to play today," said Monmouth Head Coach Eileen Ghent. "We had a lot of energy in the locker room and we had a good game plan leading up into this game. Today we were able to put a full 60 minutes together, which was part of our plan and one of our goals to get through a good team.

Fairfield erased a two-goal deficit by scoring a pair of goals within 46 seconds of each other to send the game into overtime. Ryan won the OT draw after a Fairfield foul and the Hawks worked the ball down into the Stag end. Senior Michelle Gonzales (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) found Ryan who made a move and ripped a shot past Fairfield goalie Chesley Sidaras for the win.

"I reminded our team of the new overtime rules, and we wanted to play with a lot of confidence," said Ghent. "We said we were going to get the draw control and we were focused on what we were going to do with the ball. Coach [Stephanie] Anderson set up the play and our players executed it perfectly. [Sophomore midfielder] Kate [Ryan] really finished it well with the goal. She has a toughness to her that is hard to match. In overtime situations we want the ball in a player like Kate's hands."

The Stags took an early 2-0 lead on a pair of unassisted goals before Caroline Corbliss (Marrottsville, MD/Marriotts Ridge) and Ashley Cross (Great Falls, VA/Bishop O'Connell) scored a pair of goals to tie it up with 23:53 left in the first. The two teams traded goals  before the Hawks finished up the half with three straight markers, including goals by Corbliss and Ryan and one off the stick of junior Carly Sane (Clifton, VA/Centreville) to give Monmouth a 6-4 lead at halftime.

The second half was a defensive battle, with Fairfield and Monmouth scoring one goal each in the first six minutes to make the score 7-5. The two teams would go scoreless for almost 20 minutes when Stag Julieanne Mascera converted a Hawk turnover into her second goal of the game to cut the deficit to one with 4:37 left. Fairfield won the ensuing draw and scored 46 seconds later to send the game into OT.

Monmouth goalie Caroline Huelster (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape) made 10 saves in net for the Hawks, who were outshot 24-17 in the game. Ryan finished with two goals, two ground balls a caused turnover and the all-important overtime draw. Corbliss had two goals and two ground balls while Marial Pierce (Middleburg, Va./St. John's Catholic Prep) had two assists three draw controls and two ground balls.

Sidaras had five ground balls and six saves in the game while Mascera scored three of Fairfield's goals. Fairfield won 10 of the 17 draws and collected 19 ground balls compared to 11 for Monmouth.

Monmouth will face Canisius on Saturday for first place in the MAAC. That 12 PM game will air on ESPN3.