Box Score LOUDONVILLE, NY- Monmouth University's women's lacrosse team (7-9, 5-2 MAAC) gutted out a 13-12 victory over Siena (5-11, 2-5 MAAC) on Saturday afternoon, with junior Jenny Staines (Silver Spring, MD/Good Counsel) scoring three unanswered goals in the final 13 minutes to complete the comeback.
 
Staines was the offensive catalyst for the Hawks, tallying a career-high seven points on six goals and an assist in the contest. With Monmouth trailing 11-10 at the 13:25 mark, Staines ripped off three consecutive goals to put the Hawks up 13-11, the last of which came with 5:50 left in the game. Siena's Alexis Deaken scored just over a minute later but the Saints couldn't overcome the deficit as MU netminder Riley Brager (Reisterstown, MD/Roland Park) finished with 14 saves on the afternoon, including a key stop with 2:18 remaining. Siena regained control after the shot but Megan Hart (Clarksville, MD/Atholton) stripped the ball and Claudia LaMarca recovered, allowing the Hawks to run the clock out and earn their fifth conference win of the year.
 
Monmouth fell behind 2-0 after Siena's Annie Brennan tallied the first two markers of the game but senior attack Alexa Smith (Westhampton Beach, NY/Westhampton Beach) tallied a pair herself to even the score. Brennan scored three more unanswered before the Hawks tied it again with 13:23 with Staines' second marker of the game. The teams traded goals and runs over the final minutes with sophomore Ali Turturro (Sound Beach, NY/Miller Place) tying the game at 8-8 with 3:52 remaining in the first frame. Brennan finished with a game-high eight goals in the contest.

Notes & Quotes
"I'm happy we were able to fight for this win. Siena showed up and really challenged us mentally and physically. Winning tight games is important for moral and at this point in the season the positive energy this created will help us prepare for our final regular season game on Wednesday."
-Head Coach Jordan Trautman on the win
 
"Jenny came up huge for us today when we needed to put some goals in the back of the cage. She's had a tremendous year so far and for her to be peaking at this point in the season is really exciting." -Trautman on Jenny Staines' day
 
"Riley had another great game today. Her consistency and composure have been vital to the success we have had as a team during conference play so far." – Trautman on Brager's performance
 

• Staines' six goals were the most since Alexa Smith scored six against Siena in last year's game
• Brager's 14 saves matched a season high
• Monmouth is now 7-0 all-time against Siena
• The Hawks locked up a spot in the upcoming MAAC Tournament after last Wednesday's win at Manhattan
• There is a five-way tie for first place with five teams owning a 5-2 record
• Monmouth has qualified for its post season conference tournament in 20 of the last 21 seasons, including all four years it has been a member of the MAAC.
• Sophomore Nicole Ceraso recorded three assists in the contest, giving her 32 on the season. She moved past former Hawk Kaitie Degen into fifth most in a single season. She trails fourth place and Jeannette Stott by one assist.
• Ceraso now has 62 career assists, moving past Ali Pollock for eighth and into a tie with Kaleigh Gibbons (2012) for seventh most in Monmouth history.
• Midfielder Claudia LaMarca had five caused turnovers and seven ground balls

NUMBERS CRUNCH

• For the second straight game Monmouth won the ground ball battle, 24-13
• Siena edged the Hawks in draws, 15-12
• Siena goalie Sammy Holton had 19 saves in the loss
• Monmouth's defense held Siena to just 15-of-20 on clear attempts
• Monmouth held a 34-32 advantage on shots
• Turturro was second on the Hawks in scoring with a trio of goals
• Hart finished with five draw controls and a pair of caused turnovers

UP NEXT
Monmouth will host Iona in the 2018 regular season finale on Wednesday afternoon. That game will air on ESPN+ and is slated for a 3 PM first draw.