WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ - The Monmouth University women's soccer team opens play in the 2019 MAAC Tournament on Thursday evening at 5 p.m. when it hosts No. 6 Niagara at Hesse Field on The Great Lawn.

Niagara advanced to the semifinal round following its 2-1 victory over Rider on Sunday afternoon. By virtue of its MAAC-record seventh-consecutive Regular Season Championship, Monmouth earned the top seed in the postseason and an automatic berth in Thursday's semifinal round. The Hawks will host the semifinal and, should they advance, Sunday's championship match at Hesse Field on The Great Lawn at 4 p.m.

Click here for the full MAAC Tournament bracket with game times, locations and broadcast information.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday - 5 p.m. - #1 Monmouth (12-2-2) vs. #6 Niagara (9-7-2) – Live Stats | ESPN+
Thursday - 7 p.m. - #2 Fairfield (10-5-3) vs. #5 Quinnipiac (10-7-1)
Sunday - 4 p.m. – Championship Match

TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets for all MAAC Championships at maac.ticketleap.com or in person on Thursday night. Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students, children and senior citizens. Monmouth University students with a valid student ID will be admitted free.

PARKING
Fans attending the 2019 MAAC Women's Soccer Tournament are directed to park in Monmouth University's main parking lots numbered #13, #14 and #15. Entrance to the parking lot is off of Larchwood Avenue and is free of charge.
Monmouth University Campus Map

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Thursday's MAAC Women's Soccer Semifinal will be broadcast on ESPN+ and will be streaming live on the ESPN App. Matt Harmon (Play-by-Play) and Eddy Occhipinti (Analyst) will have the call for Thursday's game. If Monmouth advances to Sunday's Championship match, that game will be shown on ESPN3 or ESPN+.

TOURNAMENT NOTES
Monmouth completed its MAAC regular season schedule with a perfect 10-0-0 record to capture the top seed and its seventh consecutive MAAC Regular Season Championship. Monmouth became the first MAAC women's soccer team to go 10-0-0 in the regular season and is also the first program to win seven straight regular season crowns.

Monmouth enters the postseason on an 11-game winning streak, tying the program's longest winning streak under head coach Krissy Turner, set last season, and the longest winning streak since the program won 17 straight games spanning the 1994 and 1995 seasons. The Hawks have outscored their opponents 36-2 during the 11-game winning streak and the streak is the second-longest active winning streak in the NCAA behind Stanford's 12-game streak.

During the regular season, Monmouth defeated Niagara 4-0 on Oct. 19 to complete its unbeaten road regular season schedule (7-0-2). Dana Scheriff, Jill Conklin, Lexie Palladino and Alexa Correa each scored for the Hawks in the win, while Amanda Knaub made four saves in goal.

Monmouth leads the all-time series against Niagara 15-1-0, including 15 consecutive victories and seven straight shutouts. Monmouth and Niagara have met in the MAAC postseason each of the past two years, with the Hawks claiming a 1-0 victory in Lake Buena Vista, FL in 2017 and a 3-0 win last year at Hesse Field on The Great Lawn. In six career games against Niagara, Madie Gibson has five goals and one assist. Jill Conklin has scored two times against the Purple Eagles in three meetings.

The Hawks have 10 players with at least five points in 2019. Senior midfielder Lexie Palladino leads the team with 18 points on the strength of eight goals and two assists. Redshirt senior Madie Gibson has six goals and five assists, while Dana Scheriff has five goals and two assists. Jill Conklin and rookie Maddison Perna each contributed three goals out of the midfield.

Defensively, Monmouth has allowed four goals in 16 matches and has a 0.24 goals-against average and the Hawks lead the nation in that category. Goalkeeper Amanda Knaub also leads the NCAA in shutouts with 12 on the year and her goals-against average ranks third in the NCAA at 0.24, and she is fifth in the country in save percentage .902.

Madie Gibson ranks fifth in Monmouth history with 97 career points. She has 33 goals and 31 assists and has started all 79 games during her career. Gibson needs six points to move into a tie for fourth on Monmouth's all-time points list.

Monmouth has a seven-year MAAC record of 63-4-3 in the regular season, it owns a nation's best 21 game winning streak against MAAC opponents and enters Thursday's game with a 5-2-0 home record this season. The Hawks have won 49 straight games when scoring the first goal of the game.

MONMOUTH IN THE MAAC TOURNAMENT
Monmouth is 10-2 all-time in the MAAC Tournament, including a 4-2 record at Hesse Field on The Great Lawn. The Hawks won conference titles in 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2018 to earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Monmouth is looking to become the first MAAC team to win four straight MAAC Championships since Loyola Maryland won five straight from 2000-04.

Madie Gibson has seven goals and four assists in seven career MAAC Tournament games, Lexie Palladino has three goals and two assists, Dana Scheriff has three assists, Jesi Rossman has two goals, Jess Johnson and Alexis Marino each have one goal and Anna Lazur has one assist. Goalkeeper Amanda Knaub is 7-0-0 with two shutouts and has allowed six goals in seven postseason games.