FAIRFIELD , CT- Despite a career-high four goals from Rachel Mills (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic/Towson), Monmouth University women's lacrosse team (9-5, 3-2 MAAC) could not complete the comeback against Metro Athletic Atlantic Conference opponent Fairfield University (10-3, 5-0 MAAC) on Wednesday.
 
With just over 20 minutes remaining Fairfield took a 10-7 lead on a Kelly Horning goal but the Hawks roared back scoring three straight goals to tie it up at 10 apiece with 15:27 left. Fairfield answered with a pair of goals from Kathleen Hulseman and Dana Davita before sophomore Caroline Bleck (Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale) got the Hawks back into striking distance with her third goal of the game coming at the 3:08 mark. Brooke Gallagher's unassisted goal with 1:33 left seemed to close the door on Monmouth but Riley Brager (Reisterstown, MD/Roland Park Country) made a clutch save late to give the Hawks the ball with just under a minute left. With 37 seconds left Allison Turturro (Sound Beach, NY/Miller Place) scored to cut the lead to 13-12 but the Stags were able to win the ensuing draw and run out the clock.
 
The two teams struggled to get the offense going but Fairfield broke through with a pair of goals to go up 2-0 with 22:42 to play. Monmouth closed to 3-2 by tallying the next two out of three goals before the Stags went ahead 4-2 on a Taylor Mitchell goal with 15:11 left. The Hawks scored three-straight, one from Mills, Sarah Gillogly (Edgewater, MD/South River) and Turturro to take its first lead of the game (5-4) with 9:24 left. Back to back Stag goals gave the home team a 6-5 lead before Mills' second score of the game tied it up late. Monmouth appeared to take the lead but was called for a yellow card on a goal with time winding down, which ultimately led to Fairfield getting a goal with five seconds left to take a 7-6 lead into the break.
 
NOTES & QUOTES
"It was another one goal game for us today and again I was very pleased with the effort and grind of our crew but it is coming down to moments, inches, final details and we need a take not wait mentality as we head into these final games." Head Coach Jordan Trautman
 

• The Hawks lost back to back games for the first time this season
• Monmouth has now played in six one-goal games this season, winning three of those
• Monmouth is now 7-12 all-time against Fairfield, including a 3-5 record on the road
• With the loss, the Hawks fall to third place in the conference standings while the Stags remain as the only unbeaten team.
• Mills, whose previous career-high was three goals, has scored eight goals in the last three contests
• Freshman defender Alynne Abney had three caused turnovers and a pair of ground balls
• Monmouth, who was without the services of attackers Jenny Staines and Hope Steuerwald (31 combined goals), had a Ceraso goal called back at the end of the first half that would have put the Hawks up by one

 
NUMBERS CRUNCH

• Both Brager and Fairfield's Olivia Conquest had eight saves
• Ceraso finished with four points on two goals and two assists
• Monmouth won 17 of the 27 draw controls, led by Megan Hart's nine wins and Mills' five
• Fairfield led in shots 28-27
• Monmouth committed 18 turnovers in the game, to Fairfield's 11. The Stags had just three in the final 30 minutes
• MU was 3-of-5 on free position attempts, Fairfield was 2-for-2
• Horning and Devita led the Stags with four points apiece

 
UP NEXT
Monmouth will host Canisius at Kessler Stadium at 12 PM on Saturday. The Hawks and Griffs will air on ESPN3.