STATEN ISLAND, NY- Monmouth University's (6-2) offensive prowess was on display on Tuesday afternoon as the women's lacrosse team had three different players score four goals apiece in a 17-14 victory over Wagner (3-4) on Staten Island.

Monmouth senior Nicole Ceraso (Massapequa, NY/Plainedge) recorded eight points on four goals and four assists while Rachel Mills (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic/Towson) and Caroline Bleck (Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale) also tallied four goals for the Blue & White. Wagner overcame a three-goal deficit on three separate occasions including tying it up at 14-14 with 8:29 to play. Monmouth closed out the final minutes with a three-goal unanswered run, including two within 46 seconds of one another and an insurance goal with 1:45 left.

The Hawks dominated the draw to the tune of 21-12 including a 13-5 margin in the first half. When it needed to the Monmouth defense was stout, led by Gina Verrone (Flanders, NJ/Mount Olive) who had six ground balls and four caused turnovers both career highs for the sophomore. Monmouth goalie Stephanie Dellituri (Ringoes, NJ/Hunterdon Central) had 11 saves in the contest for her sixth win of the season.

After Wagner opened the scoring with a pair of goals the Hawks responded by scoring six of the next seven including a pair from Ceraso to take a 6-3 lead. The Seahawks closed out the final 11:20 with five goals while the Hawks scored three times to take a 9-8 lead into halftime. Wagner used a three-goal run early in the second to take its second lead the of the game but the Hawks responded by notching four unanswered from 24:05 to 13:18. The home team would not be turned away, with Megan Drum scoring three straight goals for the Seahawks to tie it up 14-14 with 8:29 left. Like it had in its previous two games, Monmouth controlled the finale minutes of the game with three goals from three different players to finish out the scoring 17-14.

 QUOTES & NOTES
"We had a bit of a slow start and had to weather some ups and downs throughout the game but it was a solid win and another step in the right direction as we finish our non-conference play on Monday." Monmouth Head Coach Jordan Trautman 

"I'm really proud of the mental toughness and resiliency our players have had these last few weeks. It has been the edge we've needed in every one of our games. It's exciting to know that it is a trait we can rely on when we are faced with difficult moments." Trautman on the team's toughness in the face of adversity

"I think that something we have been doing well this season, and especially in this game is keeping our composure, and not getting too high or too low. When the game was tied today we knew we would have to keep our foot on the gas in order to break their runs." Senior Nicole Ceraso 

·       -Nicole Ceraso shot up to second all-time at Monmouth in points with 240. The current record holder is former All-American and Monmouth Hall of Famer Heather Bryan at 251

·       -Through eight games Caroline Bleck leads the team in goals with 32, five less than she had all last season

·       -The Hawks came into the game ranked fifth in the nation in draw control percentage at 64.9%

·      - Megan Hart led the Hawks with seven draw controls while Rachel Mills and Ally Turturro each had six

·       -Turturro also recorded a hat trick with three goals
 

NUMBERS CRUNCH

·      - Wagner outshot Monmouth 35-28, however 26 of Monmouth's 28 shots were on-goal

·      - Taylor Emmell and Chloe Novak both had goals for the Hawks

·       -Drum finished with six goals for the SeaHawks

·       -Wagner goalie Lauren DeStephano had nine saves in net

·       -Monmouth committed 18 turnovers compared to 14 for Wagner 

UP NEXT
​​​​​​​Monmouth will wrap up non-conference play on Monday against Arizona State in Tempe. Opening draw is set for 3 PM EST.