FINAL SCORE
Monmouth 4 (9-7, 5-1 CAA)
Drexel 2 (10-7, 3-3 CAA)

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Monmouth University field hockey team defeated the Drexel Dragons by a final score of 4-2 Friday afternoon in Philadelphia, PA, earning the CAA regular season title in the program's first year in the league.

The victory clinches the No. 1 seed in next weekend's CAA Championship tournament and marks the first time in program history the Hawks have beaten the Dragons in Philadelphia.

After a scoreless first quarter, Monmouth senior forward Aylin Aufenacker netted her fifth goal of the season off a pass from freshman Alexa Ronning. Aufenacker's goal came just 50 seconds into the second frame, and Ronning's assist was the first of her career.

Senior Colleen Craven scored her first goal of the season after pouncing on her own rebound with three seconds remaining in the first half, giving the Hawks a commanding 2-0 lead at the break.

The Hawks and Dragons would trade tallies in a busy third quarter. After Drexel cut into the Hawks lead at 2-1, Ronning was fouled inside the circle to give Monmouth a penalty stroke opportunity. The Hawks called upon the program's leading goal scorer, Annick van Lange, and she converted the try for her 20^th goal of the season.

van Lange's goal officially makes her Monmouth field hockey's single-season goal record holder, passing Michelle Pieczynski's 19 goals set in 2011. Just a minute later, Drexel would make it 3-2.

Jess Tucker deflected in a shot by Aufenacker halfway through the fourth stanza. The goal was Tucker's fifth, as she and Aufenacker sit tied for second on the team with five goals each.

Freshman goalkeeper Phileine Hazen made seven key saves on nine shots on goal. Her strong effort would help Monmouth earn the 4-2 victory, good their fourth straight CAA win and fifth consecutive overall.

GAME NOTES
- The win is the fifth straight victory for Monmouth.
- Monmouth will enter the CAA Championship tournament as the conference's No. 1 seed.
- The Hawks improve to 4-3 on the road.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
- Annick van Lange leads the CAA in goals (20) and points (44).
- Colleen Craven scored her first goal of the season.
- Jess Tucker has five goals this season, all five coming in the month of October.
- Aylin Aufenacker has passed her statistical output from the 2021 season and has done so in six less games.
- van Lange is now Monmouth's single-season goal record holder with 20 goals in 2022.
- Monmouth outshot Drexel 15-12 in the game, and landed more shots on goal, 14-9.
- Monmouth had three corners in the contest, while Towson had five.

NEXT UP
The Hawks will wrap up their regular season against UMass Lowell in Massachusetts on Sunday, October 30, at 1 p.m.