LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – The Monmouth women's lacrosse team cruised to a 19-10 win over sixth-seeded Manhattan in the semifinals of the MAAC Tournament on Friday afternoon.
 
With the victory, the Hawks (12-6) advance to the MAAC Tournament Championship game for just the second time in program history and the first since 2016.
 
It was a one-goal game, 6-5, with 7:27 remaining in the first half before a Mya Brock goal sparked a 5-0 Monmouth run. The Hawks continued to build on their advantage in the second half and built the lead to as large as 11 with 8:44 remaining in the game before eventually securing the tournament win over the Jaspers (11-8).
 
Monmouth's offense was clicking all afternoon as seven Hawks combine to score the 19 goals off 10 assists. First-year attack Danielle McNeely had herself a day, logging a career-high eight points on two goals and a career-best six assists.
 
Mary Kate George and Hope Steuerwald combined for eight goals after scoring four apiece, while Caroline Brennan and Brock both posted hat tricks after each scoring three times. Cassidy Orban also got involved in the scoring action with a pair of goals to go along with a game-high 11 draw controls.
 
On the defensive end, Shannon Feeley and Gina Verrone both caused a team-best two turnovers. Feeley also finished with a team-high two ground balls. Madi Bednarik recorded six saves in between the pipes and picked up her 10th win of the season.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
"We are so proud of our players and we are incredibly excited for this opportunity. It was really fun to see us pick up right where we left off at the end of the regular season and we are looking forward to continuing the momentum on Sunday."
-Head Coach Jordan Trautman
 
-Monmouth advanced to the MAAC Tournament Championship game for the first time since 2016.
-The Hawks set a postseason program record for goals scored with 19.
-McNeely's eight points are tied for 12th in single-game program history.
-Her six assists are tied for the third most recorded in a single game in program history.
-It's the most assists by a Hawk in a game since Nicole Ceraso '21 logged seven against Iona on March 10, 2021.  
-Monmouth won its 12th game of the season.
-It's the most victories for the program since the 2019 team won 12.
-The Hawks extended their winning streak to seven games.
-It's the longest win streak for the program since the 2015 team won seven in a row.
-George's four goals were a career high.
-She notched her first career hat trick.
-Steuerwald tallied her seventh hat trick of the season.
-Brennan extended her point streak to 17 games.
-It was her 12th multi-score game and her ninth career hat trick.
-Brock posted her third career hat trick and tied her career-best scoring mark.
-Orban extended her point streak to 18 games.
-She logged her third career game with double-digit draw controls.
-The Hawks recorded their 15th straight game with double-digit goals scored.
-Monmouth improved to 13-1 all-time versus Manhattan.
-The Hawks are now 2-0 in the MAAC Tournament opposite the Jaspers.  

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth outshot Manhattan, 27-24.
-The Hawks put 24 of their 27 shots on goal
-Seven different Hawks scored.
-Four Hawks posted multi-goal performances.
-The Hawks were 14-of-18 on clears.
-Monmouth won 21 draw controls.  
-The Hawks corralled 13 ground balls.
-Eight Hawks combined to force 10 Manhattan turnovers.  

UP NEXT
The Hawks will square off against fourth-seeded Fairfield in the MAAC Tournament Championship on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Loudonville, N.Y.