FINAL SCORE (Monmouth Wins Shootout, 4-2)
Monmouth (2-0) – 4
VCU (1-1) – 3

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Freshman midfielder Lilly Ricks sealed a 4-3 victory for the Monmouth University Field Hockey team with a successful conversion in the fifth frame of a shootout over the VCU Rams on Monday afternoon at So Sweet A Cat Field.

Ricks recorded the fourth and final good try for the Hawks as they closed out the Rams 4-2 in the shootout. The German was one of three freshmen (Milla Frye and Claire Campen) to convert down the stretch with senior Sofia Fouces also finding the back of the cage. Goalkeeper Jessie Eiselin stood tall allowing just two goals on four tries.

VCU led at halftime after scoring in the first five minutes of the contest, but senior Jess Tucker scored the equalizer from India Shakespeare 4:01 into the second half. After the Rams answered and retook the lead a few minutes later, Fouces netted her second goal of the season on a corner try to tie the game up again. Johanna Karlhuber and Eulalie Brouwers were credited with assists on Fouces' tally.

In the fourth, Tucker struck again from Brouwers. It marks the first career multi-point game for Brouwers and fourth career multi-goal game for Tucker. Two and a half minutes later, the Rams scored to bring the game to a 3-3 tie.

Both teams traded chances in the two overtime sessions, with Eiselin making three clutch saves in the second frame to keep the Hawks alive. Eiselin finished with 12 saves on the afternoon and earned her second victory of 2024.

QUOTE
"I was proud of our resiliency today. At no point did our body language or our ability to bounce back waver. The team was locked to the very end.
 
It's something that we have been working hard on. If we keep our growth mindset mentality, we will improve each game, and that is always the goal throughout a long season. I am very proud of how everyone handled themselves out there." – Head Coach Carli Figlio
 
NOTES & NUMBERS
- Tucker recorded her fourth career multi-goal game.
- Tucker had a game-high seven shots on goal.
- Fouces is up to 20 goals in 20 games in a Hawks uniform.
- Brouwers notched her first two career points.
- Eiselin recorded double-digit saves for the fourth time in her career.
- Anna Moors collected her first career defensive save.
- VCU had more shots on goal, 16-15.
- VCU had more corner tries, 9-5.
- The Hawks have beaten the Rams three straight times dating back to 2016.
- This was one of two games nationally across Division I.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks host No. 9 Rutgers in an in-state matchup at So Sweet A Cat Field on Friday, Sept. 6 at 3 p.m. The game will be broadcasted live on FloSports.