FINAL SCORE
Monmouth – 5 (13-3, 5-0 CAA)
Hofstra – 0 (9-9, 2-3 CAA)

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Top-seeded Monmouth advanced to the CAA Championship with a dominant 5-0 victory over fourth-seeded Hofstra Friday morning in the semifinals at So Sweet a Cat Field.

The Hawks got off to a flying start as senior midfielder Lilly Ricks scored her first goal of the season just one minute into the game. Ricks pounced on a rebound after Maia McCourt's initial shot was saved, slotting the ball home to give Monmouth an early 1-0 lead.

That score held through halftime as both teams battled defensively over the next two quarters.

In the 38th minute, sophomore midfielder Milla Frye doubled the Hawks' advantage with a brilliant solo effort, dribbling down the left side and threading a shot between the goalkeeper's legs.

Monmouth closed out the match in commanding fashion, scoring three times in the final five minutes.

Freshman back Florence van Doorn set up senior Claire Campen in front of goal for a clean finish in the 55th minute, extending the lead to 3-0. Just three minutes later, Hannah Tromble made it 4-0 after Ava Zerfass sent a pass through traffic; though it deflected off a Hofstra defender, Tromble was there to bury the rebound.

Alicia Vanderlyed capped off the scoring in the 59th minute, firing in a shot from the right side of the circle to seal the 5-0 win

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• Monmouth advances to the CAA Championship for the third straight year
• The Hawks' defense held the Pride without a single shot
• Monmouth outshot Hofstra 24-0
• The Hawks held a 9-0 edge in penalty corners
• Five different Hawks scored in the victory
• Claire Campen notched her team-leading 12th goal of the season
• Charlie Bowman and the Monmouth defense earned their third shutout of the season — and their second against Hofstra this year

UP NEXT
Monmouth will face No. 3 seed Drexel in the CAA Championship on Sunday at 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on FloCollege.