BROOKLINE, Mass. – Chloe Messer scored a career-best fifth goal of the season and the Monmouth women's soccer team generated 26 shots, fell to Northeastern, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon at Parsons Field.
The result gave Monmouth a final 7-5-5 overall record and a 2-4-3 mark in CAA play, while Northeastern improved to 6-8-3 and 4-4-1 in conference action. The Hawks held a commanding 26-10 advantage in shots, including a 16-6 edge after halftime, and earned seven corner kicks to Northeastern's three. Monmouth also controlled 57 percent of the possession.
Obviously, a tough result today, especially when you feel like we created enough opportunities to find the back of the net, but unfortunately, a few things just didn't go our way," said Head Coach Kylee Flynn. "That said, I'm incredibly proud of the way this group continued to battle until the final whistle. That speaks volumes about the character of this team and is a testament to the leadership and example set by our senior class throughout the year. They have helped make Monmouth Women's Soccer better in so many ways, both on and off the field, and we can't thank them enough for everything they have given to this program."
Monmouth immediately created opportunities in the attacking third. Maddie DeMaio had an attempt blocked less than two minutes into the match before Ashley Lavrich forced Northeastern goalkeeper Eliza Teplow into a save in the fifth minute. Senior Loren Gehret nearly broke through in the 18th minute, but Teplow made the stop.
Despite Monmouth's early pressure, Northeastern opened the scoring 20 minutes in to take a 1-0 lead. The Hawks continued pushing forward and finished the first half with a 10-4 advantage in shots and a 4-1 edge in corner kicks but entered halftime trailing a goal.
Monmouth increased the pressure after halftime, recording four shots during the first eight minutes of the period. DeMaio forced Teplow into another save seven minutes into the period, but Northeastern responded with two goals in a span of just 49 seconds to take a commanding 3-0 advantage.
The Hawks continued to generate chances despite the deficit. Lavrich forced a save in the 58th minute before Lindsey Husic and Emily De Almeida each put attempts on target later in the half. Daniella Butash also tested Teplow in the 80th minute as Monmouth continued to search for a breakthrough.
That breakthrough came in the 82nd minute. After Northeastern committed a foul in the penalty area, Messer stepped to the spot and converted the penalty kick at 81:52. The goal was her career-best fifth of the season, surpassing her previous single-season high. Messer finishes her season year with five scores, one assist and 11 points on the year.
Monmouth finished the afternoon with nine shots on goal, forcing Teplow to make eight saves. DeMaio led all Hawks with five attempts, while Gehret recorded four. Lavrich, Messer and Emily De Almeida each finished with three shots. Tallulah Miller made five saves over the full 90 minutes.
