PHILADELPHIA, PA — A new season begins.
For the 13th consecutive season and fifth straight in the Coastal Athletic Conference, Monmouth Field Hockey will vie for a conference title. The Hawks have claimed three conference championships in their 29-year tenure (all coming in the MAAC in 2014, 2016 and 2018) but a coveted CAA Postseason Title has eluded them since joining the conference in 2022 despite its dominance in the league.
Before falling to visiting Fairfield in its home finale Oct. 23, Monmouth hadn't lost a regular season contest to a CAA opponent in 10-straight outings. Its regular season record in the CAA is 23-6 with three consecutive appearances in the CAA finals. However, the Hawks have yet to win the final game in the postseason tournament, falling by one goal on each occasion for the last three years. Fittingly, their 2026 run starts where last year ended, against reigning CAA Champs in No. 20 nationally ranked Drexel.
"We haven't shied away from the elephant in the room. We've had open, honest conversations about where we are, what we've experienced, and what lies ahead," said Monmouth coach
Carli Figlio. "We don't run from uncomfortable conversations. This is a mature group of young women who are willing to embrace those challenges. We've been intentional about these conversations for a long time. My belief is that when you name something, it becomes less intimidating. You take away its power. The past is there to guide us, not to create fear or dictate our future. Our focus is on staying present, trusting our preparation, and playing with freedom and belief. We don't need to carry the weight of what has happened before. We need to trust who we've become and compete in the moment."
The culmination to the CAA regular season had a dramatic end with the Dragons, Hawks and Fairfield all ending at 5-1 with goal differential and then head-to-head deciding the final seeding, as Monmouth owned a win over Drexel with the Dragons taking a victory in their regular season matchup against Fairfield. However, the Stags came out on top of an overtime bout against Monmouth to hand the Hawks their first defeat in CAA regular season play since Oct. 25, 2024. The result gave Fairfield, in its first season in the CAA, the No. 1 seed, followed by Monmouth at No. 2 and Drexel at No. 3 with Northeastern earning the final spot as the No. 4 seed.
Despite the one blemish against the Stags, the Hawks still proved as the superior team among conference opponents. They lead the league in shots (106), shots per game (17.67), shots on goal (67) and shots per game (11.17 per game). They've totaled 19 goals for and 16 against, tying Fairfield for goal-differential at plus-13. They're the best in the league in opponents scoring average, allowing only a goal per game through their six CAA contests with a goals-against-average of 1.38 — tops in the league. They also have a slight edge in goal margin at 2.17, just above Fairfield's 2.16.
"In preparation for winning a championship, we have had a mentality of consistency throughout the entire season," said Hawks junior forward
Claire Campen, who was named to the All-CAA Second Team, announced by the conference office Tuesday afternoon. "Now that playoffs are here, we are continuing to build on what we have learned from each game and carrying those lessons with us. Trusting each other, our skill, our coaches and the process is what we have focused on as a group to put ourselves in the best position to win a championship."
The Hawks'
Charlie Bowman joins Fairfield's Paige Jackson as two of the best goalies in the conference. Bowman sits second to Jackson in goals-against-average (1.14) and goals allowed (6) while playing two more games. On the year, Bowman has totaled 71 saves with a goals-against-average of 1.67 in 15 starts. She's registered four combined shutouts with one solo shutout on the season and was named as a Defensive Player of the Week recipient earlier this season before earning her first All-CAA selection, landing on second team.
Gallery: (10-2-2026) Field Hockey at Drexel 10/2/26
Offensively for the Hawks, they're led by junior midfielder and First-Team All-CAA selection
Milla Frye who finished second in the league in goals (5) and fourth in points (11). On the year, Frye has been the offensive catalyst for the group, scoring a career-high 14 goals with four assists (both team-highs) for 32 points, sitting tied for sixth and 11th on the single-season program list in the two categories, respectively. Earlier in the year, she tied the single game program record for both points (9) and goals (4) in an 8-1 rout of Wagner.
Luisa Schlueter leads the CAA in assists with six, while registering eight on the season to go along with one goal for 10 points.
Alicia Vanderlyde is second on the team in both assists (4) and points (14) scoring five goals off the bench to solidify the team's second forward line.
Éabha Curran follows with five goals and three assists, while First-Team All-CAA select
Anna Moors has been the biggest highlight as the senior came back from a season ending injury, including missing the first five games of the year to tie the team lead in points in their last seven contests.
Joining Frye, Moors, Bowman and Campen on the All-CAA list was sophomore midfielder
Maia McCourt who has registered three points on the year, while playing 595 minutes of action. Her speed and tenacious effort at outside midfield is pivotal to the Hawks' press along with ability to counter in transition, as McCourt has generated numerous penalty corners within the circle throughout the year.
Maja Schröder rounded out Monmouth's postseason selections, being named to the All-Rookie Team after making 13 starts and tallying 10 points thus far in her first year.
The depth along with a tough non-conference schedule has provided the Hawks a great opportunity to prepare for postseason play. Three of their six losses came against nationally ranked programs, four of which were one-goal games.
"We scheduled this way intentionally because we believe deeply that this team can compete with anyone in the country, and we wanted to put that belief to the test. If you want to compete against the best teams at the end of the year, you have to be willing to challenge yourself throughout the season," Figlio said. "This schedule has shown us what we do well, where we need to improve, and, more importantly, who we are when we're tested. It has put us in uncomfortable situations that demand resilience, grit and belief. We wanted those experiences before entering tournament play. You don't develop toughness by avoiding challenges; you develop it by facing them head on."
Now in the top 20 for the first time this season are the Drexel Dragons who took a share of the CAA title after finishing 5-1 in conference play. They are 15-3 overall and have won their last eight games. Their only losses have come against No. 13 nationally ranked Maryland, now No. 15 ranked Lafayette and the then ranked No. 18 Hawks.
"Drexel is a very dangerous team, particularly in transition and on the counterattack," Figlio said. "They have speed, skill and intelligent players who can create opportunities and finish. For us, it comes down to discipline, winning our individual battles and staying connected within our defensive structure. We need to apply pressure, ask questions of them offensively and play with grit, confidence and belief."
Monmouth dominated in its earlier matchup against the Dragons at Buckley Field on Oct 2. The game was evenly matched until the third quarter with Moors drilling a goal off a penalty corner that changed the trajectory of the game. The momentum-shifting second-half saw the Hawks dominate possession in their offensive half. With Monmouth providing consistent pressure within the circle, Curran took advantage and drew a penalty stroke midway through the fourth with Frye burying the ensuing attempt to double the lead. Campen the put the finishing touches on a 3-0 shutout, scoring the open net goal with a second to spare.
The win brought the Hawks their longest winning streak of the season at seven games but then faced their toughest stretch of their schedule in the latter half of the year and has gone 2-5 since that victory.
However, through the last month of the season, Monmouth proved battle tested competing against some of the best in the country. Their last three non-conference games were on the road against No. 19 Michigan, No.19 Virginia and No. 5 Harvard. The Hawks fell in one-goal games against both the Wolverines and the Cavaliers and held a 1-0 lead over the Crimson, just the second time all year Harvard gave up the opening goal, before falling in a valiant 3-1 effort. They then concluded the regular season with a hard-fought 3-2 overtime victory over Northeastern to snag a share of the CAA Regular Season title and No. 2 seed in the tournament to pit themselves against the hosting Dragons Wednesday.
"Our schedule was incredibly difficult and challenged us in ways we didn't even know we needed to grow," Campen said. "In the hard moments and close games, we've learned the importance of staying disciplined and trusting ourselves. I think we've grown in our ability to stay composed even when things aren't going our way. Those moments are what have prepared us most for this tournament."
The winner will play either No. 4 Northeastern or No. 1 Fairfield, two teams Monmouth went into overtime with during the regular season. The Stags defeated the Huskies 3-1 in their earlier matchup.
"We're ready for Wednesday," Campen added. "It is just another game for us. Yes, we need to win to keep our season going, but we all know that it takes everyone doing their individual jobs to get the outcome we want. There are always a lot of emotions that come into play during playoffs, but our goal is to focus on us, be in the present and do our roles with grit."
The Hawks and Dragons are set to compete for a chance for a CAA Finals berth at 3 p.m. Wednesday on Buckley Field. Fairfield and Northeastern will play in the earlier game at 12 p.m. The CAA Championship Game will be held on Friday at 3 p.m. on Buckley Field. Watch both semifinal matchups and championship games on FloCollege.
To read the official CAA Field Hockey Tournament Preview click here.
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