PHILADELPHIA, PA — With zeros on the clock and a CAA title berth on the line, Monmouth showed in real time, their resiliency, grit and belief — all characteristics they've been preaching all season — of how to dig deep and pull out a win.
Up 2-1 with no time left, the No. 2 seeded Hawks had to withstand one last threat by No. 3 seeded Drexel which earned a penalty corner as time expired in regulation. The whistle blew, the Dragons inserted and Monmouth's defense did the rest as they capped a five-minute stretch man-down, and a three-minute stanza of Drexel two-up to secure their fourth straight CAA Finals appearance.
"I really think it just sums up every training session, every gym session, every meeting, every game we've played this whole year," said Monmouth junior goalkeeper
Charlie Bowman. "That was the one thing we asked for and basically all 27 girls brought it today. Every single girl had an impact, and our work rate was just unmatchable."
All season the Hawks emphasized the importance of staying in the moment and continuing to play their brand of hockey despite the ups-and-downs throughout the game. They set up a grueling non-conference schedule to test just that and it paid off dividends in a gritty performance against the Dragons — a re-match of last year's conference championship game.
Monmouth shook off an early goal by the No. 20 nationally ranked Dragons with junior captain
Claire Campen becoming the catalyst and then the hero, as she put away the equalizer in the first half before burying the go-ahead goal in the fourth that helped push her team to a CAA Final for the fourth-straight year.
"Top to bottom, I think that was one of our better hockey games," said Monmouth coach
Carli Figlio. "Third quarter got a little bit touch and go, but I think our possession was fantastic. Our commitment to pressuring the ball, understanding our jobs and roles, and finishing. That's something that we've talked about for a long time. We've had a lot of opportunities in certain games, and we just haven't put the ball away, but Claire really came through for us. It was incredible, because usually we're getting our goals off of corners and it was flip-flopped today."
Gallery: (11-4-2026) Field Hockey v Drexel CAA Semifinal 11/4
Drexel struck first in the sixth minute of action, as an intercepted pass in the middle of the field allowed Drexel the opportunistic chance the other way with Florienne Bosdijk beating Bowman top right corner for the score.
Monmouth shook off the initial goal and continued providing pressure in its offensive 25, registering five penalty corners in the first quarter and another eight in the second. However, the equalizer was generated in the run of play as
Maia McCourt worked a ball inside the circle to
Milla Frye before Campen was fed back post for her fifth goal of the season.
"The first one I was just trying to have patience on the back post, trusting that my teammate was going to get me the ball and staying calm when I received the ball, believing in myself and the girl giving me the pass," Campen said. "It finally paid off and it felt so good back there."
The Hawks' defense stood strong to begin the second half, as the Dragons held most of the possession to start and tallied four shots on net while generating two penalty corners. Monmouth weathered the pressure and regrouped in the final 15 minutes and capitalized four minutes into the fourth.
Campen initially generated the opportunity, intercepting a pass in the press and keeping the ball in Drexel's defensive half. She eventually took control of the ball and worked her way inside the circle, beating her defender and firing a shot left corner for her second of the day.
"The second one Eabha Curran put the pressure on the ball, and I was able to intercept and then stick on ball finish is what we've been practicing," Campen said. "Trusting in what our coaches are telling us that also paid off. It was exciting."
Monmouth showed its grit in the final period of play, working through two green cards that bled into the final quarter including a five-minute yellow that allowed the Dragons to remain man-up for the duration of regulation. Bowman and her defense anchored down and withstood the pressure even with Drexel two-up after pulling their goalie with three minutes to go.
Time had seemingly expired before the whistle sounded for one last penalty corner awarded for Drexel. The Hawks asked for a review, but the call was upheld, leaving them with one more play to make. The Dragons inserted to the near side for Cato Nackaerts at the top of the circle, but
Maia McCourt came flying from inside the net and was able to deter the shot with the attempt firing wide. The moment settled in and rush of blue jerseys stormed the field as Monmouth cemented the 2-1 victory.
"We talked about it from the start. Our forwards had to defend the entire game, and we all worked back and worked so hard," Bowman said. "When that corner was against us, we all literally re-set our minds instantly. We just forgot about everything that just happened and I said, 'let's just lock in on this one corner.' All we have to do is our job and everybody's individual job. We practiced this the whole time and that's exactly what they did. When we saw it was going high and wide, I mean you saw how happy we were. We worked so hard for it. We really practiced getting gritty and we showed that today."
Bowman recorded two saves in the win with Drexel totaling eight shots, three on goal. Monmouth out-shot the Dragons with 15 attempts, including eight on net. The Hawks also held the advantage in penalty corners, 10-6.
"Going as a unit was important for us," Campen said of her team's defensive effort. "It was layer after layer and they weren't able to get past it because as soon as they beat one of us, the next girl was there, and we had each other's backs from the start and finish and I couldn't be more proud of us. Every line stepped up. Charlie was a brick wall back there and it was truly amazing."
Monmouth is back in a familiar spot as it sits a game away from claiming the program's first CAA Championship and first conference title since 2018 (when they were in the MAC). The Hawks have fought in three-straight CAA Finals, all succumbing to one-goal losses in those matchups, but heading into Friday's contest, they're riding on what propelled them through a hard-fought semifinal win Wednesday — resiliency, grit and belief.
"I think we have to fight as hard as we did today," Bowman said. "Fairfield is going to be a tough game like it was the last time. We just can't give up. We have to keep fighting and work back, play forward, trust ourselves and play our game most importantly."
No. 1 seeded Fairfield handed Monmouth its only CAA loss this season and first regular season conference loss since 2024 in an overtime victory at So Sweet A Cat Field Oct. 23. The two teams will meet again in the Championship round back on Buckley Field Friday at 3 p.m. The winner will earn an automatic bid into the national tournament.
"Fairfield is an incredibly strong passing team," Figlio said. "They've got excellent individual players. We have to be very, very disciplined defensively and understand the role each line plays in that defense and also looking to put them under pressure, ask some questions. If we do what we did today and build upon that, tweak a few things that game should be very exciting."
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