WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ — Monmouth University opened up its 2026 season with a win over No. 17 nationally ranked Rutgers Friday on So Sweet A Cat Field.
The No. 18 Hawks (1-0 overall, 0-0 CAA) out-paced the Scarlet Knights (0-1, 0-0 Big Ten) throughout the game. They held the advantage in shots (20-8), shots on goal (11-5) while holding Rutgers to just one attempt in the opening 30 minutes.
Milla Frye gave Monmouth the early 1-0 lead after earning her team the first penalty corner of the game less than two minutes in.
Eulalie Brouwers inserted to
Luisa Schlueter who set up Frye for a laser that found the back of the cage for the opening goal of the season.
The lead stood until the beginning of the second quarter, as the Scarlet Knights caught the Hawks on their heels in one of the rare occasions of the afternoon, stripping them in the back leading to a 1-v-1 with goalie
Charlie Bowman. Olivia Fraticelli took advantage of the opportunity and tied the score at 1-all.
Monmouth regrouped to start the second half and stayed steadfast. It earned its fourth corner of the game with three minutes left in the third period as
Éabha Curran found a Scarlet Knight foot in the circle to set her team up for a prime opportunity to take the lead. The execution wasn't what the Hawks drew up, as Brouwers inserted to
Lauren Relik, but a miscommunication on the pass put the ball in front of Tromble. Showing some ingenuity, the senior fired through traffic and got her attempt to sneak past Rutgers goalie Emily Nicholls (five saves) for the go-ahead score.
Gallery: (8-28-2026) Field Hockey v No. 17 Rutgers 8/28/26
"For us, we really know the goals aren't always going to be pretty, but we just got to finish them in there," Tromble said. "Things didn't go to plan, but that's how we got that goal. We just kept fighting until the very end. I'm really proud of everything."
Monmouth held on the rest of the way and continued to put pressure on Rutgers in its defensive 25. The game was then all but solidified thanks to Relik, who finished on a pass inside the circle from
Ava Zerfass to give the hosts a crucial 3-1 lead with just more than five minutes left to play.
The Scarlet Knights were forced to pull Nicholls after a long video review confirmed the goal, but the extra man was irrelevant for the Hawks who feasted on the open net opportunity.
Maia McCourt won the ball and used her speed down the sideline to beat two Rutgers defenders. She found
Lilly Ricks who eventually played the ball back to her and the Cork, Ireland native finished on the open goal.
Keely Bowers then concluded the scoring for Monmouth, as she hit the deck to get on the end of a pass from
Stella Goddard-Despot to solidify the 5-1 victory.
"We've been talking about it all season long. We've been focusing on the type of style we want to play," said Hawks head coach
Carli Figlio. "We want to play on our front foot. We adjusted some of our press to accommodate their backfield and were a little bit more patient, but it was incredible to see the girls be able to work through some of the lulls that we had and come out strong in the few of the quarters."
Claire Campen led the team with three shots with Ricks, Frye, Tromble and Curran each totaling two. The offense was spread around for Monmouth, as 11 different players registered a point in the team win. Hawks starting goalie
Charlie Bowman was rarely tested but stood strong with three saves in the victory.
"It's really awesome," Tromble added. "I mean, we just want to keep setting the tone for each game. It was a great way to open, but we're not done yet. There's a lot of work ahead of us and we're really excited."
The win marked the 13th home opening win for the program and its seventh nationally ranked victory in the last seven seasons. Monmouth also notched back-to-back wins over Rutgers for the first time since 2010-11.
The Hawks are back in action Sunday, hosting Delaware on So Sweet A Cat Field at noon.
"It's the first game, so it doesn't define us although it does set a great tone for us," Figlio said. "We said in the locker room today, we scheduled this on purpose. We want to be up there with everybody else. We want to be unafraid, and we really trust what we've built here and trust the players. That's why, why not? Let's play everybody."
Post-Game Featuring Hannah Tromble & Coach Carli Figlio
*****
To follow along with everything Hawks Athletics follow @muhawks on Instagram and @MonmouthHawks on X and Facebook. To followe everything Hawks Field Hockey follow @monmouthfh on Instagram and @MonmouthFH on X and Facebook.
