WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ — Penn State was on the fringe of tying the game Sunday afternoon on So Sweet A Cat Field.
Monmouth took a 2-0 lead midway through the third quarter, but the Nittany Lions trimmed the deficit to one and earned a penalty stroke, ready to knot up the score at two-all. However, Hawks junior goalie
Charlie Bowman had other plans. Stretching to her far left, Bowman got a body on the attempt and made the game-changing, highlight stop to keep the Hawks' lead. With momentum shifted back to the hosts, Bowman and Monmouth's defense did the rest to hang on and collect its fifth-straight victory and first over Penn State following the final, 2-1 score.
"That was the most impressive save I've seen," said Hawks coach
Carli Figlio. "Charlie's background is a world champion dancer, so the split that she did came in really handy. That was the most athletic movements I've seen and to have that reaction and the flexibility to get your toe on that ball — what a huge momentum shift for us."
The win marked the second against a Big Ten opponent after the No. 19 nationally ranked Hawks knocked off Rutgers at home to start the year. The result Sunday also notched the first win over Penn State in program history with the Nittany Lions earning both victories in their two previous matchups which came during the 2011 and 2012 seasons, respectively.
And, for the second straight game, the Hawks withstood a late momentum shift to hold onto a one-goal victory. Monmouth pulled away for a 2-1 overtime win Friday against Towson to open CAA play and Sunday's result once again proved the team's grit and composure.
"I couldn't be prouder of the totality of the weekend," Figlio said. "It started on Friday and that was a real moment for me to say, 'this team isn't going to stop fighting,' and that hasn't been something has been our strength. But today, we saw it again. I think the consistency of that never give up attitude and we're going to fight for this until the end, is something I've been searching for, for a really long time. And we didn't go individual. It was a complete team effort from the first whistle to the last whistle. That's what we've been looking for."
Gallery: (9-20-2026) Field Hockey vs Penn State (9/20/26)
The game went into halftime scoreless before a prolific third quarter changed the course of the game. Éabha Curran, who was the hero in the team's overtime victory over the Tigers, came through for the second straight game finishing on a nice build up, which started within the Hawks offensive 25. Senior back
Audrey Mullen played a ball into the circle for senior forward
Claire Campen who drove endline before placing a perfect ball across for an open Curran who knocked in her fourth goal of the season to get her team on the board just five minutes into the second half.
"Penn State is very disciplined, so we had to go around them," Figlio said. "We've got speed on the outside… and when we had a step, we needed to recognize it and just take the outside lanes and really look to cross those ball across the goal cage. The first goal that we had was such a beautiful build up. We were really patient, really focused and we were in all the right positions, just some great movement and patience inside the circle."
Monmouth earned back-to-back penalty corners with
Anna Moors swinging for a good look on cage that earned another chance. Maja Schröder then inserted the following corner for the Hawks with Alicia Vanderldye whipping a shot on goal that was headed toward the far corner but instead caught the leg of a Nittany Lions defender, resulting in a penalty stroke.
Milla Frye calmly stepped up and ripped a shot top left corner for her team-leading ninth goal of the season to give Monmouth a 2-1 lead with 10 minutes to go in the period.
Penn State stormed back before quarter's end, earning a corner with three minutes remaining. Bowman made the original stop from the insert, but the Hawks defense couldn't clear, resulting in a goal from Nittany Lions' Olivia Marthins to trim the deficit to one.
The visitors kept the Hawks on their heels and pressed into Monmouth's defensive half. Penn State earned another corner, which the Hawks defended well but quickly earned a penalty stroke with a minute to go.
Bowman was critical in not only holding the lead for her side but shifting momentum entering the fourth quarter. The team limited Penn State to just three shots on goal and even held the visitors without an attempt in the final four minutes with their goalie pulled to anchor down their sixth win of the season.
Bowman earned the win, improving her record to 6-1, after making six stops on the day. Frye and Curran led the team offensively with three shots apiece and a goal. Monmouth improved to 6-1, while Penn State dropped to 3-4 overall.
The Hawks are back in action next weekend, facing CAA opponent Hofstra Friday one the road at 4 p.m. before traveling to Columbia Sept. 27.
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