Friday’s Scoreboard
Monmouth 3, Longwood 1
Ohio 4, Drexel 2
Kent State 5, St. Francis 2
Central Michigan 4, Colgate 1
App State 3, Towson 0
Stories Courtesy Of MAC Sports Information
Monmouth 3, Longwood 1
Box Score
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Having not lost a home game since 2017, Monmouth's home field advantage was evident on Friday afternoon.
The Hawks (1-0) extended their home winning-streak to a staggering 11 games as they defeated Longwood (0-1) by a score of 3-1 at "So Sweet A Cat" Field in West Long Branch, N.J.
Monmouth tallied three unanswered goals after falling behind 1-0 in the first quarter as they continued to roll at their home field. Longwood goalkeeper Katie Wyman stopped 12 of the 15 shots she faced from a talented Hawk offense.
"Disappointing performance," said head coach Iain Byers. "I think in the first half we didn't play as well as we should. In the second half, we got into the game a little bit more even though the stats didn't show it. Outstanding performance from Katie Wyman—Sophia Loscher had a great performance as well—so there are enough building blocks to build on.
"I think everyone knows we can do better, and we shall do better tomorrow. This is part of the process of getting to the MAC championship, and we understand that."
Redshirt senior Clara Meschini broke the ice with her first-quarter goal on a give-and-go with sophomore Luna Lopez off a corner to give the Lancers a 1-0 lead. Following a steal, Monmouth's Aylin Aufenacker capped off a two-on-one break after a feed from senior Josephine van der Hoop to knot the game at 1-1, where it would stay until halftime.
The Hawks took a lead they would not relinquish when junior Meg de Lange converted her penalty stroke chance in the third quarter to put Monmouth ahead 2-1. The Hawks added a late goal from van der Hoop to bring the final score to 3-1.
Longwood is back in action tomorrow, as they will face Long Island University in Hempstead, N.Y., on Aug. 31 at 3 p.m. The game will be played at Hofstra University.
Ohio 4, Drexel 2
Box Score
ATHENS -- The Ohio field hockey team (1-0) opened the season with a 4-2 come-from-behind win over the Drexel Dragons (0-1) this afternoon at Pruitt Field.
The Dragons started the scoring early when sophomore Avery Powell knocked one past Ohio goalkeeper redshirt senior Sophia Boothby (Spotsylvania, Va.) just 4:29 into the first quarter. The Bobcats tallied three chances in the same quarter but couldn't capitalize.
Drexel went into halftime with a 2-0 lead after junior Katie Ronan scored for the Dragons. However, the second half was a different story. Just 2:38 into the third quarter, redshirt senior Kendall Ballard (Charlottesville, Va.) created her own chance and blasted one by the Dragons' goalkeeper to bring the Bobcats within one. Ohio made it two unanswered just before the end of the third, when junior Leah Warren (Hamilton, New Zealand) tallied her first of two goals for the match, assisted by sophomore Ashley Willbur (Louisville, Ky.).
In the fourth quarter, the Bobcats started to pull away when freshmen Katelyn Whittle(Glenwood, Md.) scored the first goal of her career, assisted by Ballard. Then, with just a few ticks left on the clock, Leah Warren left no doubt, tallying her second goal of the game, assisted once again by Ballard.
In total, the Bobcats outshot the Dragons 14-9, getting nine and six and goal respectively. After allowing two goals, Boothby halted the Dragon attack, saving their last four opportunities. The Bobcats' defense held strong in the second half as well, allowing just four total shots.
Ohio looks to continue their good fortune as they face No. 23 Boston University at 7 p.m. ET Saturday (Aug. 31) at Pruitt Field.
Kent State 5, St. Francis 2
Box Score
KENT, Ohio- The Kent State University field hockey team started off the season strong defeating St. Francis, 5-2, in its season opener at home on Friday.
The opening period was played tight, with neither team having their way on offense. The Flashes held the Red Flash to only one shot in the first period, while Kent State fired off four shots.
The Flashes put themselves on the board within the first five minutes of the second period. Senior Laila Richter set up the play for Kent State's 10thshot of the game, as sophomore Luisa Knapp put the Flashes on the board.
At the 6:26 mark of the third period, junior Hailie Balachick's goal extended the Flashes' lead to 2-0, with Richter on the assist. With 1:40 remaining in the third period, Knapp scored her second goal of the day with an unassisted shot that made it 3-0.
Kent State capitalized on a corner within seven minutes of the fourth period when Richter set up an Ashley Bonetz shot on a corner. The Red Flash broke the shutout with six minutes remaining in the game on a goal from a penalty corner. The Flashes put the game away when freshman Caitlin Holland scored her first collegiate goal with Berta Jover Llorens credited with the assist to make it 5-1.
St. Francis capitalized on a penalty stroke with 4: 15 remaining, but the Flashes came up with the 5-2 victory.
The Flashes dominated offensively throughout the game, holding a 20-6 advantage in shot attempts. Knapp led the attack with four shots and two goals. Junior goalkeeper Azure Fernsler earned her first win of the season and tallied three saves.
Kent State is back in action as the Flashes take on Michigan State on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 1 p.m. at Murphy-Mellis Field.
Central Michigan 4, Colgate 1
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan field hockey team earned a statement win on Friday afternoon, topping Colgate in their season opener, 4-1, behind two second-half goals from freshman Neve Dibley.
To the delight of coach Catherine Ostoich, the four goals marked CMU's highest single-game total since Oct. 30, 2015. After making offensive aggression a point of emphasis heading into the season, Ostoich was all smiles following the win.
"The team came out today and was just ready to get after it," she said. "It was awesome."
It was a big win for the Chippewas on several levels, including in the confidence department. The Chippewas finished 2-16 a year ago in Ostoich's first season at the helm.
"It's huge," she said. "I think everyone is now relaxed and we can actually go into the season and play."
HOW IT HAPPENED
CMU took advantage of its first penalty corner, as freshman Alice O'Hagan scored to put the Chippewas up 1-0 just over six minutes into the game.
Samantha Glapinski scored in the 39th minute and then Dibley, another freshman, found the back of the net less than 10 minutes later to put the Chippewas up, 3-0.
Five seconds after Dibley's goal, Blair Boyles scored to cut the Chippewas lead to 3-1.
With 10:40 remaining and just seconds after Boyles' goal had cut CMU's lead to two, the Raiders pulled their goalie in an effort to pressure the Chippewas.
CMU maintained its composure, and Dibley made it 4-1 with her second goal with under nine minutes to play, essentially putting it out of reach.
"No there wasn't any panic," Ostoich said of the Chippewas response when Colgate pulled to 3-1 and then pulled the goalkeeper for an extra attacker. "That was huge. We all stayed composed, we worked our way back up the field and then we rocked in another goal. It was great."
Taryn Damm, Callie Quinn, Georgina Minta, Anna Riesenberg and Alli Huddleson each had an assist for CMU.
App State 3, Towson 0
Box Score
BOONE, N.C. – Junior Meghan Smart's two goals powered Appalachian State University field hockey to a 3-0 victory over Towson on Friday afternoon.
The Mountaineers (1-0) have won three-straight season openers under head coach Meghan Dawson. All three triumphs have been two-goal victories with Appalachian defeating Towson 2-0 in 2018 and La Salle 3-1 to open the 2017 campaign.
The Black and Gold struck early when Smart notched an unassisted goal less than five minutes into the game. Sophomore Friederike Stegen then doubled App State's lead just a few minutes into the second quarter to put App State up 2-0 at the half.
After no goals in the third quarter, Smart secured a brace in the 59th minute to push Appalachian's lead to 3-0. Freshman Sarah Farrell recorded her first assist in an App State uniform on Smart's final score of the game.
Appalachian outshot the Towson 19-7, allowing just one shot to the Tigers (0-1) in the first half. Smart and freshman Pauline Mangold paced the Mountaineers with four shots each, whileStegen and junior Veerle Van Heertum tallied three attempts apiece.
Senior goalkeeper Rachel Gaines recorded a shutout in her second-straight season opener. The Kettering, Ohio native made six saves, including four in the final period, to nail down the shutout.
The Mountaineers continue their road trip at Georgetown (1-0) on Sunday at noon. The Hoyasdefeated Davidson 5-2 on Friday, outshooting the Wildcats 22-7.
