Montclair, NJ – Freshman forward
Gianna Moglino (Holmdel, NJ, Holmdel) knocked in a pass from senior
Brooke Hullings (Delran, NJ, Delran) with 1:59 remaining lifting top-ranked Montclair State to a 1-0 victory over No. 6 William Smith College at Sprague Field on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Rebecca Brattole (Clark, NJ, Arthur L. Johnson) stopped four shots and posted her sixth shutout of the season as the Red Hawks knocked off their third straight ranked opponent in improving to 14-1. MSU also ran its home winning streak to 25 consecutive games.
Freshman goalkeeper Amy Feda (Watertown, CT / Taft School) made 11 saves for the Herons, who fell to 11-2 on the season.
It was the first meeting between the two schools since 2005 when William Smith recorded a 2-1 victory over MSU in the second round of the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship at Messiah College in Grantham, PA.
Moglino's goal snapped a tightly-contested 68 minutes of superb defensive efforts from both side, including goalkeepers Brattole and Feda.
Montclair outshot the William Smith, 16-5 however those 21 shots were solid chances. The Red Hawks held a 5-2 edge in the first half with Feda and Brattole combining to stop five shots. Brattole made the first two as she denied Margaret McConnell (Lousiville, KY / Lousville Collegiate School) twice with sliding stops on the right post in the 22nd minute. Three minutes later it was Feda's turn as she made saves on shots by
Arielle Galgano (Cedar Run, NJ, Southern Regional),
Jennifer Tafro (Little Falls, NJ, Passaic Valley) and Moglino with a little over seven minutes left before halftime.
In the second half, Montclair turned up the pressure but again Feda roase to the occasions making consecutive saves in the 43rd minute. William Smith's Taylor Cappello (Windsor, NY / Windsor) created a chance for herself at 51:58 driving toward the left post before lifting a ball the Brattole kicked away.
Feda would come up with five more saves over the next 16 minutes, including a point-blank shot from
Katie Lipsit (Lumberton, NJ, Rancocas Valley) at 67:45 that would produce a long hit for the Red Hawks.
Stephanie Lewis (Garwood, NJ, Arthur L. Johnson) moved in along the right end line before putting the ball in front. Hullings got a stick on the pass and managed to flip the ball across to the left side to Moglino who stuffed the ball inside the near post for her 10th goal of the season.
William Smith tried to answer immediately and got a great opportunity with a pair of penalty corners with 1:08 remaining. Caitlin Moran (Garwood, NJ / Arthur L. Johnson) got shot off the first one that was stopped by Brattole. Off the second corner, McConnell's shot was blocked and the Red Hawks cleared the ball down the field running out the final 32 seconds.
The Red Hawks return to action on Wednesday, October 23 as it travels to Scranton for a 4:00 pm contest with the Royals. William Smith remains on its extended road trip with a Liberty League contest at St. Lawrence on Friday, October 25.
