Madison, NJ – The Montclair State University women's lacrosse team cruised past Drew in their 2025 season opener 17-6 on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (1-0) fell behind early as the Rangers found the back of the net on the opening possession. After Drew came away with the ensuing draw control, the Montclair defense forced a turnover which led to a goal from CARA MCCARTNEY off a feed from CHELSEA STACK to level the contest. Five minutes later, JOEY GROTKOPF notched a save, and McCartney scored off the resulting clear attempt to give the visitors the lead.
• Drew equalized at the 6:27 mark of the stanza, but the Red Hawks regained the advantage three and a half minutes later, as McCartney found SAMANTHA HANDZO for a goal. Montclair applied a barrage of shots over the next minute, leading to a strike from NORAH MONAGHAN to double the advantage after 10 minutes of play.
• The Rangers came within one in the opening three minutes of the second quarter, but Montclair answered with a free position goal from KAELEY SEK. The two sides traded goals again, with Stack adding her second of the afternoon at the 4:59 mark of the frame. LEXI ROBINSON finished off the half with her first goal of the campaign to make the margin three going into the break.
• Montclair continued their offensive push in the early stages of the third, as McCartney netted another goal in the opening minute. Two minutes later, AMRA LUKOVIC scored an unassisted marker, and Monaghan added a strike on a free position shot to push the Red Hawks into double figures.
• McCartney and Sek each found the back of the net over the next six minutes, and Stack added two goals in the final three of the quarter to push the margin to 10 going into the final frame of play. Stack continued her strong second half, scoring with 11:51 remaining to make the score 16-4.
• Drew ended the scoring run with a goal at the eight minute mark, but the Red Hawks quickly countered with a Monaghan strike two minutes later. The Rangers put their final marker into the back of the net in the waning moments of the contest, but could not get any closer as Montclair took the road win to open the campaign.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• McCartney and Stack led the way for the Red Hawks with four goals each. For McCartney, the total marked a new career-high and her first career hat trick, with Stack notching the second-best mark in her four year career for a single contest.
• Monaghan finished with three goals on the day, her eighth career hat trick.
• Grotkopf accumulated 10 saves in net for Montclair.
• The Red Hawks held a 53-30 advantage in shots, including 13 more on frame. Defensively, they forced 23 turnovers.

FROM THE FIELD

"The result of today's game is a result of the hard work these athletes have put in their whole careers and especially their dedication while prepping for this season. We will enjoy this victory but then it's back to work." - Associate Head Coach Kelsey Withrow

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will continue their season-opening road swing on Wednesday, February 19, as they travel to take on Stevens. First draw in Hoboken, NJ is scheduled for 4:00 PM.