Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University field hockey team will look to start Montclair State University homecoming off with a bang as they look to topple #2 Christopher Newport on Saturday.
GAME INFO
The game is set to start at 11:00 am at Sprague Field. Live coverage of the game can be found at montclairathletics.com.
LAST TIME OUT
Montclair dropped its road contest at Muhlenberg, 2-0 this past Saturday. The Red Hawks withstood an early offensive opportunity from the Mules, as a shot attempt off a penalty corner was blocked in the third minute. Four minutes later, Muhlenberg saw another shot blocked before they capitalized on the loose ball with an attempt to the far high corner of the cage. SYDNEY WHITE notched a save in the waning moments of the stanza to keep the margin at one. Muhlenberg doubled their advantage early in the second period on a turnaround shot in front of the cage, slotting an attempt towards the far corner. The Red Hawks looked to cut into the deficit in the latter stages of the half, tallying four shots during a stretch of three penalty corners in two minutes. NATALIE SURMA led the way during the sequence with three shots, but the two sides went into the break at 2-0. Montclair held most of the offensive opportunities in the third quarter, as SADIE EICHLIN ripped a shot that went just wide in the opening minute. Surma saw an attempt blocked shortly after, as the Red Hawks accumulated three penalty corners throughout the period. BELLA HEISER notched the first attempt on frame in the contest for Montclair, as the Mules parried it away to maintain the margin going into the final stanza. The home side looked to add to their lead in the early stages of the fourth with a shot that was blocked in the third minute. Shortly after, Surma registered a pair of attempts on frame that had to be saved by the Mules. Muhlenberg recorded the only remaining shot of the contest, sealing the home victory.
2025 TEAM LEADERS
MONTCLAIR STATE (2-5)
Goals:
SADIE EICHLIN, 3
Assists: Three tied with 1
Points:
SADIE EICHLIN, 6
Shots:
NATALIE SURMA, 18
Saves:
Sydney White, 57
Wins:
SYDNEY WHITE, 2
CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT (7-0)
Goals: Courtney Hughlett, 5
Assists: Two tied with 5
Points: Courtney Hughlett, 13
Shots: Lindsey Loar, 37
Saves: Lily Kerr, 18
Wins Lily Kerr, 7
SCOUTING CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT
The Captains enter this matchup on top of their game with a 7-0 record and are the current #2 team in the country according to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Top 25 Poll. In their last outing, they battled Messiah and outlasted them in a shootout to take a 1-0 win. In 2024, CNU compiled a 16-3 overall record and qualified for the Coast to Coast Conference Championship game against Salisbury, where they were bested 3-2 after a shootout period. Christopher Newport earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they made it to the Elite 8 after wins against St. Mary's of Maryland (4-0) and York (1-0, OT). They matched up in the Elite 8 against Salisbury once again and suffered another heartbreaking shootout loss, 2-1.
SERIES HISTORY
Montclair and Christopher Newport have only faced off one time in their series history. Montclair has the only win, which was by a score of 1-0 in 2012.
LAST MEETING
The Red Hawks and the Captains met last on November 10, 2012, in Salisbury, Maryland, where Montclair was victorious by a score of 1-0.
UP NEXT
Montclair will see a quick turnaround and return to Sprague Field on Sunday, September 28, when it takes on Washington and Lee University at 11:00 a.m.
