Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University field hockey (5-8, 2-2 NJAC) was blanked at home on Saturday evening in conference play against #15 Rowan (12-3, 4-0 NJAC), 4-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Rowan went on the attack early, firing off two shots on goal in the first minute. SYDNEY WHITE made both stops. The Profs kept up the pressure with three penalty corners and eventually broke through at the 7:24 mark, when a series of passes off a corner led to a nice shot and goal. White made three saves down the stretch in the quarter to keep the score at 1-0 heading into the second.
- The Profs continued to hold off any Red Hawk offense, while trying to extend their lead. After a few attempts in the frame, Rowan fired off a shot at 24:15 at the top of the circle and found its mark for a 2-0 lead. Just over three and a half minutes later, Rowan went back on the attack and pushed a ball into traffic right in front of the cage, where a Profs player tipped one into the cage for a 3-0 advantage, one they took into the second half.
- The third quarter was once again controlled by the Profs. They rattled off two shots in the first four minutes, but White made another few saves. Montclair did a nice job limiting Rowan's attack in the middle portion of the frame. It wasn't until the final seconds of the quarter that Rowan got on the board again. They were awarded a penalty corner in the final nine seconds of the third and slapped a ball at the back of the cage with one second remaining in the third to jump out to a 4-0 lead.
- An early green card on Rowan allowed Montclair to get the ball into their offensive zone. They were awarded a penalty corner at 47:44, and EMMA BIANCO was able to get a shot off, but the shot went wide. Rowan kept Montclair shotless the rest of the way and seized the conference shutout.
INSIDE THE RESULTS
- White suffered the loss but earned her fourth double-digit save total of the season with 11 saves tonight. She has 13 double-digit save games in her career.
- Montclair currently sits in fifth place in the NJAC after tonight's result.
FROM THE FIELD
- "Rowan is a top team in NJAC field hockey, and their pace of play and offensive execution presented many challenges for us today. I thought we responded well to a slow 1st and 2nd quarter and showed good fight and resilience in the second half. Syd White had another strong performance and made several key saves to hold Rowan to one goal in the second half. Our focus leading into the new week is consistency in our outletting and transition to attack. We need to do a better job finding possession outlets and receiving with control to create more scoring opportunities. The upcoming week for us is critical as we continue to fight for a spot in the NJAC postseason tournament." Head Coach Eileen O'Reilly
UP NEXT
- Montclair starts a three-game road trip with its final non-conference matchup of the season at Messiah on Wednesday, October 21. The game is scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. start.
