Montclair, NJ – Montclair State women's lacrosse (1-1) was in the driver's seat for most of the contest, but a late rally and a last-minute goal pushed #23 Ithaca past Montclair, 11-10 on Saturday afternoon.
How It Happened
- The Red Hawks went on the attack from the first draw. AMRA LUKOVIC and NORAH MONAGHAN each notched a shot within the first minute. Ithaca failed its first clear attempt of the day, and it led to Monaghan scoring the first goal of the contest at the 13:13 timestamp. Her goal was followed by one from KYRA MORENA just two minutes later to push the lead out to 2-0.
- Ithaca saw three consecutive shots in the 11th minute, two of which were saved by JOEY GROTKOPF. Monaghan sank a free position attempt for Montclair around the 8:00 mark for a three-goal advantage. After a few interchanging possessions, the Bombers got on the board with under four minutes remaining, and the game went 3-1 into the second quarter.
- Montclair saw a yellow card at the beginning of the second quarter, but didn't let it keep them off the board as AMRA LUKOVIC took advantage of a turnover and used her legs to race down the field and score a man-down goal at the 12:54 mark. After another nice save by Grotkopf, a ball sneaked past her, and the score went 4-2 with under 10 minutes remaining in the half.
- The Red Hawks went back on the attack, and Monaghan found Morena for her second goal of the game. An Ithaca green card at the 4:09 timestamp gave Monaghan the opportunity for another goal and pushed the lead up to 6-2. The Bombers responded with a goal just seconds after, and the game went 6-3 into halftime.
- The Bombers' rally happened in the first half of the third period. They took advantage of three position attempts between 10:47 and 7:04 to tie the game at 6-6. The tie didn't last long as Morena won the draw and found Sek to regain the lead. Ithaca once again took advantage of free-position goals and scored a pair down the stretch in the third and had an 8-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
- LEXI ROBINSON found the back of the net in just over a minute into the final frame to tie the game, with Ithaca regaining it at the 10:50 timestamp. Montclair won the next two draws, with Lukovic firing in two goals to regain the lead 10-9 with just over eight minutes remaining. Montclair saw another yellow card and a free position attempt at the 6:56 timestamp, but the shot was stonewalled by Grotkopf to keep the lead. Grotkopf had another key save at the 4:22 mark, but Ithaca kept up the pressure and possession.
- The Bombers used a timeout with just over two minutes remaining, and their play worked as they tied the contest at 10-10. Ithaca won the ensuing draw and worked the ball around the perimeter of the goal before they found the mark with just 31 seconds left. They were able to win the draw again and burned the rest of the clock to escape with the win.
Inside the Numbers
- Lukovic led the team with a hat-trick in the matchup.
- Monaghan had a very well-rounded day. She totaled three points with two goals and an assist. She also led the team with five draw controls and totaled three ground balls and caused two turnovers.
- Morena also notched two goals in the contest.
- Despite the loss, Grotkopf was stellar between the pipes, tallying 11 saves. She has back-to-back double-digit save contests to start the season and is 12 away from 400 career saves.
From the Field
"Not the result we were hoping for, but we competed and played hard the full sixty minutes. We will learn from our mistakes and use that to prepare for Wednesday!" Head Coach Nicol Parcelluzzi
Up Next
The Red Hawks are back on Sprague Field for their second-straight top-25 matchup. They will host #15 Stevens on Wednesday, February 25, with the first draw set to begin at 7:00 p.m.
