La Plume, PA – The Montclair State University Women's Flag Football team surged to a 26-6 victory on Thursday evening for its seventh-straight victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (8-1) forced a three-and-out and a punt on the opening drive of the evening from the Giants. After the punt went just 11 yards, EMILY DEL ROSARIO ripped a 25-yard touchdown run on Montclair's first offensive snap to put the visitors up 7-0. On the ensuing drive, the Red Hawks forced another three-and-out from Keystone, earning starting field position at the Giants' 27 yard line. The home side forced a stop on fourth and goal with just under three minutes remaining in the opening stanza, but could not gain a first down for the third-straight drive, punting back to the Red Hawks with the clock running out in the first.
• With starting field position within the Keystone 30-yard line once again, the Red Hawks surged into the end zone again on fourth down run from HADDIYAH BELL to push the lead to 13-0 with 11:45 left in the first half. The Giants strung together their best drive of the contest right after, moving the chains on an eight-yard pass on the second play. A big gain of 11 on a fourth down run set Keystone up at the Montclair 30 yard-line. Over the next four plays, a pair of seven-yard runs put the home side in solid field position, scoring on the next play with a 10-yard touchdown run to cut the gap to seven with 3:15 on the clock. Keystone forced a punt on Montclair's final drive of the half to make the score 13-6 at the break.
• Montclair came out of the half strong, earning a first down after a rush and reception from Del Rosario, setting up another big play as Bell sent a pass to SERENITY MUHAMMED for a 59-yard touchdown to expand the lead back to 13. Keystone moved the chains twice on the next drive, with the Red Hawks standing tall defensively as the ball crossed over onto their half of the field. A third down pass attempt was halted for no gain with a flag pull from MAYA ANICO, with GENEVIEVE FARA getting the crucial fourth down stop on a rush attempt to force a turnover on downs. Bell connected with Fara for a gain of 13 on the ensuing drive, with Bell moving the chains to set up first and goal with a 27-yard run as the quarter came to a close.
• Fara completed a pass to GIANNAMARIE GREENHALGH for a 10-yard touchdown on third and goal to open the fourth and final quarter, with Fara converting the point-after-try to make the score 26-6. The Red Hawks forced a turnover on the next drive, as Greenhalgh intercepted a fourth down pass, setting up Montclair at their own 35 with 8:45 remaining in the game. Keystone held the Red Hawks on the next trip up the field, getting a stop on fourth down with just over five minutes on the clock. The Giants were able to cross midfield on their final drive, but were unable to cut into the deficit as Montclair sealed the road victory.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Bell put together a well-rounded offensive day with her third game of triple-digit passing yards, finishing the evening with 121. She added a career-high 59 rushing yards and collected two total touchdowns for the game.
• Del Rosario accumulated 64 yards of total offense, including a season-best 25 yards through the air. Fara has factored into a touchdown in six of Montclair's nine games this season.
• Muhammed tallied her third receiving touchdown of the campaign, catching a career-best 59-yard pass during the game.
• Greenhalgh recorded her sixth interception of the season, which is second-most on the team.
• Montclair outgained Keystone 244-163 in total yardage for the game. The Red Hawks have won eight of their first nine games to begin the program, including their last seven games. 
• For the season, the Red Hawks have outscored opponents 291-42, averaging 32 points per game. They have won all but one of their games by double-digits.

FROM THE FIELD

"Our execution early on offense set the tone in the first series. We were pleased with the adjustments our defense made versus a dynamic quarterback. I thought our depth in the heat was an asset to coming away with a win tonight" - Head Coach Jim Kelly\

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will travel to Mercy for their final road game of the regular season on Monday, April 20, with the game scheduled for 3:00 PM from Dobbs Ferry, NY.