WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Old Dominion Lacrosse fell 9–5 to the Monmouth Hawks on Saturday afternoon at Kessler Stadium.
“Tough way to end this season on the road, feel for this group and especially for the players that this was their last away game of their careers,” said head coach Theresa Walton. “They definitely deserved a better finish to the end of this season as whole, their work ethic and mentality has stayed strong throughout”.
The Hawks (9-7) struck first with an early goal from Brooke Lacy with just over 12 minutes remaining in the opening quarter. Six minutes later, ODU (5-11) answered as Jules Mills scored to tie the game at 1-1. Two minutes after that, Natalie Calandra-Ryan found the back of the net to give the Monarchs a 2-1 lead. Monmouth responded before the end of the quarter, as Grace Curtin scored to even the game at 2-2.
Curtin then broke a 13-minute scoring drought with back-to-back goals to close out the half, giving the Hawks a 4-2 advantage.
After the break, Annalynn Pompetti scored within the first minute of play to cut the deficit to 4-3. Monmouth answered shortly after, as Lauren Rismani beat Brynn Bowen and scored with just under 12 minutes remaining to make it 5-3. Just over five minutes later, Curtin recorded her fourth goal of the game to extend the Hawks’ lead to 6-3.
In the final quarter, Julia Butler scored for ODU to make it 6-4 with 12:26 on the clock. Six minutes later, Mills added her second goal of the day, pulling the Monarchs within one at 6–5. However, the Hawks responded with a three-goal run, as Marlaina Grimm, Shea Berigan, and Curtin all found the net to seal the 9-5 victory and close out non-conference play for both teams.
“Same issue we have had this second half of season, we couldn’t get going offensively to take control when we were dominating the possession game. Eight shots total on the cage says it all. It didn’t help that our clear game struggled early on and then cards killed us by the end too,” added Walton.
Monmouth outshot Old Dominion 32-19, while the Monarchs held the edge in draw controls, 10-5. In goal, Bowen made 13 saves for ODU, while Monmouth’s Katie Sullivan recorded two saves and Gia Mitchell added one.
“Unfortunately this season has been a culmination of repeated inconsistencies in our game that have been in our complete control. Big switch next Saturday to play one of the strongest teams in our conference and in the country, JMU. I hope we can end with a strong showing at home to honor this graduating class,” noted Walton.
UP NEXT
The Monarchs return to Norfolk to host James Madison on April 25 for Senior Day at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex. The opening draw is scheduled for 1 p.m.