Photo Courtesy of montclairathletics.com
On Tuesday, Oct. 17, the Montclair State University Red Hawks snatched a crucial 3-2 victory to get back on their winning track and break Kean University’s winning streak.
The intensive first quarter stood scoreless for 21 minutes until senior Kaitlyn Struss picked up the leading goal. Montclair State junior Kailey Dalgauer sent a deep shot into the circle but was blocked by Kean goalkeeper Megan Houser. The ball was then retrieved swiftly by Struss who battled past defenders to push the ball in the net for a 1-0 lead at 21:28.
The Red Hawks’ lead was well kept and continued into the second quarter. Struss brought her competitiveness to the Cougars’ field, breezing past the defenders once again and flipping the ball in the net at the 42:43 mark.
Struss tallied her 14th goal of the season and also heightened her entire career points (136), which is one point behind the Montclair State all-time record held by Jennifer Tanis (137).
The undefeated Cougars refused to give up their hopes, striking back ten minutes later. Kean’s Krista LaMaina landed a goal from the right wing at the 52:05 mark. Jenna Patrone assisted with the goal allowing the Cougars to cut the lead in half.
With only five minutes left, the Cougars unexpectedly tied the game. Montclair State senior Kaitlyn Maguire had five excellent saves but could not block senior Teresa Carr’s deflection into the cage for the tying mark at 64:59. The second quarter ended in a draw, leading both teams into overtime.
Overtime is no challenge for the Red Hawks, who are notorious for scoring the winning goals in extra hours. They have collected a handful of wins this season during overtime.
Montclair State used their previous experiences to take advantage of the only penalty corner in the extra period. Dalgauer inserted the ball, aiming to the right side to give aggressive junior Amber Haslett the opportunity to take her shot. Haslett fired a drive that connected with the left post to steal the victory at the 72:24 mark.
Not only did Haslett score her 11th goal of the year, but she saved the day for the Red Hawks for the fifth time this season during overtime.
The back-to-back losing streak has been snapped for ninth-ranked Red Hawks, who hold a winning NJAC record 3-2. Montclair State is the first NJAC team to break Kean’s record 3-1 in the conference and 15-1 overall for this season.
The Red Hawks will have a break until their next on-the-road match in Madison, New Jersey against Fairleigh Dickinson University-College at Florham on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.
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