EWING, N.J. – The Montclair State University field hockey team left it all on the turf during Wednesday afternoon’s New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament semifinal match.
Unfortunately for the Red Hawks, they still fell short.
The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) withstood a late run of Montclair State momentum to take a 2-1 victory.
The game ended after a TCNJ goal in overtime. | Photo Courtesy of Montclair State Athletics
The Red Hawks spent the majority of the second and third quarters battling from behind after a TCNJ goal. Momentum began to shift as Montclair State was able to organize itself on the offensive side of the field.
Emotions poured out onto the field with 70 seconds left in the third after junior forward Alexa Antonelli scored the tying goal. The Red Hawks poured onto the field and embraced her.
A Red Hawk goal late in the third quarter tied the game at one. | Photo Courtesy of Montclair State Athletics
With the game now tied, the Lions appeared to be on the back foot, and needed to weather a late storm of shot attempts from Montclair State. They were able to hold out and prevent themselves from going down late in the match.
As the clock showed triple zeros at the end of regulation, both teams were exhausted after an hour of intense back and forth action. The Lions and Red Hawks were both well aware that the fate of their seasons lied in the ensuing overtime period.
The fierce battle picked up right where it left off after the fourth quarter. TCNJ dominated the play, firing off four shots.
Freshman defender Emma Bianco earned an opportunity to win the game for Montclair State after a TCNJ foul. She lined up for a season deciding penalty stroke.
TCNJ’s goalkeeper dove right to secure the save. Both teams had to play on.
The blocked penalty stroke served as another swing of momentum, but this time it was in the Lions’ favor.
In the final minute of overtime, TCNJ found the winning shot to put the Red Hawks away. Despite a valiant effort from Montclair State, it was not enough to pull of the upset on the road.
The Red Hawks finished the season with their best record since 2018. | Photo Courtesy of Montclair State Athletics
The Red Hawks finished the year with their best record since 2018, winning 13 games. They defeated multiple nationally ranked opponents and won all but one game at home.
