The Montclair State women’s lacrosse team has scored 35 goals over the course of their last two games.
Photo courtesy of MSU Athletics
After the Montclair State women’s lacrosse team defeated Ramapo College 20-7 for their first New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) win on April 19, the Red Hawks offense continued to strive on April 23, when the Red Hawks upset NJAC rival Stockton University 17-6 at Sprague Field.
In the seventh minute of action, junior attacker Lindsay Lare scored the first goal of the game for the Red Hawks to take a quick 1-0 lead over the Ospreys.
The Ospreys gained a 2-1 lead in the eleventh minute with back-to-back goals by senior midfielder Skyler Mahoney-Kendra and freshman midfielder Mary Schmid.
Following a ground ball pickup by senior captain and midfielder Kasey Maguire around 18 minutes in, junior midfielder Francesca Verrone tallied her first goal of the game to tie the game at 2-2.
The Red Hawks added four unanswered goals with back-to-back scores from Lare, and one goal each from senior attacker Alexa DiPiero and senior captain and midfielder Kara Crampton. The Red Hawks went into halftime with a 6-2 lead over Stockton.
The Red Hawks offense was red hot in the first half, as they outshot the Ospreys on net 11-2, and the Red Hawks forced 13 turnovers on Stockton.
Less than four minutes into the second half, Stockton’s Mahoney-Kendra scored her second goal after a foul by Maguire, cutting the deficit to 6-3.
However, the Ospreys’ momentum was short-lived. One goal from Maguire, back-to-back goals from Verrone and one goal from freshman attacker Jessica Andreula gave the Red Hawks 10-3 lead 18:36 remaining.
In the next minute, Stockton freshman attacker Sarah Frankovic scored her first goal of the afternoon, and the Ospreys trailed the Red Hawks 10-4. Montclair State’s DiPiero responded with her second goal of the game 62 seconds later to increase the lead to 11-4.
After Schmid punched her second goal of the day into the net for Stockton, bringing the score to 11-5, the Red Hawks put the game out of reach with four goals by senior attacker Serena Hitchins, junior attacker Aviana Paraggio, and back-to-back goals from sophomore midfielder Chelsea Orban. The Red Hawks’s offensive streak blasted the game open with a 15-5 lead.
Stockton senior midfielder Lauren Ivancich punched in the Ospreys’ last goal of the game before Paraggio and Verrone would both score once more for the Red Hawks. Montclair State upset the Ospreys 17-6 for their second straight NJAC win.
Verrone’s four goals in the contest added to her team, leading with 31 goals this season. The Red Hawks outshot the Ospreys on net 27-10.
With their most recent win, the Red Hawks now have a record of 9-5 on the season and a 2-2 record in the conference.
The Red Hawks will look to continue their winning streak on April 26 at Sprague Field when the Red Hawks battle NJAC rival Kean University at 7 p.m.
