Bryanna Luciano | The Montclarion
On Friday, Oct. 13, the Montclair State University field hockey team traveled to Glassboro, New Jersey, the home of Rowan University with hopes of getting back on the winning track. Unfortunately for the Red Hawks, the team fell short for the second time in a row against the Profs, 2-1.
The New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) match was an aggressive one with remarkable defense played throughout the game by both teams.
Rowan’s Jenni Panzarino set the lead after tipping a shot from the top of the circle halfway through the first quarter. Julie Johnson received the assist, sending a fiery shot from a penalty corner and allowing Panzarino to sneak a stick in and deflect the ball at the 16:33 mark.
Montclair State senior Kaitlyn Struss expunged the lead five minutes later, scoring her 12th goal of the season with an assist from junior Amber Haslett. Struss received a pass from Haslett and spun around the defense to score at the 21:15 mark. Struss stands as the leading scorer for the Red Hawks.
The first quarter ended in a tie 1-1 between the NJAC rivals and the impeccable defense carried into the second quarter.
Although both the Profs and the Red Hawks had the same amount of saves, Montclair State was out-beat in corners and shots on goal. The Red Hawks had only four shots on goal and five corners, whereas the Profs ruled with 10 shots on goal and 12 corners.
What looked like an overtime awaiting to happen was surprisingly spoiled by Rowan’s Casey Wagner with only 3:13 left in the second quarter. The sophomore killed the back and forth rally after scoring the go-ahead goal from the top of the circle off of a penalty corner inserted by Dayna DeVincentz.
With little time left, the Red Hawks failed to return another goal, ending with a 2-1 loss against the Profs.
The win improved Rowan’s record to 9-5 and equated the NJAC record 2-2 with the Red Hawks. The Red Hawks now hold a 12-2 record with a 2-2 NJAC record.
The Red Hawks will strive to upstart a winning path on Tuesday, Oct. 17 when they will face Kean University at 7:30 p.m. in Union, New Jersey.
