Alexa DiPierro and the Red Hawks finished 8-6 against the Fairleigh Dickinson University Devils.
Photo courtesy of Montclair Athletics
After taking two wins out of their previous three-game homestand, the Montclair State women’s lacrosse team traveled to Madison and continued their winning streak on April 2, as they defeated the Fairleigh Dickson University Devils 8-6.
The Red Hawks offense once again took center stage in the opening minute when senior midfielder Kasey Maguire got it started for the Red Hawks with the opening goal of the match.
Junior midfielder Francesca Verrone followed up with back-to-back goals of her own to give the Red Hawks a quick 3-0 lead.
After a yellow card on Montclair State senior defender Meredith King, the Devils would find their way to the scoreboard, thanks to junior midfielder Brienna Reasoner, and the deficit was cut to 3-1.
Montclair State quickly answered them with their own goal by junior attacker Aviana Paraggio, bring the game back to a three-goal lead for the Red Hawks.
The Devils and Red Hawks traded punches back and forth for the remainder of the first half. FDU freshman attacker Makenzie Staffordsmith fired the Devils’ second goal of the afternoon into the net, cutting the deficit in half at 4-2 with 9:47 remaining. Montclair State junior attacker Lindsay Lare responded with 1:09 left in the half with a goal to increase the lead to 5-2.
In the last 22 seconds of the half, the Devils were able to grab the momentum when junior attacker Joelle Manganella punched a shot in the net to send both teams to the locker room with the score 5-3 Montclair State.
In the first half, Montclair State outshot FDU 15-4 and the Devils had only three shots on goal. As productive as the Red Hawk’s defense was in the first half, goalkeeper Rebecca Myers was struggling, as all three of FDU’s shots on goal went into the net. This forced Myers to be benched for senior goalkeeper Alexandra Tepper in the second half. Myers missed the first 18 minutes of the second half before re-entering the game.
In the second half, Montclair State’s Maguire got it started for the Red Hawks again by punching in her second goal of the afternoon, giving Montclair State a 6-3 lead with 28:58 to go in the contest.
The Devils’ offense emerged on the scene moments later. After a successful, clear attempt with 21:53 remaining, Reasoner scored her second goal of the day, bringing the score to 6-4 Red Hawks.
Following a ground ball pickup by FDU junior defender Kelsey Ryan and another successful clear attempt, Manganella scored her second goal of the game, and the Red Hawks lead was cut to 6-5.
The Red Hawks were feeling the pressure, but they responded with two unanswered goals to push the lead to 8-5, courtesy of Lare, her second of the afternoon with 6:47 remaining, followed by a goal from senior midfielder Kara Crampton with 5:43 left.
The Devils were not done fighting, though. With 4:45 left in the contest, Manganella scored her third goal of the contest, and FDU cut the lead to 8-6. In the end, Montclair State was able to hang on for their third straight win as they defeated the Devils 8-6.
Lare, Maguire, and Verrone all had a productive day as they each scored two goals in the contest, and Montclair State combined outshot FDU 24-13 and 19-10 with shots on goal.
With their most recent win, the Red Hawks now have a record of 7-3 on the season and have won five of their last six games.
The Red Hawks will look for a fourth straight win when they return home to Sprague Field on April 9 in their New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opener against The College of New Jersey Lions at noon.
