Box Score

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Despite being the first team to score on Monmouth this season, Fairleigh Dickinson was unable to keep the Hawks' attack in check and dropped a 5-3 non-conference game to their Garden State rivals and former NEC foes on Tuesday night.

Monmouth (4-0) opened the scoring in the 11th minute when Erica Murphy recorded her second of the season. In the ensuing the minutes, Fairleigh Dickinson (1-3) was unable to mount serious possession in the attacking third to try and back into the game.

"We allowed them to attack early in the first half and that caused us to get back on our heels. [After getting the score to 2-1] We then let a soft one in at the end of the first and that really hurt us", said head coach Eric Teepe.

Kristen Brett doubled the Hawks' lead on her first of the season after controlling a loose ball in the box in the 31^st minute. Esther Rochon (Saint Romuald, Quebec/College Francois-Xavier-Garneau) cut the Knights' deficit in half with her first of the season by sliding in and putting home a loose ball from a free kick by Hanna Robertson (Eagle Mountain, Utah/West Lake) with less than five minutes to play in the opening half.

Monmouth however, answered right back when Alexis McTamney scored her second of the year 1:25 later to take a 3-1 lead into the break.

After the two teams exchanged possession in the midfield to open the second half, Monmouth made it 4-1 after Rachael Ivanicki scored her third of the season with an assist from Rachelle Ross.

Rochon got her second of the night in the 67th minute to get the Knights back within two at 4-2 by converting off a misplay by Hawk goalkeeper Sydney Lavan.

Teepe added, "We were more committed going forward in the second half and felt like we dominated play. But letting the goal in late in the first caused us to always be chasing the game. We have to start worry about ourselves and what we can control. We have to start the game with a high energy level and not worry about things we cannot control."

As the Knights were trying to get back into the game inside the last 10 minutes, Monmouth added more insurance when Murphy scored her second of the night after she won the ball from Felicia Burr (Bellingham, Mass./Blackstone-Millville ) inside the six-yard box to make it 5-2.

Rachel Hoekstra (Bowmanville, Ontario/Clarington Central) broke through after having multiple chances in the 89th minute for her first of the season and 22nd of her career—ties the program record—to make it 5-3.

The Knights remain winless when they travel to West Long Branch, falling to 0-8-1 in program history.

Up next for Fairleigh Dickinson is a weekend trip out to Colorado where they take on Air Force on Friday and Northern Colorado on Sunday. The game against Air Force will broadcast live on the Mountain West Network.