Monmouth Hawks field hockey comes up short BY DOUG McKENZIE Correspondent The Monmouth University women's field hockey team was hoping to christen its new turf field in style this past weekend. Unfortunately it didn't work out for the Hawks, as they lost a pair of games on their new field to fall to 4-9 on the season and 3-2 in Northeast Conference play. On Friday, the Hawks dropped a 2-1 decision to Saint Francis (Pa.) following the dedication ceremony of the new turf home of the Hawks field hockey program. Monmouth took the early lead when senior co-captain Annie LoPresti, a senior from Middletown North, beat the Red Flash goalie to the left side off an assist from teammate Molly Passarella, of Hammonton, to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead two minutes before halftime. However, Saint Francis tied the game up at 1-1 when Mary Wright scored off a Caitlin Brown assist eight minutes into the second half, and Annie Paccione added the game-winner when she scored at the 57:12 mark of the game. This was a game of two halves, as the Hawks outshot Saint Francis (3-10 on the year and 3-1 in the conference), 16-12, but were outshot in the second half 7- 4. The Red Flash held a slim 9-8 advantage in penalty corner opportunities for the game. Former Monmouth Regional star Melissa Katz, a redshirt freshman, made four saves in goal for the Hawks, while Saint Francis goalie Erin Reifsteck made seven stops for the visitors. On Sunday, in their second effort to post their first victory on their new field, the Hawks dropped their second straight Northeast Conference match, 4-1, to the conference's top team from Lock Haven. With the win, Lock Haven improved to 11-5 and 6-0 in the NEC. Lock Haven proved to be every bit as good as advertised in this one, opening the game with a relentless offensive attack. However, Katz was at her best, keeping her team in the game by allowing just one goal when Amy Hordendorf slipped a reverse stick shot past Katz off an assist from Sam Stoyer with just over six minutes to go before halftime. Lock Haven outshot Monmouth 12-2 in the first half, as Katz made four saves in goal. Once the second half began, Lock Haven picked up right where they left off, and eventually put the game away with three straight goals. Hordendorf scored again on a breakaway three minutes in, and then added her third tally two minutes later when teammate Blair Wynne crossed the ball to her in the circle and she scored to increase their lead to 3-0 at the 40:57 mark. Wynne added a goal of her own at the 62:05 mark. Monmouth's lone score came when another former Middletown North star, sophomore Kelly Crist blasted a rebound home off a shot from teammate LoPresti for her team-leading fifth goal of the year at the 64:31 mark. For the game, the Eagles outshot Monmouth 19-6 and held a 10-6 advantage on penalty corner opportunities. Katz finished with six saves for Monmouth, while Lock Haven's Erin Terreson started in goal and collected the win, making two saves, before giving way to Ali Harris late in the second half. Lo- Presti added her second defensive save of the season in the second half. The Hawks return to action this Friday when they host Rider at 4 p.m., who improved to 7-7 on Sunday with a 1-0 win over St. Francis. More importantly for the Broncs, the win improved their NEC record to 4-1, putting them in sole possession of second place in the conference behind Lock Haven, who beat Rider, 4-1, on Friday. Against St. Francis, the Broncs got their one goal from senior Stephanie Walker, who emphasized the importance of this Friday's game with Monmouth following her team's win on Sunday. "The Monmouth game is huge," she said. "We know that if we want to have the opportunity for a playoff spot and stay in second place, we need to come out with a great effort." While the Monmouth roster is full of local players, including former Ocean Township stars Aileen and Nora Bosmans, a junior and freshman respectively, Shore Regional graduates Enza Mazza, a junior midfielder, and Melissa Murphy, a freshman defender, Allentown's Janine Rini, a junior forward, and Middletown North's Crist and LoPresti, the Rider roster also features some familiar names. Former Shore Regional standouts Julie Vacarelli, a junior midfielder/back, and Allison Vogel, freshman forward, have played well for the Broncs. New Egypt alums Margeret Ecke, a freshman midfielder, and Lindsay Rajeski, a freshman midfielder, are also on the roster. Both Monmouth and Rider need the win on Friday to help secure their spot in the upcoming NEC Tournament. The top four finishers, based on winning percentage during the conference's regular season will compete in a two-day, single-elimination tournament. The high seed, defending champion Lock Haven, will host the entire event. The winner of the NEC Tournament will face the NorPac Conference champion in a play-in game on Tuesday, Nov. 6. The NorPac champion will serve as host for the play-in game. The winner of the play-in game will advance to the NCAA Tournament, which begins with first round play on Nov. 10. At this point, only Lock Haven has secured a tournament berth, with Rider, Monmouth, St. Francis (3-2) and Sacred Heart (2-2) fighting for the three remaining spots. Following Friday's game, the Hawks also have scheduled matches with Quinnipiac (Oct. 26 in Hamden, Conn.) and Oct. 30 at Princeton. First things first, the Hawks need to take care of business on Friday against a Rider team that can clinch its spot in the postseason with a win. Game time is 4 p.m.