FINAL STATS

Staten Island, NY – Monmouth out-lasted Wagner 12-6 in Northeast Conference women's lacrosse play in a game that began in dense fog, was delayed 30 minutes due to lightning in the area, and ended in brilliant sunshine.

With the loss, Wagner falls to 3-8 on the season while Monmouth improved to 5-6 overall, 3-1 in league play.

Monmouth jumped out to a 6-0 lead at halftime with Megan Brennan scoring two of her game-high four goals during this stretch. Wagner stormed back to cut the deficit in half at 6-3 with three unanswered goals of its own, scored by freshman midfielder Melanie Garces (San Diego, CA/ Westview), senior attack Kelly Blundin (Plymouth Meeting, PA/ Plymouth Whitemarsh) and junior attack Janine Bright (Commack, NY/ Commack).

The teams alternated goals at the outset of the second half, scoring two goals apiece when the game was halted at the 18:35 mark of the second half with Monmouth leading 8-5. 

When play resumed following the 30-minute weather delay, Monmouth tallied the next goals , the first by Shawn Evans with 12:55 left and the second by Brennan which gave the Hawks a 10-5 lead with 10:10 to go. Senior midfielder Cara Gonzalez (Syracuse, NY/ Westhill) scored off a Blundin assist with 8:56 left which drew the Seahawks within 10-6 but the Hawks found the net two more times in fashioning the 12-6 win.

Monmouth held a 34-18 edge in shots, led in ground balls by a narrow 16-15 margin, while draw controls were even at 10-10. A key to the game was the disparity in free-position attempts as Monmouth was 5-of-11 in free positions while Wagner was 0-for-6.

Wagner is next in action on Thursday when the Seahawks host NEC rival LIU in a 4:00 pm start.

NOTE: Today marked the first annual Wagner Women's Lacrosse Alumni Appreciation Day, a chance for former Seahawks re-live memories and support the current team. Alumni Appreciation Day is the brainchild of first-year head coach Cristina Curiale.

“Our theme is 'Forever a Seahawk', she says. “It's a way of reaching back to our past and honoring those who have worn the Green & White before us. It's my hope that in the coming years our current players will return for this game each year to support that year's team.”