Monmouth's Season Ends In NCAA Loss At Penn State
MAAC Sports
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The Monmouth University women’s soccer team saw its outstanding season come to an end on Friday night as it dropped a 3-0 decision to Penn State University in the opening round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship.
Monmouth, which won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’ regular season and tournament titles, finished the 2013 season with a 17-2-2 record. The Hawks saw their 14-game unbeaten streak, which they took into the match with the 24th ranked Nittany Lions, snapped.
Tani Costa gave the Nittany Lions an early 1-0 lead when she scored her ninth goal of the season 6:37 minutes into the match. Costa added her second goal of the evening at 51:10, and Whitney Church scored an insurance goal at 66:29.
The three scores were the most the Hawks allowed in a single match this year. They gave up two goals to Seton Hall in a 3-2 victory in early September in their third match of the year.
The Hawks were out shot 25-11. Monmouth goalie Ashley Lewis, who was the MAAC’s Goalkeeper of the Year and MVP of the MAAC Championship, had nine saves for the Hawks. Her counterpart for Penn State, Britt Eckerstrom, had six saves.
Penn State, which fell 4-1 in last year’s national championship game, improved its record to 15-6-1 and advanced to the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship second round.