Box Score NEWARK, NJ – Alexa Freguletti scored her third goal of the season off a header early in the second half and freshman Rachelle Ross scored her first collegiate goal, leading visiting Monmouth to a 2-0 victory over NJIT in women's soccer at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium Thursday night.
Monmouth (3-2) finally got on the scoreboard, when Freguletti headed home a perfect crossing pass from Alexis McTamney in the 53rd minute, snapping a scoreless tie. Freguletti previously had two shots on goal via headers in the first half.
The Hawks increased the lead with a goal in the 65th minute, when McTamney made her second great cross of the game, this time to a streaking Ross, who booted into the back of the net for the first goal of her collegiate career.
NJIT (1-4) tried valiantly to compete with the Hawks, but had a tough time gaining possession. Junior goalkeeper
Samantha Bersett was solid in goal for the Highlanders, making eight saves.
The two teams played to a scoreless first half, with Monmouth controlling most of the action. The Hawks had a 14-4 advantage in shots over the first 45 minutes.
Monmouth wasted little time trying to take command of the game, getting a great scoring chance within the first 13 seconds, when Erica Murphy fired a shot that junior goalkeeper Bersett corralled.
NJIT then countered with a scoring chance three minutes later. Sophomore forward
Carly Berdan fired from 17 yards out that Hawks keeper Nicole D'Agostino caught. D'Agostino collected two saves for her third clean sheet of the season.
Monmouth then controlled the action for most of the first half. Freguletti had two headers within a span of three minutes, one that Bersett saved and the other that went just wide after Bersett deflected it.
The Hawks had another chance with 10 minutes remaining in the half when Carla Poole fired a left-footed shot that sailed wide of the goal.
The Highlanders had two solid scoring chances within a span of two minutes, when senior forward
Rebecca Tustin fired one shot that sailed wide right and another where Tustin was all alone in front of the Hawks' goal with the ball, only to fire a shot that went wide right as well.
The Hawks' last good chance came with three minutes left in the first half when Sophia Centi's header went over the crossbar, keeping the game scoreless.
In the second half, Bersett made a sensational save on a breakaway, keeping the deficit at two goals.
The Highlanders return to action Sunday afternoon, when they play host to Manhattan at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium, with kickoff slated for 1 pm.
Release courtesy James Hague
