WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University women's soccer team generated its highest offensive output since the 2005 season on Wednesday night, as the Hawks defeated Saint Peter's 8-0 on Hesse Field on The Great Lawn in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play. Monmouth, which attempted a season-high 33 shots, posted its sixth shutout of the season, en route to moving to 7-4 overall and 2-1 in the MAAC.

 

In the Hawks' largest margin of victory since a 9-0 triumph over SPU on September 2, 2005, the sophomore trio of Julie Spracklin (Eastampton, N.J./Rancocas Valley), Erica Murphy (Millstone Township, N.J./Pennington Prep) and Madi Grieve (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson) each posted two-goal games, while freshman forward Rachelle Ross (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) registered a goal and two assists, and senior midfielder Breynn Collazo (Wall, N.J./Wall) also recorded two assists.

 

On the evening, sophomore forward Alexis McTamney (Bordentown, N.J./Bordentown Regional) tallied her seventh career game-winning goal, freshman midfielder Sophia Centi (Churchville, Md./The John Carroll School) and junior midfielder Cara Poole (Branchburg, N.J./Somerville) notched their first career points with assists, Spracklin and Murphy each registered their first career multi-goal matches and Grieve, who scored on two headers for her first career goals, generated Collazo's first career game with a pair of assists.

 

Monmouth, which posted its 22nd shutout in its last 32 matches, scripted a combined clean sheet for graduate student goalkeeper Nicole D'Agostino (Clarendon Hills, Ill./Hinsdale Central/Pitt), who made one save and sophomore Sydney Lavan (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial), who made first career appearance for the Hawks.

 

"Tonight was an excellent performance from start to finish by every player who stepped on the field," stated head coach Krissy Turner. "The past two days we challenged our team and they responded very well."

 

Monmouth, which last scored six goals in a half in that 2005 game against the Peacocks, got on the board in the third minute when Ross fired a ball across the goal mouth, which was directed away by SPU starting goalkeeper Lauren Solene to the foot of McTamney for the forward's third score of the year and the 14th of her career.

 

The Blue & White went ahead 2-0 in the 12th minute when Centi's cross found Spracklin for the shot on frame.

 

The Hawks then registered a pair of goals in a 43-second span to take a 4-0 advantage, as senior back Kristen Brett (Hebron, Conn./RHAM) and Ross combined to assist on Murphy's first of the night, while Poole assisted on Spracklin's fourth of the season in the 20th minute.

 

In the 24th minute, Ross tallied her team-leading sixth goal of the season to give MU a 5-0 lead, while in the 41st minute Collazo and Grieve connected on the first of their two scores, as Collazo's cross into the box was nodded in by the target forward for the 6-0 halftime advantage.

 

An individual effort from Murphy pushed the Hawks in front 7-0 in the 61st minute and the Collazo-to-Grieve tandem for a header goal occurred again in the 82nd minute for the final tally.

 

Monmouth held a 33-3 advantage in shots, forcing Solene to make seven saves, while back-up netminder Molly O'Halloran made no saves.

 

D'Agostino made one stop in 60:20 of action, while Lavan was credited with no stops in the final 29:40 of play for the Hawks in her first career appearance.

 

Monmouth returns to action on Saturday, October 4, when the Hawks host Niagara University on Hesse Field at 1:00 p.m., on Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

 

@MUWSoccer -- #FlyHawks