FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 2, 2011

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - Facing an early deficit, the Monmouth University women's soccer team rallied with three unanswered first half goals, including a pair from senior Courtney Snyder (Oradell, N.J./River Dell), en route to a 3-2 victory in Northeast Conference action, on The Great Lawn on Sunday afternoon. With the victory, Monmouth's fifth in its last six matches, the Hawks improve to 5-4 on the year, and 2-0 in league play.

"Today was a tale of two halves," stated head coach Krissy Turner after the home victory. "In the first half I thought we dominated play and in the second half, we didn't. However, we were able to withstand their pressure and come out with the win."

LIU jumped on the scoreboard first when a Monmouth clearance found the feet of Shannon O'Connor, who launched a ball back into the Blackbirds' attacking half, which bounced over a Hawk defender. On the bounce, Kayleigh Morgan ran on the ball, and chipped Monmouth freshman goalkeeper Jocelyn McCoy (Crofton, Md./Archbishop Spalding) in the fourth minute for the 1-0 lead, Morgan's second score of the season.

Monmouth evened the score at 1-1 in the 21st minute when sophomore Dana Costello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) played the ball wide, and found Snyder with her cross. Snyder, who used the outside of her right foot, chipped LIU's sliding goalkeeper Jennifer Bannon for her fourth goal of the year.

The Hawks claimed a 2-1 lead in the 30th minute on Snyder's second marker of the match, as freshman Jill Root (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) beat a defender, carried the ball to the touchline and found Snyder for a one-timer.

The Blue and White took a 3-1 lead just before the half at 43:50, when Alexandra Baca's (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) cross into the box found the feet of sophomore Tina Antzoulatos (Huntingtown, Md. Huntingtown), whose first score of the season found the far netting.

In a fast-paced second half, the Blackbirds nearly missed on scoring chances with 20 minutes remaining, when Morgan, found all alone in the box, fired a shot wide, and less than a minute later, Caroline Kaplan's shot went just over the bar.

Following a foul 28 yards out, LIU pulled within 3-2 when Ariana Calderon laced a free kick into the near post in the 81st minute.

In a series that has seen eight of the last nine regular season meetings decided by one goal, LIU outshot Monmouth 13-8, and held a 7-2 edge in corner kick opportunities.

McCoy made two saves in net for the Hawks, while Bannon made a pair of saves in the opening stanza for LIU. Sophomore Jessica Sexton played the second half in goal for the Blackbirds and made no saves.

Monmouth, which has played just three home matches in 2011, returns to action on Tuesday night, when the Hawks host Wagner in a rescheduled match from Friday night's rainout. The NEC game will be played on The Great Lawn, at 7:00 p.m.

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