Monmouth and Delaware Advance to CAA Field Hockey Championship Final
Ben Kane
PHILADELPHIA Pa. (Nov. 8, 2024) – Two come-from-behind winners earned a place in the CAA Championship Final with No. 4 Monmouth defeating No. 1 Drexel, while No. 3 Delaware was victorious over No. 2 Northeastern.
Monmouth will face Delaware for the CAA title on Sunday at 12 p.m., marking the first time since 2004 that the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds will meet for the Championship.
No.4 Monmouth 2, No. 1 Drexel 1
Down 1-0 at half, Milla Frye and Claire Campen found the back of the cage for Monmouth in the third quarter to earn the Hawks a come-from behind victory over the Dragons. The win marks Monmouth’s first win over Drexel since the 2023 campaign.
Six minutes into the contest, Drexel earned a penalty shot allowing Marti Sanabria to slot the ball into the top left corner to give the Dragons the early lead. Drexel continued to apply pressure; however, Monmouth goalkeeper Jessie Eiselin kept the game close, stopping four shots in the first half to maintain the 1-0 deficit.
It took the Hawks 13 second-half minutes to gain the lead, starting with Frye who scored Monmouth’s first goal of the postseason in the 36th minute. The tally marked the German midfield /forward’s ninth of the season.
Monmouth then took the lead at the tail end of the third when Campen picked up a loose ball and scored her fifth of the year in the 43rd minute.
Down a man with three and a half minutes left in the game, Monmouth weathered a late wave of pressure from Drexel, who was unable to convert one of its three shots. Eiselin finished with six saves for the Hawks.
No. 3 Delaware 3, No. 2 Northeastern 1
Two perfectly executed penalty corners lifted No. 3 Delaware past No. 2 Northeastern, 3-1, to earn a spot in the CAA Championship Final for the first time since 2022.
Goals from Valentina Martorell, Sarah Rigual, and Noelle Sabbagh were enough to seal the Blue Hens’ ninth finals berth in the last 10 years.
Northeastern got on the board six minutes into the contest when Lauren Rowe’s shot was deflected goalwards by Maria Armaganian. The goal was Armaganian’s first of the season after she contributed nine assists during the regular season.
Delaware equalized seven minutes later off a penalty corner when Iris Bekker set the ball for Valentina Martorell who fired it into the bottom corner of the cage.
The Blue Hens shone once again on the penalty corners in the second half, taking the lead in the 40th minute. Bekker teed the ball up for Rigual who put Delaware ahead with her first goal of the year.
Sabbagh secured the win for the Blue Hens’ lead after a weaving Rigual found her open in front of the goal in the 55th minute.
2024 CAA Field Hockey Championship
Buckley Field – Philadelphia, Pa.
Friday, Nov. 8
Game 1: (4) Monmouth 2, (1) Drexel 1
Game 2: (3) Delaware 3, (2) Northeastern 1
Sunday, Nov. 10
Game 3: (4) Monmouth vs. (3) Delaware, 12 p.m., FloLive
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