NEW HAVEN, Conn. (September 3, 2023) – After three games on the road, the Sacred Heart University field hockey team returned home to Johnson Field for its home opener on Sunday afternoon. Monmouth played spoiler though, as seven different players found the scoresheet to lead the Hawks to a 6-1 victory. Isabelle Chamberlain (North Yorkshire, United Kingdom) scored her third goal in four games in defeat for the Pioneers.
 
Monmouth (2-2) struck thrice in the first half to build up a lead it would not relinquish. Johanna Karlhuber and Nora Goddard-Despot teamed up to set up Sofia Fouces on a corner play in the sixth minute, and the latter opened the scoring with a drive from the top of the circle for her sixth of the season. In the 11^th minute, it was a second-chance opportunity on the left side of the circle for Aylin Aufenacker, who scored her first of the campaign when her shot deflected home off the defense.
 
In the second quarter, in the 22^nd minute, Fouces added an assist to go with her earlier goal, as her centering feed from the right side found Alexa Ronning out front for her first of the year.
 
SHU (1-3) got on the board on the other side of halftime, in the 34^th minute. The corner unit, which has been the most productive part of the offense to start the season, struck again. Chamberlain and Mira Poelzer (Munich, Germany) executed a slick give-and-go at the top of the circle, with the latter drawing some defensive attention before slipping the ball back to Chamberlain for her third of the season.
 
Monmouth reclaimed the three-goal lead before the quarter was out though, and made it 4-1 in the 44^th minute. Ronning did the heavy lifting on the play, eluding a defender along the left end line, before feeding the ball to Jess Tucker in a dangerous area on the left side. Tucker popped a shot inside the far post to notch her first goal of the year.
 
In the fourth quarter, Goddard-Despot found the goal on a corner play in the 54^th minute, while Tucker added her second of the day with 31 seconds to play, as Monmouth pulled away for a 6-1 victory.
 
Samantha Maresca (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) finished with six saves against 12 shots and suffered the loss (1-3) for SHU, while Lizzie Mendrzycki (Hanover Township, Pa.) added a defensive save late in the second quarter. Jessie Eiselin (2-2) stopped three of four shots on the Monmouth cage.
 
The Pios have just one game on the schedule next week, as they travel to Lehigh on Sunday, Sept. 10. Game time is 1 p.m. at Ulrich Field in Bethlehem, Pa.