By Joey Bachich
Staff Writer
The College’s women’s soccer team defeated No. 11 Montclair State 4-1 on the road on Oct. 14. This is a big win for the Lions, taking down one of the top competitors in the NJAC.
The Buildup
This was a season-defining game for the No. 14 ranked Lions as they faced off against NJAC juggernaut, No. 11 Montclair State. The Lions came into this game red hot and in the midst of an historic season under first year head coach Danny Blank, who has the team humming winning eight in a row with seven of those coming by way of shutout.
The Lions are looking to avenge their 2021 National Championship loss and need to win the NJAC to start that process on the right foot.
Montclair State came into this game off of a 5-1 win over Rutgers-Newark and before that tied another strong Rowan University team that is also shooting for that top NJAC spot.
The Game
The Lions came out of the gates hot like they normally do under coach Blank, piling on the pressure early and often against the higher seeded Red Hawks.
Junior marketing major Victoria D’Imperio started the avalanche of pressure and scored within the first seven minutes off an assist by fifth-year journalism major Emma Pascarella, who leads the teams in assists.
Pascarella then scored five minutes later to put the Lions up two with just 12 minutes played. The Lions have scored first in the last 12 games and have really understood what it is like playing with the lead and jumping ahead in games quickly.
In the first half, The Lions out-shot the Red Hawks eight to three and really put a stamp on the game early. They kept it up in the second half, when within the first three minutes D’Imperio assisted a goal by fifth year stats major Lindsey O’Keefe, who notched her eight goal of the season. Montclair State had a better half, out-shooting the Lions and eventually gained a penalty and scored off a rebound to give them hope. However, seven minutes later, D'Imperio scored again and thus slammed the door on a comeback.
The Red Hawks hit the crossbar twice, but could not find a rallying goal. The Lions now hold a record of 11-1-1 and are looking ahead to the biggest game of the season.
What's to come
The Rowan University Profs roll into Ewing looking to upend the good times and take the NJAC top spot. Rowan has a record of 10-0-2, but had a draw to this same Montclair State team and are looking to become ranked with a win against the Lions.
With a win here, the Lions look to beat a heated rival and solidify themselves as one of the best teams in the country. New Jersey City University and Rutgers-Camden are up next, which will lead the Lions to the NJAC conference tournament looking to reclaim the title after losing last season in the final to this same Rowan team.
