Girls Lacrosse Takes a Hit and Triumphs Again

Girl's Lacrosse Powers Through Howell, Neptune  Match-ups

The Monmouth Falcon lacrosse team improved to 6-1 with their win over the Howell Rebels on Monday. The 13-9 win,  included seven goals by senior  and captain Tara Patti, three goals by freshman Jenna Eustace, and goals by junior Jackie Gage, junior Jodi Taylor, and freshman Alyssa DeOrio. 

On April 12, the girls took on B North Division rival Ocean Township. Tara’s 11 goal performance, and solid contributions by captain and senior Haley Bowen and junior Lauren Gould, gave them a 19-12 win.

After suffering their first loss against division leader Red Bank Catholic last week, the Falcons looked to come back strong against another division opponent, the Neptune Scarlet Fliers on April 16. Jenna Eustace and Tara Patti scored all of the goals, with six and nine goals respectively. Jackie Gage has been a solid facilitator for the offense all season, being able to move through the opponents and find open teammates. She had two assists this game, to go along with assists by juniors Laura Vaccaro and Lauren Gould, sophomore Mackenzie Kapuscienski, and Tara Patti.

Tara now has a season total of 60 goals, and Jenna Eustace has a total of 34. These two are able to move through the defense and score almost at will, and their scoring always keeps the Falcons in the game. Tara is among the top scorers in the Shore and in New Jersey so far, and Jenna has been one of the top freshmen around the Shore Conference with her performances.
The lacrosse team as a whole has been excellent so far. They have good chemistry and communication, which could be a result of captain Haley Bowen’s “warrior-like voice screaming words of inspiration,” as put by senior teammate Julie Rodriguez. They have the week to rejuvenate, but they look to keep their momentum going next week when school starts again.

After a Series of Defeats, Softball Bounces Back Strong

Monmouth softball went into extra innings against division opponent Freehold Boro on April 12. Freshman Laura Douglas, who hit a game-winner two weeks ago, gave the Falcons the opportunity to go into an extra inning by hitting a sacrifice fly to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh.  The defense, led by pitcher sophomore Sam Smith, who had 4 strikeouts in this game, and senior and captain Nicolette Mauro in the outfield, kept Freehold from scoring.
With sophomore Colleen Phelan on third base, freshman Megan Mego stepped up to the plate and delivered a shot to right field, Megan’s first RBI to win the game. Megan’s hit brought Colleen to an excited group of girls waiting for her at home plate, as the softball team pulled off another win in a nail-biter.

After losing last week to Manasquan, Red Bank Catholic and Neptune, the Falcons rebounded with a 10-run-rule victory over division opponent Long Branch on Monday.  The team has a game against Manalapan today, and one more game before spring break ends.

Saturday's Win Puts Monmouth Baseball Back on Winning Trail

The Monmouth Falcon baseball team also pulled off a 10-run-rule victory over Long Branch on Monday, behind a five inning no-hitter by senior Bill VanMeerbeke. Junior Luke Cahill went 3-3 with a double, two RBI, and three runs scored. Senior and captain Dan Carroll had two doubles, going 2-4 with two RBI. Junior Rich Burner hit a two RBI triple.

Senior Max Schmardel had an RBI in this game, as well as a two home run, three RBI performance against division rival Red Bank Catholic on April 14. The Falcons lost this game 5-3, and lost another close game against Freehold Boro with a 5-4 score. Senior Dan Carroll hit a three RBI triple to bring the Falcons close to the win.

On Saturday, the Falcons started rolling again with a comeback victory over Neptune, winning the game 7-4. Luke Cahill had two RBIs and a double to trigger the comeback. Dan Carroll had three hits in the game, and Bill VanMeerbeke had two hits, two runs, and a RBI.

The Falcons play at Mater Dei today and will look to improve their winning streak to three games.

Doubles Tennis Maintains Perfect Score

The boys’ tennis team improved to 4-2 with a win over Mater Dei Monday. So far, the three singles competitors of senior Bobby Crimi, and brothers Carlo and Ivan Romano (junior and freshman respectively), have been able to lead this team to an above .500 record.

The pair of senior Joe Lee and junior Jarrett St. John in the first doubles team has been perfect so far. They are 5-0 in all of their matches so far, which included Long Branch, Neptune and Ocean, all in the B North Division.