Towson Field Hockey Falls to No. 19 Monmouth in Overtime Thriller

Towson field hockey came within 90 seconds of opening Coastal Athletic Association play with a major upset, but No. 19 Monmouth rallied late before defeating the Tigers 2-1 in overtime Friday afternoon at So Sweet A Cat Field in West Long Branch, New Jersey.

The Tigers carried a 1-0 advantage deep into the fourth quarter after Anouk Westerink broke a scoreless tie. Monmouth’s Lilly Ricks finally broke through with 1:48 remaining in regulation, and Éabha Curran delivered the game-winning goal 10:59 into overtime. The loss dropped Towson to 2-5 overall and 0-1 in CAA play, while Monmouth improved to 5-1 and 1-0 in the conference.

Tigers withstand early Monmouth pressure

Monmouth controlled much of the possession and generated significantly more scoring opportunities, but Towson’s defense and goalkeeper Riley Redding repeatedly kept the Tigers in the game.

The Hawks attempted eight shots and earned six penalty corners during the opening quarter alone. Redding made a diving stop on one of Monmouth’s better opportunities with approximately five minutes remaining, helping Towson get through the opening 15 minutes without allowing a goal.

Towson generated its first significant pressure during the second quarter. The Tigers earned their only penalty corner of the game with approximately four minutes remaining in the half while playing with a player advantage. Ann Njoroge sent the ball across the front of the cage, but Towson could not get a stick on it and the opportunity went wide.

Despite Monmouth holding a sizable advantage in possession and scoring opportunities, the teams went into halftime tied 0-0. The Hawks had outshot Towson 12-1 through two quarters, but the Tigers continued to frustrate one of the nation’s ranked teams.

Towson misses a major third-quarter opportunity

Towson began creating more dangerous chances after halftime. Westerink carried the ball into the top of the circle early in the third quarter and fired from the left side, forcing Monmouth goalkeeper Charlie Bowman to make the save.

The Tigers received an even better opportunity when Else Wismans drew a penalty stroke with approximately 9:30 remaining in the quarter. Westerink stepped forward for the attempt with a chance to put Towson ahead, but Bowman made the save to preserve the scoreless tie.

Monmouth continued applying pressure at the other end, forcing Redding into another important kick save following a Hawks penalty corner. Neither team could break through, sending the contest into the fourth quarter tied 0-0.

Westerink puts Towson ahead

Westerink did not allow the missed penalty stroke to define her afternoon.

Just 1:24 into the fourth quarter, the junior attacked the Monmouth circle again and fired a shot that deflected off a Hawks defender’s stick and found the cage. The goal, Westerink’s second of the season, gave Towson a 1-0 advantage with 13:36 remaining.

Towson suddenly had a nationally ranked opponent on the ropes.

Monmouth increased the pressure dramatically as the fourth quarter progressed. The Hawks appeared to score twice, but both goals were overturned following video review, allowing Towson to maintain its one-goal advantage.

The Tigers continued defending under heavy pressure. Monmouth finished the fourth quarter with eight shots and six penalty corners, while Towson attempted three shots during the period.

Monmouth ties it with 1:48 remaining

Towson’s defense nearly finished the job, but Monmouth finally found the equalizer at the 58:12 mark.

Ricks scored with only 1:48 remaining in regulation, evening the game at 1-1 and erasing the Tigers’ late advantage. The Hawks immediately pushed for the winner and earned another penalty corner with approximately 30 seconds remaining.

Redding responded with two more saves to keep Towson alive and force overtime. Her performance was one of the biggest reasons the Tigers had an opportunity to win despite Monmouth’s overwhelming statistical advantage.

Curran wins it in overtime

The teams traded possession through much of the overtime period before Monmouth finally capitalized.

With the clock approaching 11 minutes into overtime, the Hawks used a Towson foul to attack the circle. Redding stopped Maia McCourt’s initial shot at 70:53, but Curran collected the rebound and scored six seconds later to give Monmouth the 2-1 victory. McCourt was credited with the assist on Curran’s game-winner.

The ending was particularly difficult for Towson considering how close the Tigers came to completing the upset. Towson led until the final 108 seconds of regulation and survived multiple waves of Monmouth pressure before the Hawks finally broke through.

Redding shines despite the loss

The final statistics illustrate just how much pressure Towson’s defense absorbed.

Monmouth finished with a 26-6 advantage in shots, including an 11-4 edge in shots on goal. The Hawks also generated 14 penalty corners compared with only one for Towson.

Redding was credited by Towson with a career-high eight saves while allowing two goals. Bowman stopped three of Towson’s four shots on goal for Monmouth. Westerink accounted for Towson’s only goal and was consistently involved in the Tigers’ most dangerous offensive opportunities.

The game also continued an unusual early-season trend for Towson. It was already the Tigers’ third overtime contest of 2026, surpassing their total number of overtime games from the entire 2025 season. Towson fell to 1-2 in overtime this year.

Monmouth entered the season with national expectations and had already demonstrated its ability to compete with ranked opponents. The Hawks opened their campaign with a convincing 5-1 victory over then-No. 17 Rutgers, a performance in which they held a 20-8 advantage in shots.

That context makes Towson’s performance more encouraging despite the result. The Tigers were substantially outshot and spent extended stretches defending, yet they remained organized enough to keep Monmouth scoreless for more than 58 minutes and came within two minutes of securing a conference-opening victory over a ranked opponent.

MSB Take

The final score will go down as a loss, but Towson showed plenty of resilience against one of the stronger teams on its schedule.

Redding gave the Tigers an outstanding performance in goal, while the defense survived 14 Monmouth penalty corners and kept Towson in position to steal the game. Westerink also responded impressively after having her penalty stroke stopped, coming back in the fourth quarter to score the goal that nearly produced the upset.

The biggest challenge moving forward will be finding ways to generate more sustained offensive pressure. It is difficult to consistently win when an opponent holds a 26-6 advantage in shots and 14-1 advantage in penalty corners. Still, Towson proved it could withstand that pressure and compete deep into overtime against a nationally ranked conference opponent.

For a Tigers team still developing early in the 2026 season, there are positives to carry forward even from a painful 2-1 defeat.