Hawks tied 2-2 with Retrievers in 4th quarter
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - Monmouth University dropped its 2015 season opener 4-2 versus UMBC at Monmouth Stadium on Saturday. Monmouth, which was tied with the Retrievers early in the fourth quarter, got goals freshman Bryce Wasserman (Southlake, Texas/Grapevine Faith) and sophomore Eric Berger (Ardsley, Pa./Penn Charter) in the home loss.
"I am proud of the effort our team displayed this afternoon and while the outcome was not what we would have liked there is a lot to build on with one game now under our belt," stated second-year head coach Brian Fisher. "Now that the season has begun we will continue to learn from each game and improve every week."
Fisher added, "Coach Zimmerman and his staff do a good job each year. They are a tough out because they put their offensive playmakers in difficult spots to defend, minimize mistakes and really make you earn your opportunities. Overall, it was a great defensive game that went down to the wire."
After a scoreless first quarter, UMBC held a 1-0 lead at halftime, but Wasserman, who registered his first career goal, tied the score at 1-1 on an unassisted score at 9:46 of the third. Just over four minutes later in the third, UMBC claimed a 2-1 edge, before Eric Berger (Ardsley, Pa./Penn Charter) knotted the game at 2-2 off a feed from Chris Daly (Wynnewood, Pa./Lower Merion) with 13:05 left in the fourth quarter.
The match was tied at 2-2 for the next 7:37 of action, before the Retrievers' Dylan McDermott put UMBC in front 3-2 with 5:28 left, and McDermott pushed the UMBC lead to 4-2 with 1:28 showing.
Garrett Conaway (Marriottsville, Md./Liberty) made 10 saves in goal for the Hawks.
Monmouth returns to action on Saturday, February 28, when the Hawks travel to Rutgers University to face the Scarlet Knights at noon.