Rowan women’s soccer won their sixth straight game and remained unbeaten in the regular season for the 44th consecutive game (36-0-8) in what was their most important game of the season up to this point, defeating Montclair State on Saturday, Oct. 19 by a final score of 3-1.

Over the last half-decade, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), Rowan, and Montclair State have been the top three teams in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC); games in which those teams face off against one another are always a battle.

“They are a great team, it’s always competitive,” Lianna SanFelice said. “Even though their record is not as good as it has been, we always take them seriously. To pick up this win is a huge confidence booster.”

There was not much offense to speak of in the first 18 minutes of play, but Mackenzie Clement got Rowan on the board with a goal to give the Profs a 1-0 lead.

Unfortunately for Rowan, Montclair answered right back with a goal of their own thirty seconds later to tie up the game.

“It was really disappointing,” head coach Scott Leacott said. “We had three or four missed clearances when they scored. All you gotta do is clear the ball, all you need is a little bit of concentration.”

Rowan responded to Montclair tying the game with a goal by SanFelice to go back in front two minutes later. After a foul call on the Red Hawks, the junior took a free kick and buried it.

“They had a really long wall,” SanFelice said. “We play with our wall in front of them. The only gap that I saw was to the far post, and it went perfectly.”

This was SanFelice’s second goal of the season on her second free kick of the season.

“I feel in the run of play all my adrenaline and momentum is going into the crossbar, I hit it like twice a game,” SanFelice said. “When I’m up there, I’m more calm and can just see it.”

Leacott has vaulted her into those high-leverage spots time after time this season because of the level of trust he has in her game and his admiration for her confidence.

“I don’t really have a choice; Li [SanFelice] steps up to the ball,” Leacott said. “If I subbed in someone else, I would get a dirty look. She is just confident in her ability. I don’t say a word, I just let her go.”

The Profs’ third goal of the day all but sealed the win, and it was a special one for freshman Bella Clark. It was the first goal of her young collegiate career.

“It was an amazing feeling,” Clark said. “We had such high energy, and just getting another goal to gain a 3-1 lead let us settle down a bit.”

Clark has been a common substitute all season for the Profs, as she has recorded the third-most minutes off the bench this season.

“She just gets after it on the field,” Leacott said. “She is very composed now; when she started off, she was a little erratic, but now she has calmed down. She’s got the size, good pace, and she’s good in the air. Once she settled down, she has done really good coming off the bench.”

Clark is the second freshman on the team to score this season next to Angela Oliveto.

With this win, Rowan now controls their own destiny down the stretch. They are currently undefeated, and if they take care of business on the road against Kean and Ramapo, there will be a clear path forward that will lead to Rowan versus TCNJ deciding the conference in the final game of the season, which will be the first time the two teams face off since Rowan’s defeat in the NJAC championship game last season.

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