Monmouth University women’s soccer standouts Dana Costello and Kim Clemmer, both former Jackson Memorial High School stars, are still reveling over playing on one of the greatest teams ever at the school.
The 17-2-2 season was punctuated by a championship in Monmouth’s first year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), but it ended in a 3-0 loss to No. 24 nationally ranked Penn State University in its NCAA Division I Tournament opener at University Park, Pa., on Nov. 15. It was Monmouth’s third trip to the tournament, with its first appearance in 2007 as members of the Northeast Conference resulting in a 4-0 loss to Penn State. The Hawks also qualified for the tournament in 2009.
Costello and Clemmer believed the bitter ending would not detract from the Hawks tying the school record for victories with 17, first set in the 1994 and repeated in 1995 and 1996. The team also recorded a school record of 16 shutouts, 13 of which were by fifth-year senior Ashley Lewis.
“I thought it obviously was a season to remember. And in my senior year, I could not ask for anything more,” said Costello, who was second on the team in points (22), having compiled six goals and 10 assists. “It was the first year I felt really comfortable with the team.”
Costello’s assist total led the team, which was a focus of hers in the offseason when she worked on passing.
“I couldn’t ask for a better season. [It was] the best of my life,” said Clemmer, a junior defender. “Going into the MAAC, we did not know the teams’ players, so we made sure we did things right. We did not overlook anyone.”
Costello could even laugh a little about the team’s lone loss during the regular season, a 2-1 defeat at Hofstra University in the sixth game of the season. She said the team’s bus got to Hofstra late, about 10 minutes before the game was supposed to start, and the team did not have the time to properly warm up.
Monmouth went on to an 8-0-2 record in the MAAC, including a 2-0 victory over Fairfield University in the MAAC Championship finals at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., to clinch its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009. It did not allow a goal in all three MAAC tournament games.
“Our performance was a lot better than most people expected,” said Costello, who was named to the All-Tournament team. Clemmer, the team’s co-captain, was a second team selection. “We were picked third [preseason] in the MAAC, so it was unbelievable finishing first,” Costello said. “We took every game one step at a time and had each other’s back.”
Going into the NCAA Tournament, the Hawks had outscored their opponents 39- 6. However, Penn State was dominant with a 25-11 edge in shots on goal. The Nittany Lions scored six minutes into each half before a header off a corner kick reached the back of the net at the 67th minute for the 3-0 final margin.
“We played the best we could against a great opponent,” head coach Krissy Turner said in a Monmouth athletics press release. “We created some excellent chances and were not able to convert. I am very proud of my team and how they represented Monmouth on the national stage.”
Costello led the team in shots with four. She ended her career as the eighth all-time leading scorer in Monmouth history with 82 points.
“It was absolutely amazing. Playing against a team like that is a once-in-alifetime experience,” Costello said. “Being a part of it was so overwhelming to me.”
Costello said she awaits the outcome of the professional draft, which will determine whether she may decide to explore professional options in other countries.
“I think my role was a little bit different this year — to lead and help the freshmen make a good transition, including two who were a big part of the team,” Costello said. “I was a role model, and it was about me making a big tackle [or] a big play for us in the game.
“I did not do as well as I wanted, but you can’t beat winning a MAAC championship,” she added.
Clemmer said she was “very satisfied” with her season.
“You always think you can do better, but getting so many shutouts and so few goals against, we were a great unit [on defense],” Clemmer said. “I was very happy with how we worked together.”
Clemmer’s senior year next fall will feel different playing without Costello, just like her senior year at Jackson Memorial.
“It’s definitely going to be weird,” Clemmer said. “This was an awesome year where we wanted people to get on the bandwagon and follow Dana’s work ethic and her mentality about the game.”
Clemmer said the returning players have the standard set for next fall.
“This sets the bar for next year and what we can do for the conference,” Clemmer said. “It’s hard to settle for less than that. We have a really good corps coming back.”
The fond memories of this season will remain on all players’ minds for a long time, though.