MONMOUTH, Ill. – Monmouth took the lead with the first four goals of the second half Tuesday and held on for an 8-7 win over Augustana at April Zorn Memorial Stadium. The contest was the season opener for both teams.
 
The hosts grabbed an early lead with a short-handed goal from Garrett Cranford, but a Jack Preston (Morton HS, Morton, Ill.) goal tied it and then Trever Moore (Naperville Central HS, Naperville, Ill.) beat the first quarter gun with a tally that gave the Vikings a 2-1 advantage.
 
Scores by Thomas Van Alstine and Jeff Knapp early in the second period regained the lead for the Scots before Augustana answered three times in a two-minute span. Steve Robertson (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) tied it off a Mark Teschke (Sandburg HS, Orland Park, Ill.) assist with 9½ minutes left in the half and Shane Forsythe (Maine South HS, Park Ridge, Ill.) and Preston added goals to make it 5-3 Augustana midway through the quarter. Chase Cranford scored at the 2:12 mark to pull Monmouth to within a goal at intermission.
 
Van Alstine had the only goal of the third quarter, pulling his team even with 3:50 remaining in the period, and the Scots tacked on first three scores of the fourth. Shane Herkert gave Monmouth the lead with 12:40 to play, Jeff Knapp added an insurance goal at 8:23 and Joe Incorvati parlayed a Chase Cranford assist into another with 4:17 left. John Calabrese (Maine South HS, Park Ridge, Ill.) scored with 3:10 left and Moore assisted on a Robertson goal with 1:07 to play that cut the deficit to 8-7. Moore and Preston got off shots in the final 30 seconds, but Scot goalie Teagan Simons stopped both to preserve the victory.
 
Robertson and Preston led Augustana with two goals apiece. Sophomore Matt Pierson (Montini HS, Downers Grove, Ill.) set a school record with eight caused turnovers and also snared a game-high 10 ground balls. Calabrese won seven of 13 faceoffs. In goal, Tommy Angelos (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) got the start and made five saves, while Cameron Duffy (Glenbrook South HS, Glenview, Ill.) stopped four shots in the second half. Duffy suffered the loss.
 
Van Alstine and Knapp each had two goals for Monmouth and Simons recorded 19 saves.
 
The Vikings put 26 of 49 shots on goal, to 17 of 31 for the Scots. Augustana also had a 42-35 edge in ground balls.
 
On Saturday, February 15, Coach Dan Torie's outfit takes on Albion in Beverly Hills, Michigan. Faceoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. CST.