June 15, 2026
FC Monmouth at Real Central NJ, WPSL 2026 (photo by John Paul Perdicaro)
By FC Monmouth
In the main event of a highly anticipated road double-header, the FC Monmouth women delivered. The Blue and Gold fought their way to a hard earned 2-1 victory over Real Central NJ. The vital three points move FC Monmouth to fourth in the Colonial Division table, with a game in hand on the third-place Delaware Ospreys.
The result also provides the team with a much needed boost of confidence. After defeating the Ospreys in a high scoring 5-3 affair on the road last Sunday, FC Monmouth have now secured back-to-back results for the first time this season while earning their second win of the year.
The first half was largely back-and-forth. A few shorts soared over the bar for both sides early on as the two sides looked to test one another out. Eventually in the final minutes of the half, FC Monmouth found their most definitive chance of the first 45 through a Morgan Cupo header that fell just wide of the mark.
Perhaps the most impressive unit of the largely uneventful first half was FC Monmouth’s midfield, particularly Kianna Barber. Her relentless work rate won several possessions for FC Monmouth as she seemed to be just about everywhere on the pitch. In addition to the engine she provides, Barber’s willingness to want the ball was top caliber.
In the second half, Real Central came out much more lively. Their attackers pressed the ball in high areas of the pitch, proving to be a tough task for FC Monmouth’s defense. That energy paid off in the 52nd minute as Taylor Krott won the ball in the middle of the park before hitting an absolute belter into the upper 90 from just outside the 18.
While Krott’s goal stung for a moment, FC Monmouth responded perfectly. The team worked hard to find pockets of space, with midfielders Reece Paget and Gabby Miller becoming much more involved on the ball.
Then only four minutes after Krott’s goal, Paget was able to feed a ball to forward Morgan Cupo up top. With her back to the net, Cupo spun before ripping a perfectly placed shot tucked away in the bottom left corner to level the score at one apiece.
Mere minutes later, FC Monmouth worked the ball in unison down the left side of the pitch, eventually landing in the path of Allie Serlenga. She proceeded to deliver in a well-timed ball to the near post where Reece Paget, who had made a 50 yard sprinting run to put herself in position, put it away.
From there, FC Monmouth were able to fend off a few Real Central chances through a strong low block and pure desire to win. In the 75th minute, they nearly had a chance to extend the lead with a nice chance for Eva Matesich inside the 18, but Makenzie Van Arsdale had other ideas as she came away with a strong stop.
Ultimately, the score remained 2-1 and FC Monmouth earned a well deserved three points. The team now turns its attention to Saturday, June 20th, for a home match against the Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals. The following week, the Blue and Gold test themselves at home against SJEB FC and Love City FC—the top two teams in the table currently.
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Match summaries are submitted by participating clubs and edited by WPSL Communications staff for publication.
