Roxbury soccer alumna Paige Monaghan coming home with Racing Louisville
The pink scrunchie posse will be back at Red Bull Arena on Sunday. Paige Monaghan is coming home.
Monaghan, a striker with Racing Louisville FC, will face her former team – NJ/NY Gotham FC – in the first National Women's Soccer League regular-season match after the Challenge Cup and Women's World Cup. It's the first time the Roxbury native will go up against her old club since requesting a trade during the offseason.
Monaghan, 26, played three seasons with Gotham, which drafted her 10th overall out of Butler University in 2019.
"I had to look at myself and ask what I wanted out of my career," she said. "I was there for four years, and it provided so much for me. I was wondering what else I needed to do, and what I wanted for myself."
Monaghan already matched last season's total with three goals in 16 matches, nine of them starts. She scored in two of Louisville's last three matches, which made her longtime boyfriend Declan Cronin's phone blow up.
Cronin, who grew up in Montclair, is a right-handed pitcher for the Chicago White Sox.
The couple has balanced their careers and relationship while living in different cities. Cronin started the year in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was called up to the big leagues on July 28. He made his first major-league appearance against the Cleveland Guardians on July 30. On Aug. 8, Cronin pitched two innings against the Yankees, the first time the Monaghans have rooted against them.
"He's been so supportive. 'Good luck. Do your thing in your game and see how it goes,'" Monaghan said. "Baseball plays every day, so I catch a lot of his games. He says, 'Every time you have a game, I know I'm going to come back and see you scored on Twitter, or everybody will text me.' That's how it meant for the month of July. I hope that's going to continue."
Pink scrunchies for 'Big Purp'
Years ago, Christine Monaghan gave Paige a first pink scrunchie to hold back her dark, wavy hair. The family agreed it made it easier to spot her than searching for a jersey number. Then-Gotham midfielder Elizabeth Eddy wore one as well, and "pink scrunchie power" became a rallying cry among fans.
Monaghan also accidentally coined lavender-clad Racing's rallying cry for the season, "Go Big Purp!"
The hair-tie trend may have spread to the United States women's national team. Midfielder Savannah DeMelo, who also plays for Racing, wore a pink scrunchie in a Women's World Cup match against the Netherlands on July 26.
Though this is a business trip, Monaghan is most looking forward to seeing her friends and family – in addition to earning a Racing victory. However, many of the Monaghan clan, so familiar to Gotham fans, will miss Sunday's match to attend cousin Ryleigh Freund's wedding.
Monaghan is still planning to introduce her teammates to Taylor ham, egg and cheese sandwiches after the match.
"It makes me smile to see someone do what they love," longtime Roxbury girls soccer coach Justin Renna said. "This is a kid who has constantly been on an upward trajectory since I first saw her."
Veteran goals
A former All Daily Record Player of the Year, Monaghan started playing soccer at age 4. She scored a school-record 29 goals as Roxbury shared the Morris County Tournament title and won NJSIAA North 2, Group III in her senior season. Monaghan also set the career scoring record with 79 goals.
Monaghan totaled 22 goals and 18 assists in 80 games (73 starts) at Butler. She scored her first two pro goals on Aug. 14, 2020, earning NWSL Player of the Week. The next day, Monaghan was called up to the USWNT U-23 team for the 2019 Nordic Cup in England.
Monaghan is still getting used to being considered a veteran, even in her fifth pro season.
"She's so eager to be good at what she does, and so willing to say, 'I have areas of improvement,'" said Beverly Yanez, who coached Monaghan both at Gotham and currently in Louisville.
"It's a huge testament to Paige and her want to be the best she can be. It's a skill that can't be taught."
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ soccer: Roxbury grad Paige Monaghan coming home with NWSL Louisville
