By Amanda Brody
Freshman Reyna Farnum of Bridgetown, Barbados scored a triumphant first goal as a member of the Pride, giving Hofstra a lead it would not relinquish in a 3-2 win over Princeton on Sunday afternoon.
After two shut out wins the week before, Hofstra went to Princeton to play a non-conference game that extended its winning streak to five.
The Pride usually likes to execute a very aggressive first half in order to maintain control of the game. However, lately the team has been playing a very aggressive defense in the first and a comparable offense in the second, leading it to victory after victory.
With two minutes left in the first, Hofstra inched ahead of Princeton on Kara McEneaney’s eighth goal of the season to break a scoreless tie.
“Any time you score it can create a lot of motivation and enthusiasm, it is [also] very possible to score and be vulnerable on the other end,” head coach Kathy De Angelis said. Hofstra only took a total of five shots in the first, compared to last week’s game against Towson, where it doubled that amount in the first. Yet, Hofstra ultimately out shot Princeton, 13-10.
The second half was a total turn around for Princeton, as the Tigers got two goals in the first six minutes of the second half from Kristin Schwab and Paige Schmidt, giving them a 2-1 lead. This was the first time since a Sept. 20 loss to Quinnipiac that Hofstra fell behind in the second.
“Princeton came on very strong and caught us off guard defensively. We did have a let down and that was all over the field and we were incredibly vulnerable. They took advantage of that,” De Angelis said.
Farnum, who was named the CAA Rookie of the Week, scored the third and final goal at the 49:58 mark.
With the help of goalie Jessica Cowperthwait, who had three saves after Farnum’s goal, Hofstra was able to maintain the lead and hold on for its 10th victory of the season. “With her experience and intensity she continues to keep us in the game,” De Angelis said of Cowperthwait.
In order to come back in the second half, Hofstra had to come on strong offensively as well as stepping up its defense. “What we needed to do was to continue to play strong defense all over the field. When you play defense all over the field you should maintain possession of the ball,” De Angelis said.
Farnum was both excited and amazed to score her first goal of the season, especially because it was the winner. As a freshman, Farnum showed a lot of promise in becoming a major asset to the future of the team.
“We have a lot of expectation and Reyna herself has a tremendous amount of expectation that she puts on herself,” De Angelis said.
On Friday the Pride will face No. 19 William & Mary and then on Sunday will play No. 3 Old Dominion (14-2, 5-0 CAA). Last year Hofstra had a disappointing 1-0 loss to Old Dominion that occurred on a goal call back.