The Hofstra University women’s lacrosse team kicked off their season with a 11-6 win over Long Island University (LIU) on Friday, Feb. 7 from James M. Shuart Stadium.
Kristen Redding and Kayleigh Bender scored four goals each for the Pride, outscoring the Sharks 8-3 in the second half. LIU’s Julia Trainor led her side with three goals of her own.
Redding scored three straight goals for the Pride in just under two minutes in the third quarter to regain the lead for Hofstra, flipping the momentum as the Pride began to run away with the game.
“We just changed our offense a little bit,” said Hofstra head coach Shannon Smith. “I think we just started to get the hang of it a little bit more. We’re super young and inexperienced so we need as many game minutes as we can to continue to grow and develop. Just super proud to get the first victory out of the way.”
The win was not only Hofstra’s fifth straight season opener victory, but a historic one as well. Smith earned her 94th career win, tying her with Carrie Bodo, who coached from 1988 to 2001, for the most in program history.
“I had no idea,” Smith said. “It’s a testament to all the players that have come through the program for the past 13 years … Obviously, wins are a team effort, so, just really thankful for the players that played here and for everything they have put into the program, and all the assistant coaches that have coached here and had a part in the game planning and the day-to-day to help make the program as successful.”
The Pride jumped out to a quick lead as graduate transfer Angelina Sparacio scored the opening goal in her Hofstra debut. Trainor responded with an equalizer just over seven minutes into the first quarter, but Redding and Bender scored their first goals of the game to give the Pride a 3-1 lead after one frame.
The Pride couldn’t keep the momentum going into the second quarter though, as the Sharks scored twice to tie the game 3-3 going into halftime.
The Sharks smelled blood in the water, taking a 4-3 lead just 32 seconds into third quarter as Trainor scored her third goal of the game, putting the Pride on their back foot. The Hofstra defense adjusted, holding Trainor to just four shots and zero goals the rest of the game.
“We made an adjustment, we put [Natalie] Little on that elbow and she did a really great job at not letting her slip underneath us and be prepared for the dodges,” Smith said.
The Pride held a 14-7 advantage in draw controls, giving the offense several extra possessions which they capitalized on. Christine Dannenfelser led the charge with her aggressive approach in the circle, grabbing nine draw controls on the day.
“The communication was really key,” Dannenfelser said. “We put a lot of work into that at practice this week with the draws. I think mastering that and communicating well with the person taking the draws was huge.”
Junior goalkeeper Luchianna Cardello finished the game with five saves, three of them coming in the fourth quarter.
The Pride started their season at 1-0 for the seventh time in the last nine seasons, while LIU moved to 0-1 with the loss. Hofstra returns to action when they travel to Manhattan University on Friday, Feb. 14. First draw is set for 1 p.m. at Gaelic Park in Riverdale, New York.
