By Bob Bonett
After another scoreless first half for the Pride women’s soccer team, the fans at Sunday’s game against George Mason were once again on the edge of their seats. However, two early second half assists and some masterful footwork by All-American defender Sue Weber put the crowd at ease, sending the Pride to a 3-0 win and a perfect weekend in CAA play.
Weber, a member of the preseason Hermann watch list (which marks the top collegiate soccer player), had totaled just one career point entering the windy contest. But some aggressive soccer to start the second half by the junior defender led to two unexpected assists on great entry passes less than a minute apart.
Weber, who also made a fantastic save on the goal line to prevent a Patriot comeback after the scoring flurry, was probably most surprised by her offensive outburst.
“I wanted to help the team anyway I could, but I was not expecting to get two assists in the game,” Weber said of her dishes to Larkin Hargraves and Marie Curtin.
The two quick second half goals almost were not enough for the Pride, though. After a scoreless first half with masterful, precision footwork by Weber, and exceptional goaltending by sophomore Krystal Robens, Hofstra jumped out to a quick momentum swing. Assisted by the elements, as a gusty wind blew behind the players’ backs, Weber first made an entry pass to Hargraves at 46:15 (her second goal of the season), and then a great leading pass to Curtin at 47:01, the first of two goals for the junior midfielder and her third of the weekend.
Instead of building on the momentum, however, the Pride faltered on the field, making numerous rudimentary mistakes. Mason (3-6-1, 0-2) had two quick shots following the Hofstra goals off of Pride mistakes.
However, Curtin felt that these 15 to 20 minutes of struggle were short lived due to the coaching of first-year leader and long time assistant Simon Riddiough.
“Simon made some changes, and we managed to pick it up for the last 20 minutes and put on a good performance,” Curtin said.Curtin, who scored the third goal in the 82nd minute, showcased her newfound role as the scoring forward.
“I’m really hoping to keep the scoring going, and help the team win any way possible,” Curtin said of her fourth and fifth goals of the season.
The Patriots nearly managed to score a goal against Hofstra second half goalie Krysten Farriella. However, GMU defender Laura Salichs hit the post, and after a few additional missed opportunities for the visitors, Hofstra walked away with the 3-0 win.
Most impressed by the team’s hard work was Riddiough.
When asked about the team’s back-to-back conference victories, he said the team made “a big statement,” and showed that “those that wrote us off may be rethinking their predictions.”
The big weekend sweep for the Pride extended a couple of impressive streaks that have stood the test of time. First, despite the multitude of injuries that have decimated the Hofstra lineup (including four projected starters), the Pride extended its home winning streak to 13 games (12-0-1).
Winning comes easy, though, when goals are not scored by the opponents, and this has been the case at Hofstra Soccer Stadium for the past 773:15, as the Pride has not allowed a CAA goal in eight straight games.