By Amanda Brody
After a disappointing 3-2 loss in overtime on Sunday afternoon at Delaware, the unwanted theme of the field hockey team’s season seems to be coughing up late leads.
Three days after allowing the final three goals in a 5-3 loss at Quinnipiac, it happened again Sunday for the Pride, as an early two-goal lead quickly morphed into another disappointing late-game loss.
At the end of the second period, the score stood tied at two. But the 17 minutes of sudden death overtime proved to be more bad luck for Hofstra (5-4, 0-1 CAA). Delaware’s Molly Burke scored the final goal to end the game on a breakaway play, her third goal of the season.
The Pride started off at a fast pace, scoring two goals in the first period. Senior midfielder Kara McEneaney scored the first goal 24 minutes into the game off an assist from Pemba Ramdoo. Less than two minutes later, senior Leslie DeSimone scored the Pride’s final goal which gave the team a then-comfortable 2-0 lead.
Delaware (4-6, 1-0) came out strong right out of the second half gate, scoring its first goal nine minutes in. A.J. Karsten scored the Blue Hen’s first goal on a tip-in off the penalty corner and eight minutes later, Katie Evans scored to tie the game. “We were playing an up tempo game that we’ve been focusing on all season,” Hofstra head coach Kathy De Angelis said of her team’s first half.
De Angelis was quick to point out that the energy and tempo displayed in the first half quickly disappeared, as the Pride has failed to show any second half intensity of late. “We did not maintain our up tempo plan in the second half,” De Angelis said. “That led to openings for Delaware. They certainly capitalized.”
There were opportunities in the second for Hofstra to score. The Pride had six shots in the second half and out-shot Delaware 17-12 in the game.
Although it may have seemed like the Pride was playing aggressive enough in the second half to win the game, the overall defense broke down.
“Once Delaware scored, that was a turning point for us and we needed to keep our composure,” De Angelis said.
The ninth-year head coach said that the endurance level still isn’t there and that the Pride needs to better prepare mentally for these long, close games.
“We had the opportunities in overtime to score. It was a very equal game,” De Angelis said.
Hofstra hopes that some home cooking against Northeastern on Friday will end the slide. “We don’t want to look at this as a two-game losing streak, but that is the reality,” De Angelis said. “Mentally each player needs to be focused, [because] teams like Delaware and Northeastern can break our game plan.”
Although Northeastern is unranked, it will be a game for the Pride to take very seriously. Not only is Hofstra facing a possible three-game losing streak, but it is preparing to face the Huskies, the team that eliminated the Pride in the CAA semifinals last season.
“Northeastern will come here with all the strength in the world,” De Angelis said.