The Hofstra University field hockey team fell 5-1 to Fairfield University on Friday, Oct. 10, at Cindy Lewis Stadium. The Pride have lost five straight and sit at 5-7, meanwhile, the Stags have won their last six in a row and improved to 8-4 on the year.
Fairfield found the back of the cage via three different goal scorers. Camille Perlov had one while Pilar Mengotti and Konni Hofmann each put two away for the Stags. Teresa Karoff scored the lone goal for the Pride.
Fairfield’s first goal of the game was courtesy of Perlov, who scored her fifth of the season in the ninth minute. Senior Rylee LaLoup threaded the ball through two defenders back door to Perlov, who easily tucked it away for the 1-0 lead.
The Stags continued to pressure the Pride. They added another goal early in the second quarter. Alice Pifferi played the ball in off a penalty corner and Catalina Ness settled it for Mengotti to score on the far side of the cage less than two minutes into the quarter. The goal was reviewed by the refs and was confirmed as a goal.
Mengotti did not stop there. She put away a third goal for Fairfield just seven minutes later. Mengotti received the ball from Pifferi on a corner and stepped up to take the shot for the 3-0 lead. Mengotti’s two-goal performance put her at seven on the year, a career-high for goals in a season.
The theme of the first half was domination from Fairfield as Hofstra spent little time in the attacking end of the field. In the first half, the Stags prevented the Pride from taking any shot, outshooting Hofstra 11-0.
Fairfield did not lose any momentum over the halftime break as they picked up from where they left off in the third quarter. Halfway through the third, Hofmann scored her first of two goals. Hofmann picked up a loose ball outside the shooting circle and drove towards the cage. She shot the ball into the far bottom corner for a four-point lead.
The Stags tacked on their fifth and final goal in the fourth quarter thanks to another goal from Hofmann. Mengotti received the ball off a corner and shot it towards Hofmann to tip into the back of the cage.
Despite Fairfield’s dominance, Hofstra finally found their footing in the fourth quarter. The Pride tallied four shots on goal, and senior Karoff scored the lone goal of the game for Hofstra. Karoff received the ball off a corner and shot it past the goalie with just four minutes remaining in the game.
Hofstra head coach Hillary Fitts was pleased with Karoff’s performance and her ability to find the cage late in the game.
“I think she played well throughout the entire game,” Fitts said. “Overall, she was probably our best player today.”
The Pride looked to bounce back on Sunday, Oct. 12, facing Wagner University for Senior Day. Gametime was set for 12 p.m. at Cindy Lewis Stadium in Hempstead, New York.
