The Hofstra University women’s soccer team was knocked out of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) tournament on Thursday, Oct. 30, falling to Stony Brook University in a devastating 2-1 overtime loss at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.
The Pride’s season came to an end following the loss. Meanwhile, the Seawolves advanced to the CAA semifinals on Sunday, Nov. 1, where they faced Monmouth University.
In the extra time, Hofstra and Stony Brook battled back and forth, each registering shots on goal. Fate turned, however, with eight seconds remaining as Pride defender Alexia Des Croiselles knocked down Reilly Rich in the box.
After a referee review, the call was confirmed, and the Seawolves received a penalty. Rich stepped up to the spot, approached and fired the ball past Pride goalkeeper Lilly Bailey into the bottom right corner, sending her side to the semifinals and heartbreakingly ending the Pride’s season.n
Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough said that he was pleased with his team’s performance despite the loss.
“They gave everything. They did everything we asked them to do,” Riddiough said.
The Pride dominated the ball, outshooting the Seawolves 25-12 throughout the game. In addition, Hofstra had nine corners compared to Stony Brook’s two.
The Pride started the game hot, quickly pressuring the Seawolves’ back line. Hofstra had three corner kicks in just the fifth minute and registered three shots in the first six minutes of the match. Thorhildur Thorhallsdottir nearly scored the first goal of the game in the sixth minute. Forward Mathilde Braithwaite sent a low-driven cross into the 18-yard box that was deflected right to Thorhallsdottir who shot it low, just hitting the right post and rolling across the goal line before going out of bounds.
Hofstra continued to apply pressure throughout the half, out-possessing Stony Brook while recording three shots on goal. Despite the Pride controlling the match, the Seawolves grabbed the first goal of the game in the 31st minute. Stony Brook defender Abigail Roche delivered a free kick into the box from midfield, where Rich headed it into the goal.
Following the goal, the Seawolves settled in, not allowing another shot on goal in the first half, taking their 1-0 lead into the break.
In the second half, Hofstra found their footing once again. They quickly tallied five shots within the first ten minutes of the half, with Braithwaite tying the match up in the 56th minute. Braithwaite sent a prayer towards the net from the right side of the box that snuck inside the post to make the game 1-1.
Quickly following the goal, Braithwaite had another chance in the box in the 61st minute, nearly drawing a penalty. Stony Brook defender Eva Sprewell had a perfectly timed tackle that took the ball off Braithwaite’s feet. The referees reviewed the play and confirmed that the tackle was clean, and no penalty was awarded.
Hofstra kept up the offensive onslaught through the second half, outshooting the Seawolves 13-4. Despite their efforts, the Pride could not find a second goal, sending the game into overtime.
Alongside Rich’s two-goal performance, Seawolves goalkeeper Jona Hennings stood out, stopping seven of eight shots – the second most she has had in a single game this year.
“[Hennings] did well,” Riddough said. “She came up with two or three really good saves which I didn’t think she could make, and she did today.”
While Stony Brook looks to their semifinal date with Monmouth, Hofstra turns its head to rebuilding in the offseason. This season’s team was composed of a total of 14 seniors and graduate students, while 12 players are set to return next season.
As the Pride move towards the 2026 campaign, Riddiough is ready for the offseason.
“I got a lot of recruiting to do,” Riddiough said. “Hitting the trails, finding players. We’ll continue to develop the players who are returning, and then we’ll go from there.”
