The Hofstra University women’s lacrosse team lost their matchup against Rutgers University 17-7 at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey on Saturday, Feb. 28.
For the Scarlet Knights, Caroline Ling lit it up with five goals and two assists, while Lily Dixon added a goal and five assists. Dixon’s fifth assist of the afternoon put her in first place on the list of most assists in Rutgers history.
Nikki Mennella scored two goals and three assists, which gave her 27 points on the season. Hofstra’s Natalie DeMeo continued her strong play with two goals and Luchianna Cardello put up 12 saves for Hofstra.
The Pride struggled to clear the ball, finishing the afternoon just 12-19. This seven-point difference on the losing end is the largest that Hofstra has had in a game all season. Despite having seven turnovers on failed clears, Hofstra finished the afternoon with 13 total turnovers to Rutgers’ 14.
The Scarlet Knights dominated possession, winning draw controls 17-8 and groundball 24-14, which contributed to the lopsided score.
The Pride started the game with a strong defensive possession. Christine Dannenfelser forced a turnover to spark Hofstra in transition on offense, but they failed to capitalize on it.
Dannenfelser set a career high with six caused turnovers.
After a back-and-forth opening five minutes, Ling was the first to find the back of the net. Ling’s goal opened the flood gates because 18 seconds later Hilary Elsner scored and doubled Rutgers’ lead.
Freshman Shannon Steck got Hofstra on the board with just over 8 minutes left in the first quarter, cutting Rutgers’ lead to 2-1. That was the closest that the Pride got to the lead in the game. The Scarlet Knights doubled their advantage to two goals by the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Rutgers outscored Hofstra 3-0 to take a five-goal lead into the halftime break. Rutgers goalie Simone Koryszewski made seven saves in the first half.
Rutgers opened the doors with three player-up goals in the third quarter. The Pride went on a three-goal scoring run after that. Mennella had a goal and dished two assists on tallies by Kristen Redding and DeMeo to bring the game to a four-goal deficit.
Rutgers ended all hope of a Hofstra comeback by outscoring the Pride eight to two the rest of the way. Rutgers ended the game with a ten-goal advantage, giving them a running clock by the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
Kayleigh Bender, Hofstra’s second leading scorer, did not play on Saturday. Bender is the reigning Coastal Athletic Association Rookie of the Year. She has 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points this season.
With this loss, the Pride fell to .500 on the season at 3-3. Hofstra will be back in action on Wednesday, March 4, against the No. 3 University of Maryland. Gametime is set for 3 p.m.
