Nikki Mennella’s six-goal masterclass was not enough for the Hofstra University women’s lacrosse team, whose championship dreams ended in a 14-11 loss to Towson University on Thursday, April 30, in the Coastal Athletic Association semifinals. The Pride finished their season at 10-7 with a 6-2 record against conference opponents.
“You never want to be on the losing side,” said Hofstra head coach Shannon Smith. “Our team fought hard and showed a lot of resiliency for the whole, entire game; we just couldn’t get that extra bounce in our direction.”
Despite the tight game, Hofstra never led the score, they fell behind 2-0 in the first quarter and had to play catch-up all afternoon. Mennella scored the Pride’s first three goals, but each time, Towson found a way to respond, consistently keeping Hofstra at a two-goal deficit. The Pride trailed 4-3 in the final minute and had possession, but Luca DeMaio forced a turnover from Melina Sarlo. With five seconds to go in the half, DeMaio scored her first of six goals to reestablish Towson’s two-goal cushion.
Three third-quarter goals from DeMaio were sandwiched by tallies from Mennella and Kate Lemery to bring the score to 8-5. Facing their largest deficit of the game, Mennella and Julia Harris chipped in consecutive goals to bring the Pride into the fourth quarter with just one goal away.
Valerie Thompson scored 16 seconds into the fourth quarter for the Tigers and reestablished a pattern that stood all game: The two teams exchanged goals while Towson maintained their two-goal advantage. Kayleigh Bender scored two man-up goals to keep the Pride afloat. Then, trailing 11-9, the Pride found the net twice in a row for only the second time in the game. Natalie DeMeo cut the Tigers’ lead to one, and Mennella buried the equalizer, tying the game 11-11 with just under seven minutes remaining.
“[Mennella] is Attacker of the Year in our conference for a reason,” Smith said. “She played absolutely unbelievable today and really put the team on her back.”
Both teams turned the ball over on their next possession. Throughout the game, Towson gave the ball away 20 times and Hofstra gave it away 17 times. Bender stepped into Jenna Cardeno’s crease on a scoring opportunity, ending the threat for Hofstra and giving the Tigers the ball. Thompson completed her hat trick one minute later and gave Towson the lead permanently.
Shannon Steck’s tying attempt was stopped by Cardeno, and Grace Varley took a yellow card, which gave DeMaio the chance to put the game out of reach with her sixth goal. Hannah Lewis added an exclamation point to bring the affair to its 14-11 final score.
Luchianna Cardello only had five saves on 19 shots in the final game of her college career. Madeleine Rudolph and Harris are also graduating.
“I’m so thankful for the commitment that [the graduating seniors] put into this program,” Smith said. “Watching them grow up from freshman and sophomore year to where they are now is truly incredible. They’re incredible people, and they’re going to make a huge impact and be successful in any career path that they choose.”
