By Kirsten McKenna
Though Hofstra lost to Drexel 2-0 in the regular season, granting the Dragons their third straight CAA win, the sixth- seeded Pride has a shot at redemption in the Quarterfinals round of the CAA Championship Tournament on Thurs., Nov. 1.
The third- seeded Dragons enter this Thursday’s game with a conference winning percentage of .625 but have recently suffered key conference losses to Towson, James Madison, and Old Dominion.
As the Pride face off against the Dragons in the first round of the tournament, Coach De Angelis enters with a strong-willed demeanor geared to win. She said, “Our plan of attack is continuing to develop, we’re peaking at the top of our game at the end [of the season].”
When Hofstra visited Drexel on Sept. 23, the Dragons won the game early in the first half, scoring two unanswered goals in the first six minutes of regulation. De Angelis focused on the team’s recent offensive successes of the past weekend and believes the team can prevent this from happening again. “We’ve achieved the goal of scoring early and keeping an up- tempo, we hope to maintain that on Thursday.”
Brit Blankmeyer has maintained a thorough vision of the playoffs throughout the season thinks her team is prepared as well. She said, “We’re on a high right now, we have absolutely nothing to lose, it’s a good place to be.”
After the two teams met earlier in the season, Blankmeyer commented that the Dragons were a complete team with strong communication. Given a second chance to win against Drexel, this time in neutral territory, Blankmeyer said, “Drexel is not a powerhouse, but they’re always competitors, it’s anyone’s game, we just have to do what we do.”
Krisha Giammarco and Nadine Surak split the regular season game against Drexel, and De Angelis is unsure who will start against the Dragons. She said, “We haven’t made a decision as of right now, but we couldn’t be happier with the way Surak played against Delaware.”
Giammarco allowed two goals and saved three goals in the Drexel game and is excited for the game against the Dragons. She said, “It’s exciting to have the chance to play as a freshman, I look forward to playing, and hopefully beating them.”
Giammarco retrospectively credited Drexel offense’s teamwork. She said, “They knew where each other was, and passed stick to stick.”
Surak does not think the Pride will shut down like at the beginning of the last meeting. She said, “Our defense is getting better and I don’t think we will have a defensive breakdown again.”
Coach De Angelis has noticed much recent development.saying, “Despite the goal difference between Northeastern, we’ve seen a drastic improvement in the past few weeks. I wouldn’t change a thing, we are going to keep using the system we’ve been playing with.”
The team’s overall spirit has changed for the better with help from the veterans on the team. Coach De Angelis said, “The seniors have been the backbone that’s continued to motivate the team, but the entire squad is strong.”
With strong performances in the recent Towson and Delaware games, it is evident that that team is practicing just as hard as they play. “Our practices have been the best they’ve ever been…you remember the games, but never forget the practices,” said De Angelis.
The end-of-the-season turnaround is sure to benefit the 2008 field hockey team. Coach De Angelis said, “The team is very talented and the rebuilding season has come to a higher level, it [the level] will help us to prepare for next year.”
Hofstra has the chance to defeat a conference foe that they lost to in the regular season, Drexel, in the first round of playoffs. Last year, Delaware provided a similar obstacle for the Pride. The Pride avenged the Blue Hens and defeated them in the quarterfinals. Perhaps history will repeat itself, and the Pride will succeed to the second round.
The Pride (7-10, 3-5 CAA) face off against the Dragons (11-8, 5-3 CAA) in the CAA Tournament on Thurs., Nov. 1 at 8:30 p.m. at the United States Training Center in Virginia Beach, VA.