By Bob Bonett

Oftentimes, when a team kicks off a season in record-breaking fashion, it can be attributed to an easy schedule.

For the Pride, that is far from the case.

Opening the season with more than 10 large-school Division I opponents, Coach Lauren Netherby is preparing the girls for what could end up being another NCAA Championship run.

“I scheduled some real tough matches,” Netherby said, “and I didn’t do it so that we would lose confidence, but I did it so we could build a better program and learn from the losses or wins.”

While the team started out by winning their first five games, a team record, the girls proceeded to drop their next five games, settling Hofstra in at .500.

However, with the experience of playing against some of the country’s best teams, Hofstra is better prepared at 5-5 than they would have been by beating mediocre teams early in the year.

The other issue with the Pride’s schedule has been how busy it started off, and the amount of traveling it involved. While jet lag could be a factor in the recent losing streak, Netherby did not count on it, suggesting that the Pride are as prepared as ever.

After a successful preseason and hard-fought early stretch that brought the team out to tournaments in Florida, Las Vegas and now Connecticut, expect the Pride to be prepared in the postseason with experience against the nation’s best under their belts.