By Alana Pelosi and Nick Bond
Just like their final game of the regular season, the women’s soccer team’s CAA tournament championship game ended with a heartbreaking overtime loss to Northeastern on Sunday. The Pride seemed to be on track to defending their championship title after defeating conference stud William & Mary on Friday. Northeastern, however, demonstrated the same overtime heroics as they did two weeks ago. With 5:06 left in the second overtime, Northeastern’s Liza Rebello knocked in the shot that put the Huskies on top, 1-0.
In a momentous battle, at times both teams seemed poised for a break. With tight defense from both sides, the Pride was even able to shut down Northeastern’s star freshman, Veronica Napoli, when she almost had a repeat from the last matchup’s game-winning goal late in regulation. Hofstra had key plays made by defender Kariena Richards and goalie Krystal Robens, who finished the game with 6 saves. The most heartbreaking save however, was the one right before Rebello’s game winning goal. As Robens shot a shot right in front of her with her foot, Rebello charged and kicked in for the win.
Even more upsetting than seen their title change hands is that with the loss, is that an NCAA tournament bid is very unlikely. As the Pride slips to 11-8-3, their chances for at-large bid are slipping away, too. And while the Pride was not able to walk away from the Tournament with another CAA title, some players picked a few titles of their own. Senior defenders Jess Crankshaw and Richards along with freshman midfielder Courtney Breen were all named to the All-Tournament team to polish off an otherwise solid season.
Our men’s team suffered the same fate, exiting quickly and emphatically in a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of bitter rival George Mason, which doubled as the Pride’s first loss in their previous four CAA tournament appearances.
The defeat was just the last in a long line of disappointed performances in a Pride season marked by its peaks and valleys.
Wins against then-No.13 Virginia Tech and CAA regular season champion UNC Wilmington bookended a season in which the Pride failed to score a goal in two or more consecutive games twice and a 6-9-4 record.
The Pride will return 24 players to next year’s squad and look to build on solid performances by several returning players including Swedish import Johannes Grahn and Barbados national Brett Carrington as well as freshmen Goalkeeper Greg Cumpstone.