By Vincent Mercogliano
The Hofstra Pride Field Hockey team (9-8, 3-4 in the CAA) came into Friday’s home game against the Towson Tigers (11-7, 3-4 in the CAA) needing to win one of their final two regular season contests in order to clinch a berth in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship Tournament for the fifth consecutive year.
With just over five minutes remaining in the game and Hofstra down 2-1, it looked like the Pride would be heading into their final game against the Delaware Blue Hens in a do-or-die situation. But the Pride showed their resiliency and never quit fighting.
Junior Kristin Thompson scored a game-tying goal off a penalty corner to put momentum back in Hofstra’s favor. The game went onto overtime, where it took only two minutes and 22 seconds for freshman Genna Kovar to score the game-winning goal and assure the Pride of another year of postseason play.
The 3-2 victory was Hofstra’s third of the year in conference play, and first win of the year at home against a CAA opponent.
“It felt great to be able to help the seniors get in the conference tournament,” said Kovar. “We played a lot of close games this year that we should have pulled out.”
The Pride started the game strong and controlled the ball in their offensive zone for a good portion of the first half. Their problem was that they were not making the most of their opportunities, and not taking good shots. After allowing a goal to Tiger’s forward Mariah Schuette with just over two minutes remaining in the half, Hofstra found the score tied at one goal apiece at halftime.
Towson took advantage of Hofstra’s scoring struggles early in the second half, and came out aggressive. They put pressure on the Pride defensively which resulted multiple scoring opportunities.
“We started out well with our game plan, but Towson stepped up in the second half with tremendous pressure. We struggled defensively,” said Hofstra head coach Kathy De Angelis. “Fortunately, we kept our composure.”
The key to Hofstra not allowing the game to get out of hand was goaltending. The Pride has used three goaltenders over the course of the season, but seems to be settling on freshman Amanda Heyde, who had a very busy second half.
“It was a good job by Amanda in that half of controlling the game,” said De Angelis.
Despite Heyde’s best efforts, the Tigers broke through with a go-ahead goal from senior Danielle Wacker. The goal was set-up by a hard shot from the CAA’s leading scorer, Christina Boarman, which Wacker deflected past Heyde.
Boarman was the Pride’s focal point defensively, and for the most part was held in check. Last season, as a sophomore, Boarman broke Towson’s single season scoring record with 38 points. This year she has topped her own record with 53 points, including two assists against Hofstra.
But coach De Angelis gave sophomore midfielder Amy-Lee Levey the responsibility of shadowing Boarman, and Levey did a good job of frustrating the top scorer in the conference, who was only able to get off two shots in the game.
Even with Boarman held under control, time was ticking away for the Pride. Their starters, who played virtually the entire game, seemed a bit sluggish.
“We got a little bit tired in the second half,” said senior captain Brit Blankmeyer. “But we never lost our desire to pull it out. We knew we had to win.”
As bleak as Hofstra’s outlook had been throughout the second half, one penalty corner with about five minutes remaining changed everything.
The Pride’s top scorer, senior Charlia Warner, who had a goal called back earlier in the game, unloaded a shot towards the net which was deflected by Towson. Thompson was able to stay with the ball and tap it in to tie the game, as her teammates on the bench went wild.
That goal forced overtime, where Kovar was able to play the role of hero. She took control of a loose ball and showcased her speed on a breakaway. Towson’s goalie, Whitney Clugston, charged Kovar, who then cut to the left causing Clugston to loose her footing. From there, Kovar had a wide open look at the back of the net.
“I was shocked,” said Kovar. “I pulled left, and my teammates are always on me telling me to go right. Thankfully, I got around the goalie and saw a wide open net.”
Kovar’s goal in overtime guaranteed Hofstra’s senior class, which consists of nine players, a fourth and final chance to play in the CAA tournament.
“It’s crazy; we have so many personalities and so much talent,” said Blankmeyer of her fellow seniors. “Girls have grown so much. Together, we’ve made a great impact.”
The Pride now are tied with Towson for fifth in the conference and a win against Delaware on Sunday would guarantee them the fifth seed in the tournament, where they would likely face William & Mary. Hofstra lost against the Tribe earlier this season 6-5 in overtime, and would be anxious for a shot to revenge their loss.
The Tigers will likely end up with the sixth and final seed in the tournament if the Pride is able to win against Delaware, because Hofstra now holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Towson.
“I can’t say enough about this team,” said De Angelis. “Towson is a strong team; they were seeded above us and rightfully so. This was a true collaboration of team effort.”