By Joe Pantorno, Sports Editor
The Hofstra women’s lacrosse team had two chances to start off the game well against Colgate. Trailing 7-5 on Saturday with 24:35 left in the second half, the game was postponed due to snow, replaying the game in its entirety the next day.
Sunday was no better.
“It was crazy,” said Morgan. “But it was nice to see our team bounce back from adversity and distractions and they were able to handle themselves well.”
With 12:17 left in the first half, Hofstra trailed 6-1. It took more than a game of playing time, but the offense finally clicked.
“No heads were down when we were down 6-1,” said Head Coach Abby Morgan. “We didn’t panic, we just took a while to be us.”
Led by junior midfielder Jill Maier and senior midfielder Maryann Miller, with each of them finding the back of the net twice, Hofstra scored eight straight goals and with 23:16 left in the second half, the Pride was sitting pretty with a 9-6 lead.
“Honestly it was more her [Maier’s] hustle plays that were more impressive than her goals,” said Morgan. “It was more hustle plays that I haven’t seen her do in a long time. Getting those scrap plays and getting ground balls and causing turnovers, that’s the kind of stuff we want to see more of.”
Freshman midfielder Brittain Altomare triggered the run of goals, a sight that Morgan loves to see.
“Brittain played very well,” said Morgan. “She’s a talented player and we’re pushing for her to be a true midfielder.”
Colgate came back, scoring two goals in 14 seconds, despite stellar play from senior goalie Jaclyn Pandolf, who recorded 16 saves, one away from her career high and cut the Hofstra lead to within one.
“She did a great job,” said Morgan. “She gained a lot of respect from her team. They know that she saved them. To see her team see her play so well, I think that brought the defensive unit together.”
The defense and Pandolf kept all invaders away though a nerve-wracking finish almost forced the game into overtime.
With two seconds left, Colgate’s Courtney Miller’s shot was saved by Pandolf to preserve the win.
“It was really a tale of that last five minutes or so where she made a bunch of saves,” said Morgan. “We were trying to kill the clock. They had it in their best player’s hands but she stood her ground and that’s what it takes.”
“They gained a lot of confidence and also gained some chemistry,” said Morgan. “We’ve been waiting for that.”