The Hofstra Pride field hockey team’s cold spell continued as the squad fell on the road to St. Joseph’s College on Sunday with a score of 5-3.
The loss marks Hofstra’s fourth straight after coming off a seven-game winning streak.
Despite a rough loss for the Pride, forward Claudia Marin Samper had a game to remember.
The senior tallied her 150th point while wearing the blue and gold, passing Genna Kovar’s 148 points for the school’s record in career points.
Marin Samper scored two goals in the game against the Hawks, but it wasn’t enough.
While Marin Samper led the way for Hofstra in points, St. Joseph’s saw contributions from a number of players.
Anna Willocks and Pepa Serrano each drove home a pair of goals.
The two-headed threat was too much for Hofstra to handle.
The Pride had a number of good opportunities in the contest.
Hofstra tallied 11 penalty corners compared to just four for the Hawks.
Unfortunately for the Pride, the team wasn’t able to convert enough of those chances to narrow the gap.
The Pride offense has rolled along at a consistent pace this season.
Hofstra has scored either two or three goals in each of its last six games.
However, the defense has suddenly fallen off the table.
Goalkeeper Lauren Saltus’ goals allowed average has ballooned to just over two and a half per game.
With Saltus struggling, Hofstra head coach Kathy De Angelis, decided to start Carys Swan against St. Joseph’s to change up the system.
The move backfired, as Swan allowed four goals in 46 minutes before being replaced by Saltus, who allowed the fifth score.
The goalkeeping, once an immense strength for Hofstra, has quickly turned into a sore spot.
With just a couple of games left in the season, the coaching staff does not have much time to tinker with lineups to find a defensive arrangement that works.
Hofstra’s upcoming schedule doesn’t get any easier.
The Pride welcomes 17th-ranked James Madison University to Hempstead on Friday.
The Dukes have been in a bit of a slump as of late, losing its last two contests to the College of William & Mary and seventh-ranked University of Louisville.
Still, James Madison didn’t play its way into the national rankings by luck. Hofstra will have a very tough test awaiting it on Friday afternoon.
The Pride, currently 1-3 in the CAA, has just two regular season games to go.
Even with Marin Samper’s help on offense, the Pride has to find a solution to its collapsing defense if it has any postseason aspirations.
