The Hofstra women’s soccer team was able to hold on to an early lead against the first place Huskies and pull in their second win in CAA play with a 2-1 victory. Hofstra is now 2-5 in conference, with a glimmer of hope for the postseason if everything falls into place.
High energy was the name of the game for Hofstra in the first half. The Pride came out of the gates in an electric tone. The scoreboard rewarded them with two early goals against a team that had only allowed six goals in all of conference play until that point.
The first score came on a cross from Jill Mulholland that soared across the right side of the field and connected with Noriana Radwan’s left foot, flying into the back of the net.
Coach Simon Riddiough had plenty to say about the impact of this goal. “I think that eased our nerves a little bit, gave us a bit of confidence and allowed us to move and push forward. So, fantastic goal, fantastic focus and great individual effort by Jill to get that cross off.”
The Pride was able to get on the board again only 17 minutes after the first goal. Following a foul committed by the Huskies, Emily Agudelo hit the free kick which tipped off of Mulholland’s foot and felt the net for the second time of the half. This goal gave the Pride an unpredictable 2-0 lead with 13 minutes left in the half.
Only eight minutes later Carly Wilhelm was able to get past Hofstra’s last line of defense, dribble past the goalkeeper and tip it in for the Huskies’ first goal of the match.
The teams went into halftime shooting at a similar rate, though Northeastern had the edge on Hofstra in that department, nine to seven. However, this was not the case in the second half. In an attempt to keep their five-game win streak alive, the Huskies blasted 12 shots in contrast to Hofstra’s mere two.
Luckily for the Pride, Friederike Mehring had five saves in the last 45 minutes, with the key save coming in the 73rd minute. After a ball was intercepted when Mehring nonchalantly rolled it out, she was able to make up for her mistake by jumping up to tip a ball that was kicked right below the crossbar, forcing a corner. The crowd gave a standing ovation for this impressive effort.
Ultimately, the Pride was able to keep Northeastern off the board for the entirety of the second half, despite the Huskies’ strong control of possession and myriad of attempts.
With this win, the Pride hopes the dominos can fall in its favor for a playoff spot, as it was able to do its part in defeating the team standing in first place in the conference.
Next up for the blue and yellow is JMU, who are in third place in the CAA and hold a 4-2 record. Fortunately for the Pride, it will be played at home, where Hofstra is 4-2 and just beat the top team in the conference. This game will take place 7 p.m. on Oct. 21 at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.
