The Hofstra Pride field hockey squad piled on the offensive pressure and pulled out its fourth straight victory in a 3-2 win over St. Francis on the road.
After a game at UMass Lowell, in which both teams took more than 20 shots, the Pride aimed to prevent easy looks against the Red Flash. Hofstra opened up with Claudia Marin Samper scoring off a turnover just 8:34 into the game. The goal plants Marin Samper in double-digit goal category just ten games into the campaign.
A few minutes later, the Red Flash maneuvered itself into a penalty corner. Brea Seabrook struck it home to tie the game at one goal apiece.
The contest remained tied until – with just a minute left – Stella Schoen went on a charge. The German found a pass from captain Colby Hussong and sailed it through the goal posts for her seventh score of the year.
Hofstra found a lot of offensive opportunities in the first half, taking 13 shots to St. Francis’ two and earning four penalty corner opportunities.
With the score sitting at 2-1 Pride advantage, Emily Gallagher found the back of the net in the 55th minute for her fourth score on the season.
As the contest came to a close, Hannah Retherford got herself a score to cut the Pride lead to 3-2. However, it was too little too late as St. Francis fell to Hofstra.
Hofstra’s offense was the star of the show. The Pride took 28 total shots to just four for the Red Flash. Hofstra defense did an excellent job of keeping the ball from getting to goalkeeper Lauren Saltus, who’s had some solid showings over the course of the Pride winning streak.
Saltus’ game left something to be desired as the senior allowed two goals without registering a save. While the game certainly was not her best, her role as the main goalkeeper for the team appears safe. She has allowed fewer than four goals in each game she has played this season.
The Pride moves to 6-4 with the victory as St. Francis falls to 6-4. Hofstra returns home for a brief home stand against the Fairfield Stags on Friday. With just a couple of games to go until conference play, the Pride appear to be getting hot at just the right time.
The Stags have struggled mightily this season, posting a 1-8 record including five losses in a row leading into this game.
Last time out, Fairfield found itself on the wrong end of a 4-0 decision on Sunday against the University of Virginia.
Gametime is 3:30 p.m. at the Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium.
