Madison Sauve’s team-high third goal of the season wasn’t enough for the Hofstra field hockey team, falling 4-1 to the University of Maine Black Bears Friday afternoon at the Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium.
“Overall, I have to credit Maine for their performance,” said Hofstra head coach Kathy De Angelis after Friday’s loss. “Their backline really did a tremendous job against our striker line.”
Maine’s defense was the story on this contest, holding the Hofstra attack to just a single shot on goal, that being Sauve’s goal early in the second half.
“Ultimately, we struggled to get shots off on goal, and we also struggled in the attacking third,” said De Angelis.
Just four minutes after coming out of halftime facing a 2-0 deficit, Sauve redirected a pass from Stella Schoen just past the outstretched leg of Maine goalkeeper Emily Corbett to cut the Black Bears’ lead in half.
It was Sauve’s team-high third goal of the season. The sophomore from Boiling Springs, PA has already matched her goal total from last season in just three games this season.
Unfortunately, that goal was all the offense Hofstra was able to muster, as Maine controlled the contest from buzzer to buzzer, constantly pushing the ball into Hofstra territory, and launching shot after shot at the Hofstra goalkeeping tandem of Lauren Saltus and Carys Swan.
Saltus started the game in the cage for the Pride, and surrendered a pair of goals in a sixty-second span early in the first half. The goals came from Madison Cummings and Danielle Aviani.
Cumming would add her second goal of the contest midway through the second half, and Brianna Ricker would sneak one past Swan, who entered the cage in relief of Saltus to start the second half, with just over a minute remaining to ice the game, and to mark Hofstra’s home opener with a loss.
The Pride falls to 2-1 with the loss, while the Black Bears improve to 3-0.
Hofstra will have a quick turnaround, welcoming the defending national champion Syracuse Orange to the Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium on Sunday afternoon. That contest is set for a 3 p.m. start.
