By Kevin Carroll — SPORTS EDITOR
The Hofstra women’s lacrosse team’s 2016 season got off to a rocky start, as the Pride fell 14-8 to New Hampshire in the season opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon.

Lindsey Scott recorded a hat trick to lead Hofstra, adding an assist to give her four points total on the afternoon. Freshman Lexi Lenaghan added two goals in her first game as a member of the Pride.

It was all UNH to start the game, rattling off four consecutive goals in the first 8:30 of the game before Scott found the back of the net to put the Pride on the board at the 9:41 mark.

Scott’s goal halted New Hampshire’s momentum, but the Pride still struggled to keep up with the Wildcats for the remainder of the half, only being able to close the gap to three as senior captain Lindsey Alfano scored a free-position goal to make it a 6-3 game.

The Wildcats struck once more with just five seconds remaining in the first half, with Savanna Fiehler beating the Pride’s Alexis Greene, making her first collegiate start, on a free-position goal to send UNH into halftime with a 7-3 lead, as well as with a boost of momentum.

The two teams traded goals to start the second half, but a run of three consecutive goals for the Wildcats made it an 11-5 game at the 9:25 mark.

Lenaghan answered with her second goal of the game a few minutes later, but the deficit was just too much for the Pride to overcome, and even though Scott was able to complete her hat trick at about 20 minutes into the half off of an assist from Tiana Parrella, the Wildcats were able to cruise to the finish, sending the Pride packing from Cowell
Stadium on the wrong end of a 14-8 final score.

Greene finished the game with five saves for the Pride, and her New Hampshire counterpart, Kate Clancy, had eight saves.

UNH was led by Krissy Schafer, who netted a hat trick of her own. Nine different players found the back of the net for the Wildcats, who gained a measure of revenge after being defeated by the Pride in last year’s season opener in Hempstead.

Hofstra returns to James M. Shuart Stadium for its home opener next Saturday, Feb. 20, against Harvard University at 12 p.m. The Crimson won the two teams’ meeting last season by a score of 10-6.