By Alexandra Licata — STAFF WRITER
After an unbeaten season in conference play, Hofstra women’s soccer will now look forward to competing to achieve its ultimate goal of being Colonial Athletic Association champions.
Last year saw the Pride miss out on the CAA Tournament for the first time since 2006 with a record of 10-7-1 and just a 4-5-1 mark in CAA action.
This year featured a return to championship form for the Pride and Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough, who has yet to have a losing a season since taking over as head coach back in 2006.
The Pride, who conquered the difficult feat of going 9-0 in CAA contests, went 13-3-2 overall.
They clinched their CAA Tournament berth in a 3-0 win against James Madison on Oct. 8 – a game in which they recorded a record-breaking 26 corner kicks.
Hofstra culminated the regular season against the College of Charleston Cougars.
The final tally in the win column for an undefeated CAA season didn’t come easy.
Bella Richards scored early off a corner kick from Monique Iannella, which gave the Pride an early lead in the 24th minute.
With five minutes to go, the Cougars were able to net the score at one with their own corner kick, putting the Pride’s undefeated conference play record in jeopardy.
But with under one minute to play, sophomore Rachel Cardinal fired a goal for a dramatic victory that concluded the Pride’s regular season.
Hofstra’s eyes turn to facing its next competitor now, which will be the College of William & Mary in the CAA Semifinals.
The Pride received a bye week due to being the top seed in the conference.
If Hofstra advances to the championships, they will face either the Northeastern University Huskies or Drexel University Dragons.
Several players have shined this season for the Pride and those will be the players to watch for as they head into the tournament.
Having her best season yet as a part of the Hofstra team is senior Kristin Desmond.
After the graduation of Jill Mulholland, the unquestioned leader and focal point of last year’s offensive attack, the biggest question heading into this season was the question of who was going to step up and provide the offensive firepower necessary for this team to survive in the CAA.
Desmond has proven this year that she is more than capable of stepping up and leading the way for the Pride.
She leads the team with 21 points made up of nine goals and three assists. She currently sits atop the CAA in goals and is in a tie for second place in total points.
That total surpasses her previous career high of 18 points during her sophomore season.
Nine goals is also the most Desmond has scored for the Pride in a single season.
Her previous high was six during her junior year. Behind her is junior Jenn Buoncore.
After taking her sophomore season off to focus on her academics, Buoncore returned this season to help the Pride to their undefeated CAA record with 12 points, made up of four goals and four assists.
But the upperclassmen haven’t been the only ones who have had an impact this season.
The freshman class came in hot for the Pride, providing nearly 30 percent of the 85 points the team has accumulated this season.
Richards ranks third on the team in points with eight.
She has scored three goals and provided two assists in her freshman season to earn her the title of CAA Rookie of the Week for two consecutive weeks.
Freshmen Lucy Shepherd, Sabrina Bryan, and Lucy Porter have also contributed. Shepherd has netted three goals, and Bryan and Porter each have two apiece.
Defense has also been a strong component to the Pride’s success this season.
Ashley Wilson and Jenna Borresen have split time in the net for the past ten games – a tactic Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough has utilized that has resulted in seven shutouts in the team’s past ten games.
Within that span, Wilson and Borresen have combined to allow only a single goal to components who are able to break through the Pride’s defense.
Along with Wilson and Borresen, junior Madeline Anderson has also produced shutdown defense for the Pride on the backline.
As a whole, Hofstra is outshooting opponents 256-192 and outscoring them 31-12.
Using both their strong offense and defense, the Pride hopes to continue its success in the CAA Semifinals against William & Mary.
In the team’s conference meeting this season, Hofstra defeated the Tribe 3-1. The Tribe’s Sarah Segan scored within the final minutes of play to prevent a shutout.
The Tribe went 7-9-2 overall and 3-4-2 in conference play this season.
The Pride returns to the field to face the Tribe on Nov. 3 in the CAA seminfinals in hopes of advancing to the CAA Championships and earning its first champion title since 2012 at 7 p.m. at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.
