The Hofstra University women’s soccer team completed their three-game homestand with a one-all draw against Brown University. The tie keeps the Pride undefeated through their first four fixtures of the season.
“I thought we played well,” said Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough. “I was really happy with them. Disciplined, hardworking performance. I thought we were going to pull it out but, like anything, good teams are used to winning.”
Hofstra found their goal through junior Aimee Hodgson on a set-piece. The goal was scored on the brink of halftime and gave the Pride the lead into the break. After halftime, Hofstra played a disciplined game, denying attempts from Brown. However, the Bears found the equalizer 87 minutes in.
“I think we surprised Brown a little bit in the first half. I think we forced them into playing at a speed they weren’t comfortable doing and I think we pounced on them,” Riddiough said. “Second half, they [made] adjustments and we [tried] to make adjustments. I thought we did well to nullify any chances. At one-nothing, you can’t always keep dominating a very good team. I was still very happy with them.”
Despite taking the lead into halftime, the Pride were dominated in the second half, leading to Brown’s leveler late in the game.
“They came at us that last five minutes and I thought we just did enough to get away with it, but unfortunately a little misstep, and before you know it somebody finds the ball in the 18-yard box and puts it away,” Riddiough said.
The Pride went into the match following two games earlier this week, causing rotation in the lineup. Due to this, junior Thea Bergsten played the whole match in place of Olivia Pearse.
“[Bergsten] was brilliant,” Riddiough said. “She’s a very good player and, unfortunately, we haven’t been able to start her because she deserves to be, she’s one of our best players. No complaints about [Bergsten] today.”
The draw confirms the Pride finished the month of August unbeaten. Riddiough is thoroughly impressed with his team.
“The schedule we’ve set is extremely demanding and we’re still unbeaten,” Riddiough said. “So that says a lot about this group. I think they’ve committed to the defensive shape, to our press, and they’re playing well with it. Really happy with our play so far.”
The match was competitive, as both sides registered six shots, however, Brown led Hofstra three-to-two in shots on goal. Additionally, the Bears controlled a majority of the second frame as they had three shots to Hofstra’s one.
Individually, Hodgson had two shots during the match including her goal. Ellie Gough, Gabriella Marte, and Millie Davies also notched shots. Neither keeper was particularly busy during the match, but Mackenzie Sullivan made two saves.
For the Bears, forward Kira Maguire scored their lone goal in the afternoon and Joy Okonye provided the assist.
Hofstra will be off for a week before heading to Baltimore, Maryland to take on the Loyola University Maryland Greyhounds on Sunday, Sept. 8.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Alexis Friedman
