Following their ninth straight losing season, the Hofstra University field hockey team is looking to change the narrative in 2024. The Pride went 6-12 overall and only won a single conference game in 2023. Now with a more veteran lineup and Hillary Fitts as the new head coach, the Pride hopes to make strides to improve.
In Fitts’ four seasons as associate head coach at the College of William and Mary, the Tribe was ranked in the NCAA’s top 20 in 2019 and won the Coastal Athletic Conference (CAA) Championship in 2023.
Hofstra University Vice President and Director of Athletics, Rick Cole Jr., spoke highly of Fitts when she was hired on March 15.
“[Fitts] has been successful at every level of her career, both academically and athletically, and we are confident that she will be an incredible mentor for the Pride field hockey team in the years to come,” Cole said.
Fitts has spent the last six months changing the identity of the team to match the new and exciting style of play that will be featured this season.
“There is versatility to a lot of the players on the team,” Fitts said. “I do believe they can all play more than one position. I’m hoping that with the talented personnel we have, we can play a style that caters to them on the field. That should bring a nice and refreshing side to how we play.”
Last season, the Pride ranked last in the CAA in goals per game at 1.58 and Samantha Spera, Hofstra’s lead scorer, graduated left a hole in the Pride’s front line.
“I’m hoping to have a combo offense this year depending on where we gain possession of the ball,” Fitts said. “If we gain possession near the attacking half of the field I want to play a controlled, possession-based attack that tries to gain lots of corners. If we get possession on our defensive half of the field, I still want to be deadly in transition like we were last year.”
For the team to improve on the field, Fitts admitted she was not shy about changing players’ positions to get the right results. Defender Teresa Karoff has been getting extended practice time at forward. And preseason All-CAA selection Tara McNally might return to her roots on the back line after playing midfield a year ago.
“[McNally] brings leadership and experience having played both positions,” Fitts said. “She’s so versatile. She’s really stepped into a role to do right by her teammates, but also challenges them to get better.”
In her playing career at Fairfield University, Fitts played attack, midfield and defense, which led to her proficient understanding of playing every position.
McNally was not alone in earning All-CAA preseason honors as junior goaltender Pieke Roos also earned the honor for the second time in her career.
Roos looks to build off an impressive sophomore campaign where she ranked No. 7 nationally in save percentage at .784.
“She’s not so in your face or too nonchalant in the net,” Fitts said. “Her field hockey IQ is very high and she’s able to vocalize what she needs the defense in front of her to do. I’m excited to see how the unit plays with another year under their belts together.”
Kesia Richardson, Jamie McMillan, Karissa Hough and Karoff return to Hofstra as the team’s starting defenders. The four defenders in conjunction with Roos allowed just 2.06 goals per game last season, good for third-best in the CAA.
“I think the defense can do a lot of things,” Fitts said. “With the experience we have they should be able to help move the team forward fluidly through breakouts and step up to make stops. They have a very high baseline but their ceiling is higher. It’s a matter of getting better and better throughout the season.”
The Pride returned even more players on the front line who saw significant field time a year ago.
“Every season has felt like a rollercoaster,” said senior forward Simryn Desai. “Now our team is finally an older team, we’ve been a younger team for so long. Now we finally have that experience to have one season that keeps getting better. That would be incredible for us.”
Desai’s offensive production was a microcosm of the team last season. The New Jersey native did not record a single point despite having numerous golden opportunities. Regardless of rough patches through the years, players feel committed to the Pride now more than ever.
“A big thing on our team is being contagious,” Desai said. “If you’re contagious in a good mood, it’ll spread around the team. We’re challenging each other to keep this mindset. It’s been our mentality this preseason.”
Hofstra was picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in the preseason CAA poll with 10 points, only finishing in front of Towson University. With all the major shakeups, Hofstra could find themselves competing against the top teams in the conference.
“The unspoken end goal is to win a conference championship,” Fitts said. “We know only one team wins it every year. We’ve been talking about how to make each other better. The goal of this program is to dedicate yourself to the game and learn how to play with your friends at the highest level. If we get to do that while growing as people, it’ll be a successful season.”
The field hockey team opens the 2024 season on Sunday, Sept. 1, against Old Dominion University at the newly renamed Cindy Lewis Stadium.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Alexis Friedman
