The Hofstra University women’s lacrosse team saw their season end in an 18-9 beatdown by the Drexel University Dragons in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tournament semi-final on Thursday, May 2, at LaValle Stadium.
The Pride were forced onto their back foot early, trailing 9-1 after the first quarter in a nightmarish start as the Dragons jumped all over the Hofstra defense from the opening draw.
“Obviously, not the way we wanted our season to end, but just super proud of our team and everything we were able to accomplish this year from the journey we’ve been on from September,” said Hofstra head coach Shannon Smith. “I couldn’t be more proud of our team. The growth we had from last season to this season, the things that we accomplished and goals that we achieved, I think that’s remarkable and it’s stuff we can build upon going into next year.”
That first quarter was the difference maker, as Hofstra held their own the rest of the way with Drexel outscoring the Pride 9-8 in the remaining three quarters.
“They were resilient. They played with a lot of heart, they were tough,” Smith said. “We had to be dominant on the draw controls and try to keep it 50-50, and their goalie is very good, she had a great season. At the end of the day, they had a stronger quarter one and started off fast and it was hard for us to make up from there, but I thought our team played with a lot of heart and were really resilient out there on the field.”
Corinne Bednarik had a stellar showing for the Dragons, dishing out nine assists, one of three Drexel players to score a hat trick, Allison Drake and Molly Weygand being the other two. The trio got Drexel in front early on, each grabbing their first goals within the first four minutes of play.
Drexel’s Jenika Cuocco continued to be a thorn in Hofstra’s side, recording 13 saves, after a 15-save performance when these teams met five days earlier.
Kristen Redding was one of a few bright spots for the Pride, leading her side with four points on three goals and an assist. Lauren Coletti chipped in two goals as well as Hofstra couldn’t find any answers to Cuocco.
“With 10 freshmen, a lot was asked of them,” Smith said. “Kristen Redding out there on the offensive side of the field did a really great job for us.”
The Pride would not have been in this game in the first place without Kerry Walser and Melissa Sconone. The duo have been the motor to the Pride’s offense this season, and Drexel made it a point to limit their contributions as Hofstra’s top two leading goal scorers were held to one goal each, both coming in the latter half of the fourth quarter.
“[Walser] put a lot of work in and she had a tremendous season,” Smith said. “It was the best season that we’ve seen from Kerry and just really proud of her, she left it all out on the field. Sconone brought a lot of leadership on and off the field. [Drexel was] just playing some great one-on-one defense, sliding early. I think we started to wear them down a little bit in the fourth quarter. Hats off to them, and a job well done.”
An early goalkeeper switch was made in the second quarter when Casey Phelps subbed in for Luchianna Cardello. The Dragons scored 11 goals on Cardello, but Phelps gave the Pride a spark off the bench, slowing down Drexel as much as possible the final three frames.
“Casey did a great job, not an easy time to come in,” Smith said. “[She] made some clutch saves for us to give us some momentum going in the second, third and fourth quarters. Really proud of Casey for stepping in and being able to do that.”
The Pride finished off their season with a 9-8 record after going 7-2 in CAA play, a five-win improvement from last season. On the flip side of the field, Drexel improves to 13-4 and marches ahead in the CAA tournament where they took on the defending champions, the Stony Brook Seawolves, on Saturday, May 4.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/George Faella
