The Hofstra University women’s lacrosse team remains undefeated in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play with a 22-7 thrashing of the Monmouth University Hawks on Friday, April 12, from James. M Shuart Stadium.
“I’m really proud of them; I’m proud of how we stay composed,” said Hofstra head coach Shannon Smith. “We had some quick stops from caused turnover, but I thought that offensively we were capitalizing on those stops.”
The Pride was on another level coming out the gates, jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and dominating the Hawks on both ends of the field.
Nikki Mennella wasted no time to set the tone, scoring just 39 seconds into the contest.
Hofstra controlled possession throughout the quarter. Two forced turnovers along with seven ground balls fed extra shot opportunities to the Pride, holding a 10-2 advantage in the shots column as the Hawks were outclassed in every aspect.
The Pride’s Taylor Mennella scored a hat trick within the first quarter, while Kerry Walser, Kate Fiola and Melissa Sconone also all found the net in the period.
Hofstra saw major contributions throughout the lineup: Walser led the pack with five goals and two assists. Nikki Mennella, along with her sister Taylor Mennella, had four goals and two assists each. Sconone could do no wrong, finishing with a game-high eight points on three goals while leading all players with five assists.
“They’re letting the game come to them, and they are having a lot of fun playing together,” Smith said. “We’re playing with confidence, we’re practicing hard. We’re doing the little details correct … they’re a really great group and love playing for one another.”
Monmouth showed some signs of life in the second quarter. Caroline Brennan got the Hawks on the board less than a minute into the quarter, but the Pride shut down any ideas of a comeback. Walser, Sconone and Nikki Mennella each scored over the next three minutes to extend the Hofstra lead to 10-1.
Brennan finished with two goals and an assist. Mya Brock led her side of the field with three goals while Danielle McNeely added a goal and an assist.
Brock scored twice in the second quarter, but Monmouth found themselves down 13-4 at halftime. The Pride outscored the Hawks 6-1 coming out of the break, all but sealing the victory before entering the final frame.
The Pride improved to 8-5 on the season with a 5-0 record in CAA play. The Hawks fell to 5-8 overall and 1-5 in conference action.
Both teams will face quick turnarounds, returning to CAA play in just two days. Monmouth will travel to take on Campbell University while Hofstra hits the road to play the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens.
With just three games remaining in conference play, the Pride still has a chance to finish atop the standings.
“We’re just focused on ourselves; we want to be in control of our own destiny,” Smith said. “We’ll enjoy the win the rest of today, but when we go tomorrow, we gotta focus on Delaware.”
Opening draw is scheduled for noon from Tubby Raymond Field at Delaware Stadium.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Matteo Bracco
