The Hofstra University women’s soccer team defeated the Northeastern University Huskies 1-0 on Sunday, Oct. 1, to improve to 8-3-1 overall and 5-1-1 in conference play. The Huskies fall to 5-2-4 overall and 3-1-3 in conference play.
“I was somewhat disappointed in the performance but good with the result,” said Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough. “First half, we should have been a bit more clinical, and then we had two or three really, really good chances to put the game to bed, and we didn’t. When you keep a good team, a well-coached team, in the game for as long as we did, it becomes clumsy, ugly and scary. I thought it was going to be 1-1 in the end because they are good enough to put balls in the box. So, we got away with a win.”
Hofstra scored in the 34th minute when sophomore forward Wiktoria Fronc and junior forward Mathilde Braithwaite combined at the top of the box before Braithwaite played a lucky ball through for Fronc. One touch and a strike past goalkeeper Holland Stam marked Fronc’s fourth goal of the season.
The Pride’s defense played a huge role in their win. After a foul was called on Hofstra, the Huskies lined up for a free kick at the edge of the box. Midfielder Jessie Hunt took the initial kick, which bounced off the four women wall to deflect back to her, where she took another shot that was blocked and cleared out of play.
“Our back four has been playing phenomenal,” Riddiough said. “We limited this team today to hopeful balls in the box. I thought Lousie [Hayden] was our best player today. Really happy with the back four.”
Stam played a big part in keeping the match 1-0. From a Hofstra corner, Stam missed the initial ball in the air until graduate defender Cailey Welch went to head the ball into the empty net. Stam came out of nowhere and saved the ball, keeping the game at 1-0.
Hofstra played with extra ferocity, as seen in the two yellow cards and one red card the team was issued throughout the match. Junior midfielder Olivia Pearse was issued the first one in the 58th minute, and then in the 59th minute, sophomore midfielder Dagny Run Petursdottir received one as well.
In 85th minute, Petursdottir went into a tackle with a Northeastern player for a fifty-fifty ball when the referee gave her a second yellow card, therefore resulting in a red card. Hofstra was down to ten players for the remaining five minutes.
The Pride finished with 18 total shots on goal and five on target while the Huskies had nine total shots and one on goal.
Graduate student goalkeeper Skylar Kuzmich had a quiet day, as she only needed to make one save while Stam made four.
Hofstra had 11 corner kicks compared to Northeastern’s two.
The Pride return to the pitch on Thursday, Oct. 5, as they travel to Hampton, Virginia, to face the Hampton University Pirates. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.
Photo courtesy of Alexis Friedman/Hofstra Athletics
