On Sunday, Sept. 3, the Hofstra University women’s soccer team kicked off their home opener with a 1-0 win against the Saint Joseph’s University Hawks at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.
The Pride improved to 3-1 on the season. Prior to the start of the game, Hofstra was recognized for winning their second straight Coastal Athletic Conference (CAA) title.
Despite the low-scoring game in 90-degree weather, the Pride were on the front foot all game.
“As with everything this season, it’s going to be a battle. I thought the performance was good. I thought we pressed well, worked hard, and we played with intensity under extreme weather conditions. It was really hot,” head coach Simon Riddiough said. “I can’t question the endeavor this team showed, so I’m pretty happy with how we worked and pretty happy we got some extra people some minutes and now we get ready for conference play.”
Midfielder Wiktoria Fronc’s goal in the 62nd minute was the game-changer. Forward Mathilde Braithwaite received the ball on the flank before she dribbled into the box. She took a long touch to get past her defender before she passed the ball to the middle of the box for midfielder Millie Davies, who tried to sneak the ball into the net, but it was blocked. Fronc happened to be in the right place at the right time as she took one touch off the rebound to bury the ball in the net.
With an injury that sidelined graduate student Skylar Kuzmich for the first few games of the season, she finally made her first appearance in goal.
“It was a preset decision because Skylar’s been injured all year so far, and Mackenzie has done a fantastic job as a debutant,” Riddiough said. “We’ve been really happy with Mackenzie’s effort and performances. It’s just we’ve just got somebody who has played 85 Division One college games, and it would be pretty disappointing from a college coach not to give that chance to our back four to have that experience. We felt as long as Skylar was cleared to go, and she was, she’s going to play that second half.”
It didn’t seem like Kuzmich had been sidelined as she made a crucial save to keep the Pride with the 1-0 lead. Midfielder Natalie Nevins took a shot for the Hawks from outside the box. As the ball came in, Kuzmich jumped up to tip the ball onto the crossbar and back into play. The follow-up shot from Saint Joseph’s soared high.
Hofstra finished the match with 16 total shots on goal and three on target. The Hawks had seven total, with only one on target. Goalkeeper Mackenzie Sullivan wasn’t tested in the matchup, but Kuzmich made one save. Goalkeeper Katie Cappelletti made two saves for the Hawks.
Midfielder Dagny Run Petursdottir led the team with four total shots, while Davies, midfielder Aimee Hodgson and forward Thorhildur Thorhallsdottir each had three.
Hofstra returns home on Sunday, Sept. 10, to face Campbell University in their first-ever matchup. This begins CAA play, and kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Jon Weiss
