The Hofstra Pride opened the fall season with a 3-2 win over the Fairleigh-Dickinson University (FDU) Knights on Thursday, August 18. The Pride’s new record stands at 1-0, marking Hofstra’s fifth consecutive season-opening win. This game also marks an all-time 9-0-1 record against the Knights.
“Excited for the new intro,” said Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough as he started his seventeenth season at the helm of the team with a win. “Exciting for us now because we came away with a win.”
Hofstra was the first to leave a mark on the scoreboard, scored by freshman midfielder Thorhildur Thorhallsdottir in the 18’ of the first half, assisted by freshman midfielder Dagny Run Petursdottir.
With all three starting midfielders only in their first year with the Pride, Riddiough expressed how impressed he was after their first performance.
“The good thing is that we’ve got that winning mentality still,” said Riddiough.
Only in the second half did the Pride’s defense begin to give way. Hofstra goalkeeper Skylar Kuzmich fell for a fake shot and stumbled a few feet in front of the goalpost, literally leaving room for sophomore forward Aitana Martinez-Montoya’s goal to score. The unassisted goal was in the 70’, starting the next 20 minutes of score-trading.
Following a corner kick, the Pride’s Anja Suttner netted a goal right from the goalie’s doorstep in the 76’ to regain the lead. Fairleigh-Dickinson gave Hofstra a taste of their own medicine when they did the exact same motion, executed by sophomore forward Kiomy Luperon and assisted by graduate student Lea Egner in the 83’. Luperon’s first career goal made it a tied game for the second time in the evening.
Out of nowhere, thanks to Eila Wennerhold’s clutch timing, Ellen Halseth launched the third and final goal of the night via a header in the 88’ right behind FDU goalie Malene Neilsen’s back. After that, it was a matter of letting time run out to secure the victory.
Kuzmich did not have any saves this game, but the Pride did have an incredibly proactive forward team. While the Pride scored three from a dozen shots on goal, Coach Riddiough gave the Knights’ goalie a shoutout and explained how that was intrinsic to Hofstra’s motivation to keep pushing.
“[Fairleigh-Dickinson] had a charmed goalie today, I thought she played really well,” Riddiough said. “I thought it kept [Hofstra] in the game.”
Hofstra’s next game is against the Yale University Bulldogs on Sunday, August 28, at 4 p.m. at the Reese Stadium in New Haven, Connecticut.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
