The Hofstra Pride women’s lacrosse team dropped its conference matchup against Drexel University on Wednesday, April 13, at Vidas Field. The Pride was outmatched, losing by a score of 18-7.
Hofstra fell to 7-6 on the season and 1-2 in conference play, while Drexel improved to 8-6 overall and 3-1 in conference action.
Hofstra’s Arianna Esposito got the scoring going with a free-position goal at 13:12 in the first quarter, her 17th goal of the season. Drexel responded with back-to-back goals at the 10-minute mark, both by Lucy Schneidereith and assisted from Corinne Bednarik. Taylor Mennella tied the game at two with 5:15 left in the quarter, before Amanda Guerra brought the Pride back with a one-point lead, 3-2. Drexel closed out the first quarter strong, adding two more scores to take a slim 4-3 advantage going into the second.
It was all Drexel in the second period, with the Dragons outscoring Hofstra 9-1. The Dragons used a balance attack to take a commanding lead, with five different players reaching the back of the net. The Pride stopped the bleeding with a goal by Erin Demek with 1:17 left to play. One last score by Drexel helped the Dragons take a 13-4 lead going into the break.
Hofstra looked to grab some sort of momentum, with Mennella notching her second goal of the day to trail 13-5. That hope did not last long, however, as Drexel quickly responded one minute later with a score of their own, leading 14-5. Hofstra added one more goal in the third quarter from Katie Kelly with 9:49 left, but the Dragons continued to close out quarters strong, adding two more goals to go ahead 16-6.
It looked to be too big of a hill to climb for the Pride, with Drexel scoring two more times in the fourth quarter. Hofstra added one last goal, this time by Emily Weigand, who grabbed her first career goal off an assist by Kyndall Jackson with 10:39 left to play. The final buzzer sounded as the Dragons took home the double-digit victory, 18-7.
Drexel held a 10-shot advantage over the Pride, putting up 28 shots on goal compared to 18 by Hofstra. Turnovers were an issue for Hofstra, giving the ball over to the Dragons 13 times, while Drexel only had seven on the day.
Bednarik and Karson Harris each had four goals for Drexel, with Bednarik also putting up six assists and eight draw controls. Goalkeeper Zoe Bennett posted 11 saves.
Jess Smith made 10 saves for the Pride. Shannon Boyle led the way with four draw controls and two ground balls. Courtney Carollo and Megan Flannery added three draw controls apiece.
Hofstra will look to bounce back on Saturday, April 16, when the Pride returns home at James M. Shuart Stadium to host Towson University.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
