The Hofstra women’s lacrosse team did not hold back during its matinee match against Wagner College on Tuesday, March 8, at James M. Shuart Stadium, defeating the Seahawks by a final score of 13-6.
Pride captain Katie Whelan won the game’s opening draw, setting up attacker Arianna Esposito, who put Hofstra on the scoreboard just 74 seconds into the game.
The first quarter closed with Hofstra ahead 4-0, as Taylor Menella tacked on her 13th goal of the year while Whelan netted two of her own.
No amount of swooping cross-field passes or quick passes right on goalie Jess Smith’s doorstep could have helped the Seahawks catch up to the Pride, as she stopped six of nine shots on goal in the game.
“Jess is playing really well in the cage,” said Hofstra head coach Shannon Smith. “She had another standout game today. She’s playing some really great goaltending for us.”
The second quarter was tame compared to the first. The Pride was especially coordinated, most noticeably with defensive player Brynn Hepting transferring the ball away from the net and ahead to her teammates down the field.. Only at the very end of the quarter did the Pride strike again, with Whelan scoring her third goal of the game. Midfielder Kate Fiola added on another goal with 35 seconds left on the clock, bringing the score to 7-1 Hofstra.
The Seahawks gave the Pride plenty of pushback in the third quarter, scoring five of their six goals of the day.
“When you have a lead like that, it’s just kind of resetting yourself,” Shannon Smith said. “Knowing that the team is going to come out harder.”
Although Hofstra started off strong, dominating the first quarter and then scoring first in this period, Wagner got a second wind and scored three unanswered goals. Hofstra caught a break when Mennella scored a free position goal, but Wagner still had more to come. In the last 90 seconds of the quarter, the Seahawks had closed the point gap with the score 9-6.
In the fourth quarter, the momentum was back on Hofstra’s side, as Grace Langella scored 58 seconds into the quarter.
“We [had] our opportunity to respond in the fourth quarter,” Shannon Smith said. “We played some really locked down [defense], and … Langella had some big goals.”
The women’s lacrosse team now has a four-game winning streak, bringing their season record to 5-1. The Pride’s next face-off will be against the Marist College Red Foxes on Saturday, March 12, at 1 p.m. at Tenney Stadium in Poughkeepsie, NY.
