As the last line of defense, the pressure often mounts when foes break through to test your strength. Hofstra soccer’s last lines of defense, however, don’t skip a beat and have been the backbones for their teams’ successes thus far this season. Led by Skylar Kuzmich and Wessel Speel of women’s and men’s soccer, respectively, Hofstra’s defense has been nearly impenetrable this year, and the two are showing no signs of slowing down.

From a young age, Kuzmich and Speel have been serving teams as that last line of defense. Soccer has been embedded in both of them with Kuzmich growing up on the field with her mother, a Division III soccer coach, and Speel playing across the pond; their paths to becoming goalie, however, took different terms.

“When I was about nine, I had a sit down with my doctor and he said that I wasn’t able to run up and down the field like everyone else,” Kuzmich said. “I was sick all the time when I was little because of my asthma, so he said I either have to play soccer without running or play a different sport, so I went into goalkeeping.”

“Around seven or eight [years old] I was rotating between striker and goalie,” Speel said. “I remember that being goalkeeper went well for me as I was getting a lot of saves and lots of compliments, so at one point my club then needed a goalie and I signed up for it.”

A determination to play collegiate soccer at the Division I level, along with other aspects, led both Kuzmich and Speel to play for Hofstra.

“My mom and I put together a list of all the Division I schools because I knew I wanted to play Division I soccer. We crossed off schools based on location, level [and] how big or small the school was,” Kuzmich said. “I was left with a list of 20 [schools] and it was up to me emailing and calling different college coaches. I went to a clinic at Hofstra my sophomore year and they said they were interested, and we kept communicating and I committed.”

“The main thing [was] playing soccer. Playing here [at Hofstra] and playing a lot of matches was a priority for me,” Speel said. “Also, getting an education, learning a new language, meeting new people and being close to New York City were all benefits for me, as well.”

Speel’s first and Kuzmich’s second season with the Pride came in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, where the teams played during the spring season with a shortened schedule. A quick turnaround from a shortened spring season to a regular fall has shown both benefits and challenges for players.

“Obviously, it’s more intense,” Speel said. “We are playing more games now- sometimes two games a week- so it’s pretty tough on the body and I’ve definitely been learning about my body more.”

“It was definitely weird because usually we have half a year to ready for next season, but I kind of liked it. But, then again, I’m not running up and down the field all the time,” Kuzmich said.

The women’s team went unbeaten during the shortened 2020 regular season, but were denied their fourth-straight Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship after Elon University upset the Pride in the semifinals.

“I think all of us were expecting to win CAAs last year and we shouldn’t have done that,” Kuzmich said. “We should go in [to] every game strong, and we didn’t realize that we wouldn’t be handed the game.”

The men’s team went 5-2-3 and earned a trip to the CAA Championship match where they faced James Madison University (JMU). For the third consecutive year, the Pride fell to JMU on penalty kicks, ending Hofstra’s season. This year, the Pride will welcome James Madison to Hofstra with a chance for vengeance.

“It’s definitely a game we look forward to, and seeing them at home is a big chance to show them who we are and avenge the previous years,” Speel said.

A key part of the competitiveness for both programs comes behind the scenes with the cultures built by head coaches Simon Riddiough and Richard Nuttall. Riddiough, in his 16th season as head coach of the women’s soccer team, has amassed five CAA Championships and zero losing seasons. Nuttall is in his 33rd season with four CAA Championships and is the program’s winningest coach.

“There’s a very good culture with the men’s soccer program and it starts with the upper classmen who welcome you like its home,” Speel said. “Coach Nuttall plays a big part of that and he is very focused on the human side, and he tries to have lots of conversations with you and the players for him to understand us, and that’s a big thing for us players.”

“When I got injured [Coach Riddiough] was super understanding. I was injured until two or three weeks into preseason,” Kuzmich said. “He’s super understanding and he keeps things going.”

This season, Hofstra soccer has been unstoppable, posting a nation-best combined record of 19-2 to start the season, with the women’s team at 10-1 and the men at 9-1. The Pride have been outscoring opponents 30-5 on the women’s side and 24-8 on the men.

“We had a tremendous pre-CAA season and that’s going to put a target on our backs,” Kuzmich said. “Even if teams aren’t at our level, they’re going to give 100 percent, because if they beat Hofstra it’s going to [be] great for them. I think we need to just go into every game strong. We were a little off in the Towson [University match] but I think that was a learning lesson.”

The women’s team has pitched seven shutouts this season, including one on the road against then-ranked No. 22 Princeton University. Kuzmich has posted the lowest goals against average in her career, allowing .41 goals per game, down from 1.03 goals per game last season.

“There’s a huge difference between my playing this year and the past few years. I think getting used to college soccer has been part of that. It shouldn’t have taken me this long, but I think [of my] confidence level, I wasn’t very confident as a freshman,” Kuzmich said. “Now, as a junior, my confidence level is much higher so I’m able to direct my team to prevent less shots on me, too. As a whole, our defensive backline has gotten significantly better and is a huge reason why I look better too.”

With 25 saves this season thus far, Kuzmich has surpassed last season’s total of 14 and is just under halfway toward career high in saves.

“[Before matches] I listen to music and I talk to my mom. She likes to give me a pep talk. Then I get in the zone,” Kuzmich said. “I like to visualize different saves I have to make before the game. I go through crosses, breakaways, point-blank shots and things like that. I visualize myself making them so that if it happens in game it’s like muscle memory almost.”

Both teams are breaking barriers this season, the men off to the best 10-match start to a season in program history at 9-1, while also receiving votes to be nationally ranked.

“We are in a good spot. I think that [is] because we know how dangerous of a team we can be when we play according to our identity, which is working hard,” Speel said. “This year we have lots of talent as well, and with those two together we can be really dangerous. I feel like we can beat any team in the nation when we play like that.”

The women’s team continues to climb the national polls, currently sitting at No. 11 in the nation, the highest ranking in school history and highest in the CAA since 1999.

“I think the most important thing for all of us is building a name for Hofstra,” Kuzmich said. “I know when I committed, not a lot of people [had] heard of Hofstra, so building our playing level and winning more games and accolades will build our program up and make it more recognizable for future years. That way, our program can be better for years to come.”

While in the midst of historic seasons, both teams have one goal: winning the CAA Championship.

“The end goal for the team is obviously [to] win the CAA. That is a big one for us because last year we were so close,” Speel said.

“We want to win the CAA,” Kuzmich said. “I think we need to work on smaller goals as well. We need to keep up on our shutouts and our defensive play. If we don’t give up any goals, we aren’t going to lose.”

Anthony Roberts / The Hofstra Chronicle