HEMPSTEAD, NY — The Hofstra women’s soccer team defeated the visiting James Madison University Dukes by a score of 3-1 on Thursday Oct. 10 to increase their unbeaten streak to nine games.
The Pride maintained its position as the only team in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) to stay unbeaten in conference play, as they boosted their record within the conference to 4-0-1. The team also currently holds the best regular season record in the conference, with a record of 10-3-1.
The match featured a Pride offense that dictated the pace of play for much of the contest. Anja Suttner, Sabrina Bryan and Lucy Porter all scored. All three goals were scored in the first half of this 2018 CAA championship rematch.
“I think today you saw the offensive firepower we’ve got,” said Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough.
Suttner’s goal came 12 minutes into the game, when she took a pass from Jordan Littleboy and put a shot between two defenders and into the bottom corner of the net. The goal was just the second of Suttner’s career with the Pride as a freshman defender.
Five minutes later, Bryan took a pass from Lucy Shepherd, rushed past the JMU defenders and placed a perfect kick that sent the ball past the Dukes’ freshman goalkeeper Alexandra Blom, who came too far out of the net to defend the shot. Bryan’s fifth goal of the year put Hofstra up 2-0 early.
The final score of the match for Hofstra came from Porter, who corralled a pass from Littleboy inside the box and created space from her defender, allowing her to chip it just inside the goalpost to extend Hofstra’s lead to 3-1.
With her 12th goal this season, Porter has already surpassed her total goals scored from last year, and she has tied Elyse Bizzozaro for seventh place on the Pride’s all-time scoring list. She also made her way into the top 10 in all-time points recorded for Hofstra.
The lone goal for the Dukes came in the 32nd minute, as Haley Crawford took a corner kick that curled into the net for an unassisted goal. Ginger Deel led JMU in shots as she took five.
Hofstra goalkeeper Skylar Kuzmich had one save in the match against just two shots on goal, while Blom, who started in goal for the first time for the Dukes, made 10 saves in the loss. The Pride outshot the Dukes 14-3 in the first half, and the team’s stout defense kept the ball from Hofstra’s box for much of the night.
“Our back four, commanded by Suttner, is fantastic, and she’s a tremendous little player,” Riddiough said.
The Pride looks to continue its nine-match undefeated streak on Oct. 13 when they travel to Delaware for another CAA match.
Image courtesy of Adam Flash
