After losing the first four games to start the season, the Pride’s first win of the year came as a 3-1 victory over the Sacred Heart University Pioneers in a hard-fought, aggressive game on Wednesday, Sept. 11. It also improves Hofstra’s all-time record against Sacred Heart to 17-0.
Freshman Mercedes Currie got the scoring started in the first quarter with the first goal of her career to put the Pride up 1-0. That score would hold until the second half.
In the third quarter, junior Jordan Thompson scored her first goal of the season to put Hofstra up 2-0. But Sacred Heart’s Kayla Kruk responded 23 seconds later with her first goal of the season to make it a 2-1 game. Sophomore Ming Doherty also scored a goal in the fourth quarter. Like Currie, it was also the first goal of her career.
Hofstra’s freshman goalie Merlijn van der Vegt recorded five saves. Sacred Heart’s goalie, Hailey Power, recorded 10 saves. Hofstra outshot Sacred Heart 22-17, with sophomore Djuna Slort recording six. Sacred Heart recorded 14 corner penalties while Hofstra had 10.
“Ultimately it was a great team win,” said Hofstra head coach Courtney Veinotte after her first win as Hofstra’s head coach. “Our passing connections were there, it was a great energy, I could feel the energy and the vibe of our team. Very proud of them, the motivation and the grind they’ve endured the past two weeks – they’re very deserving.”
“[The team has] worked harder every day at practice and it’s been really fun. It’s a special win for me but even more so, I’m excited for our players,” Veinotte said. Twenty-three of the 24 rostered players saw game action on Wednesday, which she said was partially because of the heat, but also to try and find a winning combination on the field.
“ “My goal for today was to see if we could get as many people feeling comfortable on the turf as possible,” Veinotte said. “Our program is at a position now that I think people are understanding many different roles and so they’re able to play many different positions. When we’re subbing, we’re not missing a beat with the rotation and that’s something that I’m very proud of. Any day that you can get the most of your team in [the game], that’s a good team win overall.”
Image courtesy of Hofstra Athletcs
