True freshman goalkeeper Merlijn van der Vegt impressed in her collegiate debut for the Pride in the lone bright spot of the game. The Pride lost their third straight game and third of the season 6-0 against Monmouth University on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
The Utrecht, Netherlands, native made 12 saves, with nine coming in the first half alone, fending off Monmouth shots left and right. She was quick to show herself as an impact player for the Pride, saving four shots in the first quarter. Monmouth took nine shots in a dominant offensive half, with six corners coming in the final four minutes, but van der Vegt kept the game scoreless.
Despite allowing six goals, van der Vegt’s performance was impressive to say the least, as the Pride were constantly on their heels. Monmouth outshot Hofstra 32-6, including a 19-2 split in the first half.
“I’m very proud of her performance,” said head coach Courtney Veinotte. “She is a tough kid, she’s an extremely competitive kid. She’s very skilled and I think we’re gonna see her improve throughout the season.”
Van der Vegt wouldn’t let up, continuing to hold off Monmouth to begin the second quarter. She even made three saves in rapid succession as the Hawks continued to pressure a Hofstra defense that probably had their best showing so far this season.
Monmouth’s Yasmin Pratt struck first, scoring the game’s first goal with six minutes remaining in the half, before Annick van Lange added another goal in the final minute of the quarter as Hofstra entered the break trailing 2-0.
The Hawks would tack on three more goals in the third quarter. Van Lange scored her second of the game to open the half, before Josephine van der Hoop and Stefanie Bigler scored 47 seconds apart from each other to make it 5-0 by the start of the fourth quarter.
A 30-minute lightning delay in the fourth quarter didn’t affect the final 11:33 of the game, as van Lange finished things off with her second goal of the game with 2:51 left.
The Pride’s offense struggled again on Wednesday, unable to gain any momentum. They spent most of the game in their own half of the field fighting off a constant Monmouth attack.
The few opportunities the Pride had were eradicated quickly by the Hawks’ suffocating defense and triangle trap. They rushed two or three players at a time to the ball carrier, giving Hofstra little time to breathe and open up their attack.
Hofstra has been outscored 18-1 through their first three games this season, an issue that plagued the team last year and still hasn’t improved.
When a team has seven new players and a new head coach, problems are certain to arise.
“When you’re in a growing program and a growing team, confidence is something you need to learn,” Veinotte said.
With the loss, Hofstra falls to 0-3 on the season, while Monmouth improves to 2-1.
The Pride will look to build on the solid defensive showing and find their confidence on the offensive side of the ball.
It will be important to see how the Pride will build off their defensive improvements and find their offensive identity as they continue to build chemistry and improve as a team overall.
“At this point, Hofstra needs to focus on Hofstra and connecting with each other and making sure we’re ready for whoever comes next,” Veinotte said.
Image courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
