Hofstra women’s soccer saw their NCAA Division I Tournament run come to a close on Friday night, Nov. 16, as they were defeated by the University of Wisconsin Badgers 6-0 in Salinas, California.

The main culprit to the Pride’s defeat was Dani Rhodes, who put in four goals for the Badgers.

The Pride was immediately challenged by Wisconsin’s offense, as Alexis Tye scored the contest’s first goal just one minute into the match. Hofstra had trouble scoring despite some excellent opportunities from freshman Miri Taylor, who took five shots with three being on goal. Sabrina Bryan and Bella Richards each took two shots of their own.

Even after a tightly contested first half in which the Pride and Badgers took eight shots each and finished with three and four saves respectively, Hofstra found themselves in a 2-0 hole at halftime. They were unable to come back from the deficit in the following period, as the Badgers ran away with the lead.

Hofstra finished the match with 13 shots taken, while Wisconsin took 18. This same five-goal difference between the teams carried over to shots on goal, with Hofstra taking six to Wisconsin’s 11. The Badgers’ superior play was also shown in the final stats through corner kicks taken, as they finished with nine while the Pride only managed four.

Despite the Pride normally splitting time in goal between their two goalies, Ashley Wilson guarded the net and had her hands full the whole night. She allowed six goals and finished with five saves.

This game signifies the end of a remarkable season for the Pride in which they captured their second consecutive Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship, which gave them the berth into the NCAA Tournament. They also surpassed the first round, which was where their journey ended last season. They appeared in the second round for only the fourth time in program history.

“We’ve grown, and that’s all you want to see as a coach,” Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough said. “You want to see growth from the first day to the last and ultimately that’s what we’ve done this year. We’ve set our goals, we’ve reached our goals and we just need to get better for the next year.”

Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics