On a chilly night at Hofstra Soccer Stadium, the Hofstra women’s soccer team improved to 8-4 on the season with a 1-0 win over the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens. They were able to successfully bounce back from a tight loss against James Madison University to improve to 2-1 on the Colonial Athletic Association schedule. The Blue Hens fell to 2-8-1 on the season and 1-2 in conference play.
The first half was controlled almost entirely by the Pride. Head coach Simon Riddiough was impressed by their start, saying that they were “exciting, electric and dynamic.”
The team went out and proved every bit of that statement. They controlled the pitch, making it so that Delaware could barely get the ball in an attacking position. When they were able to attack, Hofstra’s defense locked it down, with goalie Jenna Borresen only having to make one save for the entire half. They kept Delaware on the defensive and kept Delaware goalie Cali Loeffler active, as she had to make four saves on 11 total shots, five of which were on goal.
Hofstra was able to connect on their lone goal of the game late in the first half with just over a minute left. The goal was the first of the career for freshman Miri Taylor, who headed in a cross by Lucy Porter.
Along with her first goal, Taylor made her mark all over the game, both offensively and defensively. She had five total shots, three of which were on goal, and was consistently in the mix on plays. This match almost doubled her season total of six shots. Her aggressiveness and ability to impact the game could come in handy for the Pride this season and for years to come.
The half wasn’t all good, however, as there was an injury scare for both teams when Delaware’s Riley Dixon and Hofstra’s Madeline Anderson connected on a brutal collision, sending Anderson to the turf. Fortunately, both were able to return and Riddiough confirmed that there was no serious damage to Anderson, just a bump on her head.
The second half proved nearly dangerous for the Pride, as Delaware came out aggressive and Hofstra seemed somewhat flat-footed. The Blue Hens gained control of the pitch for most of the half and were able to put a lot of pressure on second-half goalie Ashley Wilson. In the second half alone, Delaware was able to add seven shots and six corner kicks, giving Wilson and the back four of Hofstra a tough challenge.
Despite all the attempts, including a corner kick within the last four minutes, they held tough and didn’t allow a goal. Wilson recorded three saves.
This was Hofstra’s fourth clean sheet in the last five games; of those last five, the team only allowed one goal in their single game without a clean sheet. This is the fifth clean sheet for Hofstra this season. Aside from a five-goal outing against sixth-ranked University of Virginia, the Pride have yet to let up more than two goals in a game.
The Pride look to continue their stingy defense and wonderful team play into their next game against the University of North Carolina Wilmington Seahawks on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 12 p.m. They look to improve to 3-1 on the conference schedule. Their next home game will be against the Northeastern University Huskies on Thursday, Oct. 4.
Image courtesy of Cam Keough
