On Sunday, Sept. 16, the Hofstra women’s soccer team played Stony Brook University at home and came out victorious 1-0.
The lone goal of the game was scored by sophomore Lucy Porter in the second half.
The game, another installment of the “Long Island Rivalry,” was tightly contested the whole way through, with both teams looking for ways to edge out their opponents and jump out to a lead.
The Pride finished the first half with seven shots taken to the Seawolves’ three, but the two teams were neck-and-neck in both saves and corner kicks. Neither team was able to gain a discernible advantage through the first half and both remained scoreless by halftime.
The Pride seemed to enter the second half with a renewed energy that both teams had lacked throughout the first. They once again outshot their opponents, shooting 10 times in the half while the Seawolves took only three.
Even more impressive was their advantage in corner kicks in the second half, having taken five while not allowing the Seawolves even one attempt.
It was on one of those five corner kicks that the Pride were able to at last put the ball in the net. With just under 20 minutes remaining in the game, sophomore Jordan Littleboy took a corner that landed at senior Madeline Anderson, who earned herself an assist by setting up her teammate Porter for a header past the opposing goalkeeper.
Holding the Seawolves scoreless, the Pride’s own goalkeepers, seniors Jenna Borresen and Ashley Wilson, put on stellar performances, with Borresen raking in two saves and Wilson making one.
With 13 minutes left in the game, however, the Seawolves were in scoring position after a shot bounced off the post and back into their possession. With goalkeeper Wilson not in position to make a save, it seemed that the game was bound to be tied; however, senior Chelsea Steigman made a veteran play to block a shot on goal and prevent Stony Brook from scoring their first goal of the contest.
After the game, Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough was blunt in his comments about the contest. “I think it’s pretty obvious to most people that we are the better team,” Riddiough said when asked about his team’s level of play. “Stony Brook work hard, but it was always going to be a game where, statistically, we were dominant, and that’s what you saw.”
When asked about the team’s prospects heading into league play for their next game, Riddiough was both critical and optimistic of his team. “I thought in reality, looking at the schedule, we would be seven and two at this stage. Losing to Fairfield early in the season wasn’t ideal, but we’re in a good place from a results perspective. I think performance-wise we’re hit-or-miss at times, and we still haven’t clicked. We have some things to relook, but I think we’re in a good place moving into Thursday against Towson [University].”
With the win, the Pride improve their record to six wins and three losses. Their next game marks the beginning of Colonial Athletic Association tournament play for the squad as they take on Towson on Thursday, Sept. 20.
Image courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
