With under four minutes left of play on Sunday, Oct. 5, the Hofstra University field hockey team fell 3-2 to Columbia University on a penalty stroke goal. The out-of-conference matchup extended the Pride’s losing streak to four games and moved them to 5-6 overall. The Lions now sit above .500 with a 5-4 record on the season.
Hofstra outshot Columbia 11 to nine and were more accurate with six shots on goal compared to the Lions’ five. Margot Houle had a solid performance with four saves. Luci Hollister, Hofstra’s freshman goalkeeper, tallied two saves and conceded three goals on the day.
The Lions played a tough defense and committed 20 fouls, yet the Pride were unable to use this leverage to overtake Columbia.
The Pride fired off the first shot, but the Lions cashed in first. Sophia Abate exploded toward the goal and found the back of the net for the fourth time this season just six minutes into the first quarter. Columbia penetrated Hofstra’s defense through the first with two more shots but were off target.
Columbia took a two-point advantage in the early minutes of the second quarter. Nicole Campolattaro found Delfina Gonzalez Lobo peeling to the goal. Gonzalez Lobo smacked the ball past Hollister to take a 2-0 lead.
Playing from behind, the Pride battled to get back into the game. They drew two corners and two shots before Kelly Levengood took a shot that was deflected. She grabbed her own rebound and put it into the back of the net to cut the deficit to one.
Both teams were held scoreless throughout the third quarter. The momentum was with Hofstra all throughout the third. Pilar Penaloza took a shot on goal, but it was pushed away by Houle. Jaime Lewis took the second shot on goal in the third, and Houle continued to be unfazed by the Hofstra offense. The Pride’s defense was sharp and allowed no shots throughout the quarter.
Teresa Karoff came through with the equalizer for the Pride on a penalty corner. Gwenn van Dijk and Kesia Richardson found Karoff open in front of the goal. Karoff’s shot ricocheted off Houle and into the net.
Columbia pulled ahead with just four minutes left on the clock. After being held off the shot sheet by the Hofstra defense for twenty minutes, the Lions caught a break on a penalty stroke. Jacinta Solari Etcheberry, Columbia’s leading scorer, won the one-on-one against Hollister.
Late theatrics made it seem that the Pride tied the game with just 35 seconds left to play. Kristi Santos took the insert on the corner and found van Dijk. Van Dijk quickly turned on the ball and found the net. The goal was quickly waved off due to high-sticking and Columbia ran away with the win.
The Pride face another non-conference opponent at Fairfield University on Friday, Oct. 10. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.
