By Stacy Troiano
The women’s soccer team took its high-powered offense and stifling defense on the road this weekend for a pair of conference games in the south. After coming back to beat Georgia State 2-1 on Friday, the Pride handily took care of UNC-Wilmington, downing the Seahawks 2-0 on Sunday and returning home with two more CAA wins under their belt.
The wins push the Pride record to 11-2 on the season and 5-1 in the CAA, good enough to seat them second in the conference behind 5-0-1 James Madison.
The Pride controlled the ball and dominated possession against UNC-W, never allowing the Seahawks to gain any momentum or tempo; something Hofstra has plagued opponents with all season.
“There’s no secret, it’s all about talent,” head coach Simon Riddiough said. “If you’ve got talent, you’re going to be successful in that, and this year we have a lot of players who are technically gifted and can control the ball under pressure. When you have a full team of that level of players, you’re going to be able to dictate tempo.”
The Pride struck first on Sunday, when midway through the first half, senior forward Brooke DeRosa took a perfect through ball from midfielder Diane Caldwell and chipped a shot past Wilmington goalie Emily Pratt to put Hofstra up 1-0. The goal was DeRosa’s eighth of the season and brought her CAA-best point total to 21, with five assists to go along with her eight goals.
Early in the second half, senior defender Sue Weber lined up a free kick and served it into the box. Midfielder Edel Malone got a head on it to flick it towards a waiting Qaroline Nahl, who was able to beat Pratt in front of the net. Nahl’s second goal of the year put the Pride up for good at 2-0.
From then on, the Pride would settle in to its defensive game, allowing UNC-W only one shot in the second half. Hofstra finished with a 12-11 edge in shots. Junior goalie Krystal Robens made three saves in recording her fifth shutout of the season. Robens now has a 0.8 goals against average and a save percentage of .79.
Riddiough was impressed with his team’s efforts on Sunday.
“We were playing against a very fast, athletic, good Wilmington team who are pretty organized, and who are aggressive and physical,” he said. “The fact that we matched all of their strengths with our athleticism and fitness; and that by the end of the game we looked very fit and they looked tired, that was the most impressive aspect of it.”
“To look so fit and energetic after the second game shows the kids have been working hard and really dedicating themselves,” Riddiough added.
According to Riddiough, what’s the most impressive thing about the season so far?
“Winning 11 games already,” he said. “We’ve surpassed last year’s total and we’ve only played half the games basically.”
Last year, the Pride finished with a record of 9-8-2, and missed the CAA playoffs just one year after winning the title. But Riddiough said he sees a different team this year, and it’s one more to add to the list of things that have impressed the head coach about his team so far.
“The team are really playing for each other, and when I say team, I mean the whole squad,” Riddiough said. “They really understand their roles fantastically, and when you get everyone on the same page understanding their roles, you’re going to be successful, and that’s what this team’s got.”
On Friday against Georgia State, the Pride exhibited its resiliency once again, mounting its third comeback of the year after trailing 1-0 with under 20 minutes to play. Sophomore back Jess Crankshaw assisted on goals by Erika Fuertes and Edel Malone in the final 20 minutes of play to seal the comeback win. The goal by Fuertes was her first of the season, and she became the 14th different goal-scorer of the year for the Pride, which set a new school record.
As with every week in the CAA, the Pride have little time to rest, as they face another daunting task this weekend with home games against James Madison and VCU. Friday night’s game against James Madison will be the battle for first place in the conference. The Dukes are undefeated in CAA play this season and are 12-1-1 overall.
Edel Malone and the women’s soccer team have taken the CAA by storm, putting them in position to make a run at James Madison and the conference crown. (Kyle Martel)