By Kirsten McKenna
The fire-breathing Dragons of Drexel exhaled down the visiting Pride’s necks on Sun. Sept. 23, defeating the Hofstra women’s field hockey team 2-0 in both teams’ CAA season debut at Buckley Field. With the loss to Drexel, the Pride’s record falls to 4-5 overall, and 0-1 in conference play.
According to head coach Kathy De Angelis, Drexel did not wait to attack in Sunday’s game. In response to defeat, De Angelis said, “Drexel came out well- prepared and did a fantastic job: they capitalized on our mistakes, and won the game within the first six minutes.”
Though the Dragons maintained a primarily strong offense at the beginning of the game, the Drexel defense pinned down the Hofstra offense, allowing only five shots on goal throughout Sunday’s entire game. Goalie Colleen McAndrew saved three shots on goal and won in a shutout.
When asked about Sunday’s loss to Drexel, a team that she refers to as a “rough and talented competitor,” Brit Blankmeyer, an explosive forward and leading scorer for the Pride, said, “Drexel was a complete team and had great communication as a whole. It was hard to defend that.”
Communication between Emily Horvat and Amanda Kicera was clear, as Horvat converted Kicera’s pass to score at the 4:54 mark of the first half. Within approximately two minutes of scoring her first goal, Horvat assisted Susan Ciufo as she scored on Krisha Giammarco, allowing the Dragons to take a 2-0 lead within the first seven minutes.
Saving three goals and allowing two scores in the first half, Giammarco left the game at halftime when Nadine Surak came into the net for the duration of regulation. Although the entire Hofstra team had a better second half, senior defender Shannon Alexander admitted that the Dragons took them by surprise in what was a crucial conference game. “Drexel came full force and shook us right away, they were able to connect and pass better than us,” said Alexander.
The first half goals scored by Ciufo and Horvat were the only two that the Hofstra defense would allow, but the Pride was beaten in other aspects of the game. Drexel held an 18-5 shooting advantage over Hofstra, and edged the Pride 7-1 in penalty corners.
The Pride, who now fall under the .500 mark for the second time in the regular season, have realized that it has been difficult to maintain consistency after their opponents score. Aware that her teammates are well poised and skilled, Blankmeyer said, “When we’re in warm-up, look at us, and look at the other team, we’re more talented individually.”
With the loss to Drexel behind them, the field hockey team enters practice this week in anticipation of match-ups with CAA powerhouses such as James Madison and Virginia Commonwealth. Determined to succeed this weekend, Alexander said, “We’re going to practice harder and work on communication. The loss to Drexel has motivated us. We can’t lose, we have to win.”
Senior defender Shannon Alexander looks on during a Pride practice. The field hockey team dropped their CAA opener against Drexel after topping Quinnipiac. (Natalie Placek)