The Hofstra University field hockey team suffered a 2-0 shutout, its third consecutive loss, to the Drexel University Dragons in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) game on Friday, Oct. 21. The Pride’s record falls to 6-9 on the season and 1-4 in conference play.
Drexel dominated in all facets of the game. The first goal came within five minutes of gameplay. Eline Di Leva dribbled her way to the net and shot one past Merlijn van der Vegt.
The Dragons applied even more pressure with back-to-back corners, where Tina Rawa shot one wide and then had a shot blocked by van der Vegt’s pad.
Shortly after, two more Drexel penalties occurred where van der Vegt registered two more of their nine total saves. The Dragons were all over the Pride in the first period, not allowing a single shot from the Hofstra offense.
In the second period, the Pride got their first shot attempt of the game. Cami Larsson shot wide of the net after a strong drive from midfield in an attempt to even the score.
Drexel continued to challenge van der Vegt with two more corners to end the first half. Their sliding save near the tail end kept the deficit at one.
The Pride was rewarded with their first penalty corner of the match in the first few minutes of the second half. Jamie Mc Millan received the corner and shot it right at Drexel defender Stephanie Oleykowski, so Dragon goalie Megan Hadfield was not tested in this game.
Mc Millan got another shot at tying the game with another penalty corner, but it went wide of the net. Later in the period, the Dragons tallied three penalty corners in an attempt to run up the score. Van der Vegt voided these attempts with another sliding save.
The third period closed with a Mc Millan save from a Rawa shot attempt. The Pride improved in the third period, registering two more shots and two penalty corners.
Drexel came out firing in the fourth period. Di Leva made an impressive drive to the net and tried to outstretch van der Vegt, but their lunging save was too good for the attacker.
The Dragons fired three more shots at van der Vegt, and they saved two but the third managed to slip by them. The goal came when two consecutive saves resulted in a rebound shot netted by Natali Foster for a 2-0 lead.
The Dragons didn’t let up after this goal; Bri O’Donnell’s shot just three minutes later was saved by van der Vegt. The Pride had a last-ditch effort to salvage the game in the closing seconds, but Larsson couldn’t get it past the Dragon defender.
Drexel dominated the Pride the entire matchup with 18 total shots to Hofstra’s four. The Pride achieved just two penalty corners; meanwhile the Dragons attempted 12. This is now the third game where the Pride has been shut out.
The Pride’s next appearance is in Newark, Delaware to take on the University of Delaware Blue Hens on Sunday, Oct. 23, at noon. This will be the second to last game in the schedule for the Pride, and they are on the outside looking in for the CAA playoffs.
Photo courtesy of Alexis Friedman/The Hofstra Chronicle
