One of two first round contests in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship tournament in Elon, North Carolina, saw the No. 2 seed Hofstra women’s soccer team move on to the finals with a 1-0 victory over the No. 3 James Madison University (JMU) Dukes.

Hofstra ran the show during the first half, firing 13 shots while keeping JMU without a shot throughout the entire half. It wasn’t a typical JMU first half, as during their season-closing winning streak they outscored their opponents 5-1 in first halves. In the second half, the Dukes pushed back more and conceded significantly less shots, but it wasn’t enough to stop fifth-year Lucy Shepherd from scoring her fourth career playoff goal for the Pride. Shepherd’s goal was the only one scored as Hofstra kept JMU to just one shot throughout the second half. Skylar Kuzmich registered her 12th shutout of the season leading the CAA by far, doubling her CAA runner up McKenna Dalfonso from the Elon University Phoenix. 

Hofstra had only mustered two wins in their final five games, but ended the regular season on a good note, defeating the College of Charleston 6-0. The Dukes, meanwhile, came into the semifinals match hot, riding a four-game winning streak, all against CAA rivals. JMU hosted the only regular season matchup between the Dukes and the Pride, where Hofstra emerged with a 2-1 victory. The Pride held the Dukes to just two shots in that game, while JMU’s Alexandra Blom faced 10 shots and made eight saves.

Last time these two faced in the CAA playoffs, the Pride was triumphant with a 5-1 victory in 2019. The Pride has advanced to the NCAA tournament the last three years and they made it to the CAA Championship game each season from 2017-2019. Hofstra will next face the Northeastern University Huskies after the Huskies stunningly disposed of No. 1 seed UNC-Wilmington. The last time Hofstra and Northeastern faced off in the CAA tournament was in 2018 and the Pride shutout the Huskies 1-0.

Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics