To an ordinary person, soccer may just be another sport. Hofstra women’s soccer head coach Simon Riddiough is no ordinary person. From an early age, he made the sport his way of life.
“When I turned around eight, I found out I was fairly good at [soccer],” Riddiough said. “I got straight into it with my friends at school and then got into organized soccer when I was nine or 10.”
A native of Barnsley, England, Riddiough, like many other athletes, realized his dream of having the chance to play professionally was too far out of reach.
“I always wanted to be involved in soccer or physical activity,” Riddiough said. “It’s every kid’s dream to be professional and I realized around 15 or 16 that wasn’t going to happen.”
Riddiough was a four-year letterman and captain of the then Hofstra Flying Dutchmen from 1990 to 1994, where he totaled 13 goals and 15 assists in his career. After several years on the women’s soccer coaching staff, Riddiough was promoted to head coach following the retirement of JoAnne Russell at the end of the 2005 season.
Now in his 14th season as head coach, Riddiough has created a dynasty within the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and is showing no signs of slowing down. He has over 180 wins under his belt and the Pride has now captured five CAA titles under Riddiough with each one just as memorable as the last.
“Each one is special but in different ways, this year was more relief, not as much emotion as there wasn’t as many stories with this year,” Riddiough said. “It was expected, and we achieved our goal.”
Since taking over as head coach, Riddiough has yet to post a losing season. The women’s soccer team has reached the CAA championship game in eight of his 14 seasons, winning the title in 2007, 2012, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
“It’s been a process since the beginning of the program. If you would have told me that 20 years from now that we would be competing for CAA titles against the teams we are, I wouldn’t believe it,” Riddiough said. “But over the last 20 years we got better and better. And now we are competing with the best in the country and getting the accolades for it.”
After Russell paved the way for Hofstra women’s soccer in 2005 by leading them to their first CAA title and into the NCAA Tournament, Riddiough continued Hofstra’s high level of play. In his second season as head coach, Hofstra posted an 18-4 record and captured Riddiough’s first CAA title. The Pride rode a six-game win streak into the NCAA Tournament and captured their first ever win in the tournament against Ohio State University. Although Hofstra fell to Pennsylvania State University in the next round, Riddiough found the framework for future success with his teams. He now has a dynasty within the conference as the Pride has won three straight CAA titles.
“This junior class is the impetus of the program and they are just getting better each year. This year we are really playing at a good level because our juniors have matured now and they are better as players,” Riddiough said.
Over the past three years, the team has gone 29-2-3 against conference opponents, including CAA Tournament play. The class consisting of Bella Richards, Lucy Shepherd, Jordan Littleboy, Sabrina Bryan, Amanda Ebbesson and Cybele Laisney are led by one of the top scorers in Hofstra history, Lucy Porter.
“She’s been fantastic and she’ll be first to admit that she’s fortunate to have players around her creating those opportunities,” Riddiough said. “Super proud of how she’s developed, super proud of what she is accomplishing and hopefully there is more to come.”
Another core part in Riddiough teams is the high level of defense they play. Since Riddiough joined the program as a coach, the Pride has had some of the best defenses in the NCAA. In 2003, Hofstra ranked No. 3 in the nation in team defense, allowing 0.45 goals a game while tying for the fewest goals allowed in the country with nine. In 2007, the Pride set a school record with 12 shutouts, including seven in a row during the season. Now, with freshman Skylar Kuzmich in net, the Pride continues their strong defensive play.
“It’s about preaching. We preach team defense, we preach pressure from the front three and a positive aggressive style of individual defending and that is something that is a cornerstone of our program,” Riddiough said.
Hofstra’s 2019 campaign is shaping up to be one of the greatest in school history as the Pride went unbeaten in conference play and are currently on a 16-game unbeaten streak, outscoring opponents 42-14 during the streak. Hofstra is even consistently receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches college ranking polls for Division I Women’s Soccer.
Perhaps one of the greatest highlights of the season thus far came when the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee chose Hofstra to host the first round of the NCAA tournament. The match against Loyola University Chicago in the opening round marked the first time in school history that Hofstra hosted the tournament.
“It was bitter sweet, I’m proud that they gave us a host. Then there’s the disappointment that if we win we go to the overall No. 1 for the last five years with the best player in the country by a mile,” Riddiough said. “It’s bittersweet because the odds are against us. The odds of us beating Stanford are minimal.”
The Pride did in fact defeat Loyola Chicago 1-0 in overtime to advance to the second round of the tournament for the second straight season.
In 14 seasons for Riddiough, there have been plenty of moments to look back on. However, when the Pride was able to close out big-time games, those moments stuck with him.
“Edel Malone’s goal against Ohio State for our first NCAA win, that was a big one. Beating Georgetown [University] on [penalty kicks], another special moment,” Riddiough said. “Beating [Boston College] last year, going to an [Atlantic Coast Conference] powerhouse on the road and beating them 4-1, that was exciting. Those moments stay with you throughout. All of them are good memories and things I’ll always remember.”
Riddiough has continued the success of the program and is now at the helm of an elite group that is nearing its end with this junior class.
“Hopefully we can ride this junior class for another year. Sprinkle in some special players coming in next year and then we are going to have to recruit our butts off to replace that class,” he said.
Riddiough is also eyeing more success for Hofstra and wants the Pride to be competing more on the national level.
“We want to push the envelope of where Hofstra is in the national scape of soccer and if we can get to the second round consistently, that’s the next step,” he sa
id. “We’ve been there sporadically; can we get there consistently? If we can, can we get to the third round.”
When you have surrounded yourself with the sport of soccer like Riddiough has, you find a new appreciation for the game. From playing to now coaching, he has shown passion for Hofstra soccer for the plus side of 20 years. Even the Riddiough family is devoted to the Pride, just not as much as their father is.
“My two oldest, 13 and 10, they don’t do soccer. The one’s in cross country and CrossFit and the other is in wrestling and CrossFit,” Riddiough said. “My daughter who’s seven actually likes soccer, so I might push her a little more into it since she enjoys it more. I think it affects my wife more than me that they don’t follow soccer as much as I do.”
Only time will tell if they have the same passion for soccer as their dad. One thing is for certain though, Riddiough has become not only one of the greatest coaches at Hofstra, but in CAA and NCAA history. With a coach like Riddiough at the helm, the future for Hofstra women’s soccer is an exciting one.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
