HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – For the third consecutive season, the top-seeded Hofstra Pride women’s soccer team is the champion of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) after a 5-1 win over No. 6-seeded James Madison University Dukes (JMU) on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Hofstra Soccer Stadium in a rematch of last year’s championship game.
It was a chilly 46 degrees at opening kick for Hofstra, but it only took four minutes for the Pride to shake off the cold and ignite their offense as Lucy Porter found the back of the net from inside the six-yard box on a cross off the right side from Anja Suttner.
The Pride continued their offensive attack, firing off six more shots while holding JMU to only three in the first half.
With the clock winding down to halftime, the Pride struck again with six minutes remaining as Sabrina Bryan swung in a corner kick from the far side of the field, finding the head of Megan Fisher, who redirected the ball into the net. Fisher’s second goal of the season came at an important moment as it sent the Pride to halftime up 2-0.
“I’m so proud of everybody,” said Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough. “I think it shows what this team is about, everybody can put in the effort for each other and make it work.”
Hofstra cranked up the heat in the second half with Bryan firing a curling shot from the upper-right corner of the 18-yard box, resulting in her eighth goal of the season and giving the Pride a 3-0 lead two minutes into the second half.
10 minutes later in the 58th minute, Porter tracked down a cross from Bryan and found Lucy Shepherd in the middle of the box, where she turned and lifted the ball into the top of the net, extending Hofstra’s lead to four.
The 69th minute saw JMU’s lone goal after Iris Rabot converted on a penalty kick granted to the Dukes after a Hofstra handball inside the box.
With time dwindling in the final minutes, Hofstra put their stamp on the CAA record books as Porter scored her conference-best 16th goal of the season off a pass from Fisher that came from a corner kick.
The Pride captured their sixth-ever CAA title and fifth title under Riddiough. Hofstra is the first team to capture three consecutive titles since the Pride joined the CAA in 2002. The College of William & Mary was last to achieve the milestone from 1996-2001.
“This is a special group and a three-peat has never been done since we’ve joined the CAA for women’s soccer. That says a tremendous amount about how this team can win,” Riddiough said.
Hofstra’s five goals broke a CAA championship match record for most goals scored in a match.
The Pride put pressure on the Dukes’ defense with 15 shots and seven on goal, compared to only five shots from JMU with two on goal. Hofstra also led in corner kicks with six while JMU ended with three, all of which were in the first half.
“We knew James Madison was hot and we knew we had to manage them and match their intensity. I thought the girls did fantastic,” Riddiough said. “Really proud of the whole team and staff and everyone involved in the program. It really says volumes about what Hofstra is about and the support we have and the support we give to the players.”
Bryan extended her point streak to 10 games with three goals in the CAA tournament, propelling her into ninth place in career goals all-time at Hofstra with 25.
Bryan, Bella Richards and Jordan Littleboy were all named to the CAA Women’s Soccer Championship All-Tournament Team. Porter was named most outstanding player in the tournament.
“It’s an interesting team; we’ve kind of been low-key about each victory. We beat William & Mary and won [the] regular season and it was like, ‘All right, let’s get moving; get on the bus.’ Same last week against Elon: ‘All right, we got one more to win,’” Riddiough said. “This team is all about business, but you want to see them enjoy it and ride that wave of enthusiasm too.”
Porter’s five-point performance from two goals and one assist gives her 40 points total this season, setting a Hofstra record for points in a season previously held by Sam Scolarici and Leah Galton with 38.
“She’s just a tremendous player. To score 16 goals from midfield is ridiculous and she just does it,” Riddiough said. “You got to give credit to Miri [Taylor], Sabrina Bryan and [Lucy Shepherd]. They’re finding her in the pockets and when you find a player like Porter, she’s going to put them away.”
JMU sees their season end at 9-12-1 (4-4-1 CAA) after falling to the Pride for the second time this season while being outscored eight to two in the matchups.
Hofstra extends their unbeaten streak to 15, going 13-0-2 in that span. The Pride moves to 15-3-2 (7-0-2 CAA) and receives the CAA Automatic Qualifier bid for the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship beginning Friday, Nov. 15.
“On our record over the years I think people know we have a fantastic program with fantastic players,” Riddiough said. “We deserve to be in a NCAA game where we can play at home in front of our home crowd.”
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
