The Hofstra Pride women’s soccer team controlled the first half, but couldn’t hold on to the lead in their 4-1 loss against the No. 21 Rutgers University Scarlet Knights. Junior Lucy Shepherd recorded her first goal of the season for the Pride, and Rutgers received goals from four different players.

The loss drops the Pride to 2-3-0 on the young season while the Scarlet Knights remain undefeated at 5-0-0.

The Pride built off the momentum they gained in their recent 6-1 win against Fordham University and controlled the game early. They attacked early and often and kept the Scarlet Knights from engaging in their offense. In the first half, Hofstra outshot Rutgers, 7-6.

Despite the aggressive play from the Pride, the Scarlet Knights got an early scoring chance with a free kick in the seventh minute. The Pride defended the shot well, and junior midfielder Sabrina Bryan made the stop. Three minutes later, Hofstra connected on their first goal, as Shepherd took a shot that deflected into the goal. Juniors Lucy Porter and Bella Richards made the lead passes, giving each the first assist of their season. The goal was only the second allowed by the Scarlet Knights this season, and the first since their opening game.

The second half proved to be a different story. In the fifth minute of the half, Rutgers scored the equalizer on junior Nneka Moneme’s first goal of the year. The game remained tied for the next 20 minutes, until the 71st minute, when the Scarlet Knights broke through in a big way. Over two minutes and 38 seconds, Rutgers connected on three goals, breaking the game open from a tie to a 4-1 lead for the Scarlet Knights.

In the second half, Rutgers kept the pressure up and the Pride struggled to get anything going on the offensive end. They only recorded two shots in the second half, as opposed to Rutgers eight shots. This defense all but ended the Pride’s chances at making a comeback in the last 15 minutes of the match.

Even though she allowed four goals, freshman goalie Skylar Kuzmich recorded four saves on the night, including an impressive diving stop on a one-on-one opportunity that helped the Pide maintain their one goal lead in the first half.

The Pride look to bounce back from this loss with a rivalry game on the road against Stony Brook University on Sunday, Sept. 8. The Pride will be looking for their 10th consecutive win against the Seawolves.

Image courtesy of Hofstra Athletics