On Friday, Nov. 9, the Hofstra women’s soccer team pulled off a huge win over the No. 22 Boston College Eagles on the road. With the 4-1 win, the Pride advance to the second round of the NCAA Division I Championship.
The visiting Pride’s offense shone in the contest, with sophomore Sabrina Bryan racking up two goals and fellow sophomores Lucy Porter and Lucy Shepherd adding one each.
Porter’s goal was the lone score of the first half. It came off an assist from senior Jenn Buoncore, who brought her record up to 14 assists for this season.
The 1-0 tally remained until 70 minutes into the contest, when Bryan put in her first goal of the day off an assist from Porter to give Hofstra a two-point lead.
The Pride’s lead soon became seemingly insurmountable, as just five minutes after her first goal, Bryan would double down and score one more time to put the Pride up by three goals with 15 minutes remaining.
Boston College quickly answered, however, with a goal of their own not even two minutes after Bryan’s second. Yet, the Eagles’ comeback efforts were squashed by a header from Shepherd off a free kick from Jordan Littleboy, all but punching Hofstra’s ticket to the second round of the tournament.
Hofstra put on a clinic defensively, masterfully handling Boston College’s aggressive and ceaseless offense. While the Pride took only six shots for the duration of the game, the Eagles took an astounding 28. Because of the Pride’s stout defense, however, only eight of these were shots on goal. Senior goalkeeper Ashley Wilson had her hands full with five saves in her 67 minutes on the field, and in the remaining 23 minutes senior goalkeeper Jenna Borresen added two saves of her own.
“I was really proud of the way we countered and the way we played with some impetus and we put them under pressure,” Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough said after the match. “We played a really good game.”
The first-round victory marks the first NCAA tournament win for the Pride in eight years and their first win over Boston College in program history. Hofstra’s four goals were the most scored by any opponent against the Eagles in any game this season.
After the contest, Hofstra’s record stands at 16-5-1, with the win adding a seventh game to the Pride’s ongoing win streak. This decisive match adds on to the Pride’s colossal momentum heading into their second-round contest. They will take on the University of Wisconsin Badgers, who defeated Memphis 3-0 in their own NCAA opening game. That contest will take place on Friday, Nov. 16.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
