Unfortunately for the Hofstra field hockey team, neither having a 24-5 shot advantage nor a 17-2 penalty corner advantage was enough as the Pride fell just short on a bitterly cold, rainy Sunday afternoon, losing to Bryant University 1-0.
The lone goal by the Bulldogs came from Clare Luttrell nearly 18 minutes into the game, giving Bryant a lead that they would never lose.
In what was a high-paced, up-and-down game, the Pride dictated most of the play, often carrying possession and holding the ball for significant periods of time.
However, despite the Pride’s sustained pressure, they just could not score that elusive goal.
Bryant’s defense was relentless, blocking countless shots, including many that came off of Hofstra’s staggering 17 penalty corners.
“It’s just crazy, outshooting them by them by that much, having 17 corners and having nothing to show for it. 17 is what you usually get over three games,” said Hofstra head coach Kathy De Angelis. “But you’ve got to give credit to the Bryant defenders; they were fantastic, just phenomenal,” she said.
Led by Cami Larsson’s excellent speed, distribution and playmaking on offense and goalkeeper Betty Bosma’s acrobatics and ferociousness on defense, the Pride thoroughly outplayed their counterparts, despite ultimately coming up short on the scoreboard.
At one point, Hofstra had three corners in the span of about two minutes, with great chances left and right that just would not find the back of the net. Bryant’s defenders were sprawled out consistently, led by their goalie Marijn Jaarsma.
When the Pride did manage to get a shot through, they were frustratingly wide or over the net.
The harder they pressed and came up short, the tenser they got. With each failed corner, tensions on the team seemed to rise higher.
With the consistent heavy rain, possession became harder to maintain as the ball skidded rapidly under and around sticks, becoming extremely tough to gather and making any attempt to get a high-end scoring opportunity nearly impossible. In the end, the Pride just could not overcome the inclement weather or the nonstop toughness and grit that their opponents maintained throughout the two halves.
With that devastating loss, the Pride fall to 1-5 on the season as they pick up their fifth loss in a row since their season-opening victory. They continue their non-conference schedule when they play Fairfield University on Wednesday, Sept. 12.
