By Jerome Bailey, Staff Writer
On Sunday afternoon the Hofstra Pride field hockey team marched by the Siena Saints 6-0. With the win, the Pride is now 5-0 at home and 5-3 overall. The squad has won three straight games and is firing on all cylinders going into conference play.
"I feel we were well prepared and this win was a great way to end our non-conference schedule.," said Hofstra's head coach Kathy De Angelis. "Our confidence level is high as we get ready to face some of the top teams in the country."
The Pride dominated the Saints (1-6) in every phase of the game from the start. The Pride's defense was aggressive and limited the Saints to only 3 shots on net. Despite the convincing shut-out win and outshooting the Saints 39-3, the Pride are remaining humble.
"It feels good to get a win like this today, however we must not get ahead of ourselves. The upcoming schedule is tough. We are going to be facing some great teams," said junior Arielle Williams following the game.
Williams and sophomore Krizia Layne each scored two goals and added one assist against the Saints. Layne now has seven goals on the season and Williams has five for the year. Junior Genna Kovar also scored, increasing her total to a team leading nine goals. Kovar also posted two assist in the game. Graduate student Diane Caldwell nailed her second goal of the season two minutes in the second half.
"We are playing well right now. We are communicating better and connecting on our passes. We used our speed to our advantage today," said Kovar. The Pride's rout of the Saints extends its all-time record against the Saints to 11-0.
Kovar, Williams and fellow junior Darrah Rachman helped the Pride cruise past Fairfield 5-0 the day before as well. The trio combined for four goals and one assist.
The Pride's defense was stout and limited the Stags to only eight shots on net. Hofstra's junior goalie Amanda Heyde made three saves for her first shutout of the year and the third of her career.
"She is incredibly consistent and we are trying to give her as many minutes as we can. She did a fantastic job to stay in for 70 minutes and get the shutout," said De Angelis.
The Pride held control of the game from the onset, quickly jumping out to a 2-0 lead. Pride sophomore Micaela Gallagher, who recorded her first goal of the season, highlighted the first half.
"She has been waiting for the goal. We are happy she finally got it today. It was a great sign that things were going her way today," De Angleis said.
The Pride will look for its first road win against Drexel, when it goes to Philadelphia on September 24. The Pride does not return back to Hofstra until October 8. During this road stretch, the Pride will face Drexel, Yale, James Madison and Virginia Commonwealth. The journey starts on Friday, and Kovar and her squad are ready for the tough road ahead.
"We have nothing to lose, so we are going to go all out. The pressure is on them," said Kovar.
Senior forward Diane Caldwell (above) is tripped up by Fairfield's goalie in the Pride's 5-0 win. (Michaela Papa/ The Chronicle)