By Chris Buckley (Staff Writer)
The Hofstra field hockey team suffered two tough road losses this past weekend, the first to no. 10 Northeastern University Huskies on Friday and the other to the University of Maine Black Bears. Coming off of a huge home win against no. 12 Boston University, the Pride traveled to Durham, New Hampshire on Friday in hopes of keeping the upset streak alive. Plagued by a poor defense, the team fell 7-1, bringing its record to 6-9 overall and 0-5 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The 10th-ranked Huskies, who scored four times in the first 35 minutes, improved their record to 12-3 overall and 4-1 in the CAA. Northeastern was led by the stellar play of freshman forward Deidre Duke, who tallied four goals and an assist on the day. But it was senior forward Crystal Poland, a first team All-CAA selection in 2011, who kicked off the scoring for the Huskies just 3:22 into the contest with a penalty corner shot with assists from fellow senior forward Nicky Graham and junior forward Lindsay Bennett. Poland leads the league in goals this year with 21. Less than two minutes later, Duke notched the first of her four goals off a pass from Bennett into the circle, extending Northeastern’s lead to 2-0. Duke would later expand the lead to 3-0 at the 26:56 mark with her ninth goal of the season off a pass from sophomore defender Kate Carlson. The lone Hofstra goal of the contest came with 3:28 to play in the half, as junior forward Jillian Geysen netted her first collegiate goal, taking a pass from sophomore forward Jonel Boileau and putting a one-timer past All-CAA net minder Lizzie Priest. However, before the half could come to a close, Duke would complete her hat trick when she deflected a shot past Pride goalie Kaitlyn De Turo with 54 seconds to play in the period. The Pride went into halftime down 4-1, having been outshot 8-3 in the first half. “We did have opportunities, and we weren’t able to convert and finish,” said head coach Kathy De Angelis. “Despite the score, I thought we played great hockey. But Northeastern is so capable of finishing in the circle, and that’s something we need to learn from them.” Northeastern would tally two more goals in the first five minutes of the second half. Poland netted her second score of the game at 39:07, and just 24 seconds later, Duke notched her fourth goal of the game for a 6-1 advantage. At the 55:12 mark Bennett would make the score 7-1 with her third goal of the year to finish off the scoring for the Huskies. Coming off of that lost opportunity against another ranked opponent, the Pride traveled to Orono, Maine on Sunday to take on the Black Bears in a non-conference matchup. The Pride would fall 2-1, dropping their second consecutive game and falling to 6-10 on the year. Maine would strike first, scoring just 7:31 into the contest when freshman forward Cassidy Svetek picked up a pass from sophomore forward Holly Stewart and snapped the ball over Pride goalie Kaitlyn De Turo to go ahead 1-0. The goal was Svetek’s eighth of the year, as the Pride did not get off a shot in the first and were outshot 6-0. “We did struggle in the first half,” said De Angelis. “We had a difficult time actually getting the ball in the circle, and when we did we just couldn’t execute.” Pride senior forward Krizia Layne would even the game at 1-1 4:12 into the second half, tipping in fellow senior midfielder Micaela Gallagher’s shot off a penalty corner for her second goal of the year. But Maine would break the tie with 4:29 to play, when sophomore midfielder Annabelle Hamilton fired a reverse stick shot past De Turo for her ninth goal of the season and what would prove to be the game-winner. “We won the second half,” said De Angelis. “I felt we came out a lot stronger with a lot more confidence and perseverance, and that’s great to have. We were able to attack on our chances. But we have to take away from that game headed into this weekend that we need to capitalize on every opportunity we have.” The Pride, who concluded their non-conference schedule on Sunday with a 6-5 record, will now attempt to qualify for the CAA Championship Tournament. Hofstra, who are 0-5 in conference play, will try to become the sixth and final qualifier for the CAA Championship that begins on November 1. They host the Towson Tigers on Friday, October 26th at the Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium with game time is 3 p.m. The team will conclude their regular season on Sunday, Oct. 28 when they host Drexel University at 1 p.m.