By Jeff Werner -- STAFF WRITER The Hofstra Pride field hockey team opened up CAA action by losing 5-0 to the ranked No. 16 College of William and Mary. This is the second consecutive game in which Hofstra has failed to score a goal against a ranked opponent.
Hofstra’s offense was outmatched by William and Mary. The Tribe shot the ball 11 times in each half, while the Pride only shot the ball six times in the first half and just twice in the second half. Hofstra didn’t create as many opportunities on offense as William and Mary did and therefore finished the game scoreless.
The Hofstra defense was under a great deal of pressure by a high volume of offense from the Tribe, in particular dealing with multiple attacks from Emma MacLeod and Cammie Lloyd. MacLeod and Lloyd each shot the ball seven times and were able to capitalize on some of those shots. MacLeod had four goals while Lloyd had one. When the defense had to face a large number of shots, fatigue became a factor as the game continued.
The goalies were also affected by the number of shots from the opposing offense. Carys Swan made eight saves but the Tribe scored three goals against her. Head coach Kathy De Angelis decided to take Swan out of the net and put in freshman Cecelia DeSimone, who played the second half of the 5-2 loss against Yale a few weeks ago. The Tribe were unfazed by the change in goalie and scored two goals against her.
Penalty corners have been a struggle for the Pride throughout the season and it continued against the Tribe. Hofstra only had two penalty corners throughout the entire game while William and Mary had seven. The Pride now have 51 penalty corners on the season, while opposing teams have attempted 82 against them.
Hofstra drops to 0-1 to kick off conference play, and to 5-7 overall on the year. The Pride return home for a matchup against the Northeastern University Huskies on Sunday, Oct. 1, at noon.