Pride outfoxes Marist for fifth-straight victory

The Hofstra women’s lacrosse team won its fifth game in a row, defeating the Marist College Red Foxes in an evening match on Friday, March 11, at Tenney Stadium in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Hofstra got off to a strong start, with attacker Katie Whelan scoring first in the match followed by midfielder Arianna Esposito who doubled the lead 64 seconds later.  

For the remainder of the first quarter, the Marist Red Foxes did not hold back, scoring four straight goals before Taylor Mennella was able to net a free position goal for the Pride. Marist attacker Kerri Gutenberg landed a goal herself 20 seconds later, ending the first quarter with the Pride down 5-3.

The second quarter started off fast, with the ball trading possession often, flying faster than the eye could follow. The first to score in this quarter came from Mennella, who leapt in between Marist’s defensive players to make her shot at the goal. After that, Whelan to brought the game back to an even score, finding the back of the net 40 seconds after her teammate’s Superwoman-like dive. The Red Foxes were quick to respond with a goal from Olivia Artsen. Whelan answered right back with her third goal of the game, completing a hat-trick before the conclusion of the first half.

Whelan’s goal was the jolt of spirit that the Pride needed, as a slick goal from Kerry Walser made the score 7-6 and gave Hofstra its first lead since the start of the game. Erin Demek contributed too, doubling the Pride’s advantage over the Red Foxes less than a minute later, before Gutenberg scored for Marist with four seconds left to play in the half.

Red Fox attacker Kelly Trotta started the second half by taking the game into her own hands, scoring 37 seconds after the buzzer rang to bring the score to 8-8. After that, the Pride dominated play in the third quarter. They hit fast and hard, going on a coordinated 6-0 rampage with goals coming from Mennella, Whelan, Esposito and Demek.

The last 15 minutes of the game were a victory lap for Hofstra and were tame compared to the offense they provided earlier. Defender Shannon Boyle scored her first goal of the season and Kelly Walser followed up with a goal with 6:38 left on the clock.

The women’s lacrosse team now stands at a 6-1 for the season, as it  prepares for its next game against the Stony Brook University Seawolves on Friday, March 18, at 7 p.m. at James M. Shuart Stadium.

Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics