With loss to Towson Hofstra women's soccer now No. 2 seed for CAA championships

The Hofstra University women’s soccer team lost to the Towson University Tigers 2-0, snapping a five-game win streak, in the final Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) matchup of the season on Sunday, Oct. 22. In the Pride’s defeat, Hofstra finishes in second place in the CAA standings and Towson finishes first. The Pride finished the regular season with an overall record of 12-4-1 and a conference play record of 9-2-1.

Both goals from Towson came in the first 35 minutes of the match, the first in the 31st minute. Senior forward Nia Christopher sent the ball to senior midfielder Phoebe Canoles, who shot from the top of the box into the upper left corner to score the first goal. This marked Canoles’s eighth goal and Christopher’s ninth assist of the season.

The second goal came at the 35th minute. Senior midfielder Alexandra Rush and defender Sydney Cradle linked up to find Christopher, who found the back of the net to lead 2-0. This was Christopher’s 12th goal of the season, along with Rush’s fifth and Cradle’s second assist of the season.

Graduate goalkeeper Skylar Kuzmich finished with two saves on the afternoon. Senior goalkeeper Riley Melendez kept Townson in the game as she recorded seven saves. This marked her season high for saves and her eighth shutout.

Hofstra outshot Towson 12-10 and had seven shots on goal compared to the Tigers’ four. Sophomore forwards Thorhildur Thorhallsdottir and Wiktoria Fronc, midfielder Aimee Hodgson and junior forward Mathilde Braithwaite each led the team with two total shots. Fronc’s shots were both on goal, while Braithwaite and Hodgson only had one shot on goal.

The Pride also held the upper hand on corners as they had seven compared to Towson’s two.

The match finished with 25 total fouls between the two teams. Hofstra had 13 and Towson had 12.

Hofstra hosts a CAA quarterfinal that features the third-seeded Monmouth University versus the sixth-seeded Stony Brook University at the Hofstra Soccer Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 4 p.m. The Pride takes the field on Sunday, Oct. 29, to face the winner of the quarterfinal as they’ve earned themselves a bye in the quarterfinals. The CAA championship is scheduled for Nov. 4 and will hosted at the highest remaining seeded school.

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Alexis Friedman