Hofstra field hockey bounces back with 2-0 win over Wagner

The Hofstra University field hockey team beat the Wagner College Seahawks 2-0 at Hofstra University Field Hockey Stadium on Friday, Sept. 1. After a shutout loss against the Fairfield University Stags on Tuesday, this contest posed as a bounce back opportunity during a busy week for the Pride.

“Quick turnaround in a busy week; it’s move-in week; it’s welcome week here; there’s a lot of new and excitement on campus which is fantastic, but to play Tuesday and have a good game but a tough result – ultimately there’s not a lot of turn around there,” said Hofstra head coach Courtney Veinotte. “The staff and I said, ‘What can we do in 24 hours to make a positive impact for Friday,’ and the team was extremely responsive and absorbed everything they could.”

Tara McNally scored her first two goals of the season to give the Pride the 2-0 victory. The Pride had five shots on goal and the Seahawks only had one. The corners were evenly matched five to four with the Seahawks having one more than the Pride despite not being able to score a goal.

“[McNally] has been practicing all week with coming the most composed hitter, and today, I think you just saw her stick to simple basics in trying to release a powerful shot,” Veinotte said. “She’s an incredible leader, and she is one of the hardest workers I’ve coached. She influences that group tremendously, and obviously, she’s a captain but to be a captain as a junior is nothing simple.”

In the first quarter, the Seahawks looked to take control of the game from the opening second. They recorded three corner kicks and three shots in the quarter. The Pride struggled to get into the circle early and couldn’t tally any corners or shots. Charlotte Muller inserted the first corner of the game to Sara Nelson who stopped it for Floortje Leunnisse.

The second quarter brought a more focused group from the Hofstra side. They didn’t give up any penalty corners and drew two of their own in this quarter. Simryn Desai drew the first penalty corner for the Pride after Teresa Karoff inserted the ball to Kesia Richardson who stopped it for Jamie Mc Millan. Mc Millan shot it into the net and not the board, so it was ruled a no goal. The Pride capitalized on their other corner of the quarter when McNally smacked the ball in the back of the board. Sarah Trask attempted a diving save but to no avail. The only Wagner opportunity was a breakaway for Natalie Rocuskie that was shut down by a strong McNally contest.

“All over, the group was a little unsettled in that first quarter. We were taking some risks in areas we probably shouldn’t take risks, and in the second, we switched our press-up,” Veinotte said. “We got them settled and told them to connect with each other, as simple as possible, and that’s what they did. So, I think it’s a little bit just feeling it out and trying to get some experience in the first quarter of the game.”

The third quarter saw two more penalty corners for the Pride, but both resulted in saves by Trask. Pilar Lorenzini intercepted McNally’s pass, giving the Seahawks ample time in the circle, but due to the Pride defense, they couldn’t garner a shot attempt.

Wagner recorded their first corner since the first quarter in the fourth, but Nelson’s shot went wide of the net. The Seahawks weren’t able to register another shot after that, even though they made multiple last-minute attempts to. The Pride and McNally shut down any chance at a comeback attempt with another goal off a penalty corner. Ella Bonnell inserted to Richardson who stopped it for McNally.

Goalkeeper Hella Vorpagel wasn’t asked upon for much of the full 60 minutes she was in the net. She saved the only shot on goal that she had to.

“Our plan was to actually split the game between [Vorpagel and] Pieke [Roos], but Pieke came up at half and said, ‘Hey, she’s on a roll, I think she should stay,’ and I haven’t even had a moment to think about it, but that’s very selfless,” Veinotte said. “She did a great job communicating, she was organizing her backfield really well and came up with some clutch saves and had a fantastic first appearance for a full game for her.”

The Pride improved to 2-1 and will face the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks on Sunday, Sept. 3, at 1 p.m. at the Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium.

Photo courtesy of Alexis Friedman