Freshman forward Carol Leurini (Whitman, MA - pictured) scored two second-half goals less than three minutes apart to lead the Hofstra Women's Soccer team to a 3-1 win over Quinnipiac on Thursday evening at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.
With the win, Hofstra captures its third victory in a row and improves to 5-2-1 on the season. Quinnipiac, meanwhile, slips to 2-5 with the loss.
Leurini scored her two goals in the 66th and 69th minute to turn a 1-0 Hofstra lead into a commanding 3-0 advantage. The Pride nearly earned the shutout, but Quinnipiac forward Kirsten van de Ven scored a goal with just five seconds showing on the clock to pull the Bobcats within 3-1 at the final horn.
Hofstra took a 1-0 advantage in the first half on a corner kick. Freshman defender Marie Curtin (Limerick, Ireland) played a high cross in front of the net, and senior midfielder Emma Kilduff (Kildare, Ireland) was able to sneak in unmarked and head the ball in from three yards out to give Hofstra a 1-0 advantage at the 28:28 mark.
The goal came just minutes after Quinnipiac had nearly struck first on a direct kick, but van de Ven's direct kick from 25 yards out was tipped off the crossbar by Hofstra goalkeeper Becky Wachsberger (East Meadow, NY) for one of her two saves on the day.
Leurini then put the game away in the second half. She scored her first goal after freshman midfielder Larkin Hargraves (Deep River, CT) won a 50-50 ball and ran down the right sideline before playing a long cross to the center of the penalty area. Leurini made a run to the far post and beat Quinnipiac goalkeeper Sarah Lusto to the ball by half a step, slipping the ball into the vacated net for her third goal of the season with 24:41 left in the game.
Just 2:47 later, Leurini struck again when Curtin earned possession of the ball in the Pride's defensive end. Curtin then made a long run up the middle of the field, and played a perfect through ball that sent Leurini in on a breakaway. Leurini dribbled into the top of the penalty area, shielded a Bobcat defender closing from behind, and slipped a shot into the lower left corner to put Hofstra ahead 3-0.
Quinnipiac spoiled the shutout, though, as van de Ven worked a give-and-go with defender Laura van Leeuwen and took a 20-yard shot that beat reserve goalkeeper Lydia Homberg (Bayport, NY) into the lower-right corner.
Lusto finished with four saves for Quinnipiac, while Wachsberger (2) and Holmberg (1) combined for three saves for Hofstra. The Pride held an 18-10 edge in shot attempts on the day.
Hofstra will next be in action when it takes on Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday for a 7:30 p.m. contest. That game will be part of a doubleheader with the men's team, which faces Stony Brook at 5:30 p.m.
