Senior forward Brooke DeRosa (Ronkonkoma, NY/Connetquot - pictured) had two goals and two assists in her Hofstra debut to lead the Pride Women's Soccer team to a 5-1 win over Cornell on Friday evening at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.
DeRosa played for Syracuse from 2002-04, but left school before joining Hofstra this year for her final season. She wasted little time in making an impact in her first game in three years, picking up the assist on a direct kick just 3:17 into the game. After Cornell was whistled for a foul outside the right edge of the penalty area, DeRosa bent a hard cross in front of the net, where junior midfielder Edel Malone (Ennis, Ireland) headed it in from six yards out.
The goal also marked a triumphant return to college soccer for Malone, who missed all of last season with a knee injury after earning the CAA Rookie of the Year Award in 2005.
DeRosa then scored back-to-back goals in a span of 5:15 to effectively put the game away, both of which were set up by senior All-American defender Sue Weber (Islip, NY). Weber made a 50-yard run up the center of the field before cutting into the Cornell penalty area and laying a pass off to her right to sophomore forward Jill Lipari (Flanders, NJ). Lipari one-timed a shot that Cornell goalie Jodi Palmer dove to stop with her fingertips, but DeRosa was positioned perfectly to knock home the rebound from six yards out at the 14:57 mark to stretch the lead to 2-0.
Just over five minutes later, Weber won a header at midfield that sent DeRosa in behind the Cornell defense. DeRosa dribbled into the penalty area between two Big Red defenders and toe-poked a low shot under an onrushing Palmer to give Hofstra a 3-0 lead at the 20:12 mark. Cornell nearly got one back with a minute to play in the first half, but Eva Dixon's shot from the left side of the penalty area hit off the near post.
DeRosa helped end any doubt when she picked up her second assist of the day 11:58 into the second half. DeRosa gathered the ball in at midfield and slotted a through ball to freshman forward Qaroline Nahl (Kumla, Sweden), who broke in alone, dribbled around Palmer at the top of the penalty area, and slotted the ball into the empty net for her first collegiate goal.
Cornell got on the board with 26:49 to play, when forward Kathleen Bubrick took advantage of a Hofstra failed clearance, and sent a 25-yard shot into the upper-right corner, just off the fingertips of Hofstra goalkeeper Krystal Robens (East Taunton, MA). Hofstra added one final goal with 1:08 left as junior midfielder Liz Guise (Midlothian, VA) scored her first collegiate goal on a header off a corner kick from sophomore midfielder Diane Caldwell (Balbriggan, Ireland).
Hofstra finished with a 17-10 edge in shots, although Cornell held the 6-5 edge in that department in the second half. Robens had four saves for Hofstra to get the win in net, while Palmer had six saves for Cornell.
Hofstra will next be in action when it travels to Central Connecticut on Sunday for a 2 p.m. contest.
