Towson, MD (Oct. 4) - Junior forward Salma Tarik (Bellmore, NY) scored a pair of goals as the Hofstra Women's Soccer team earned a 3-0 win over Towson on Sunday afternoon at Towson Field.
With the win, the Pride improves to 7-3-1 overall and remains alone in first place in the CAA with a 4-0 conference record,as every other league team has lost at least once through the first two weekends. Towson slips to 5-7-1 overall and 1-3 in the CAA with the loss.
Hofstra also won its 12th straight regular season meeting with Towson, dating back to 1998, although the previous six wins had all been by one goal (including five straight 1-0 victories). There was also a 0-0 tie in the 2001 America East Conference Tournament, which the Pride won on penalty kicks. Since joining the CAA with Delaware, Drexel and Towson in 2002, Hofstra is now a perfect 26-0 against those three schools (10-0 against Delaware, 8-0 against both Drexel and Towson).
The Pride struck early as Tarik scored at the 6:10 mark of the first half, finding the back of the net off of assists from junior midfielder Tiffany Yovino (Holtsville, NY) and senior defender Diane Caldwell (Balbriggan, Ireland). Caldwell took a free kick, which was flicked on by Yovino and Tarik was able to knock the shot home from in close.
Hofstra tacked on an insurance goal early in the second half, as junior forward Kayla Pifer (State College, PA) scored 3:08 into the second stanza to stretch the lead to 2-0 off a feed from sophomore midfielder Brittany Butts (Massapequa Park, NY). Tarik then extended the lead to 3-0 at the 51:25 mark when converted a diving header off a cross from sophomore forward Laura Greene (Holbrook, NY), marking Tarik's team-high sixth goal of the season and Greene's team-leading fifth assist. It also marked Tarik's first two-goal game of her career.
The Pride finished with a 20-14 edge in shots. Junior goalkeeper Krysten Farriella (Lake Ronkonkoma, NY) had seven saves to get the shutout, five of which came in the final 15 minutes after Hofstra led 3-0.
Hofstra will next be in action when it returns home to face Old Dominion on Friday at 7 p.m. and William & Mary on Sunday at 1 p.m.
