Hempstead, NY - Sophomore Darrah Rachman (Reading, PA) ignited the Pride offense, scoring two goals off the bench to lead Hofstra to a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Bryant Monday afternoon at Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium.
The Pride (2-0) out-shot the Bulldogs, 14-1, in the second half. Senior Kristin Thompson (Santa Cruz, Trinidad) deflected Nancy Wagenbrenner's pass into the net with 19:42 remaining to break the tie. Thompson's first goal of the season helped the Pride earn the Hofstra Pride Invitational trophy. The Pride also beat Maine in the season opener en route to winning the tournament championship.
Bryant (0-2) took the early lead 9:57 into the contest when Katherine Andrusin tracked the ball at the top-left side of the shooting circle and fired a shot before sophomore goalie Amanda Heyde (Somers, NY) could slide to her right to make the save. Almost 19 minutes later, Courtney Landi was able to turn one of Bryant's two penalty corners into a goal when she scored her first of the season thanks to Brittany Glenn's feed.
But Hofstra tallied three unanswered goals to erase a two-score deficit. Rachman scored her first collegiate goal with just 11 seconds remaining in the first half, converting a close-range shot off freshman Krizia Layne's (Arima, Trinidad) pass to make it 2-1 heading into halftime.
Rachman, who logged four shots and three shots on goal, continued to provide a spark as a reserve. Just 4:56 into the second half, Rachman capitalized on Thompson's pass and beat Bryant goalkeeper Kundayi Mawema to tie the game.
Sophomore goalkeeper Krisha Giammarco entered the game to start the second half, though the Pride's tight defense ensured the netminder would not see much action. Giammarco made a sprawling save on the only shot on goal she faced to pick up the win.
Overall, the Pride built a 27-7 edge in shots and registered 14 penalty corners compared to Bryant's two. Mawema made 13 saves to keep the Bulldogs in the game.
Thompson completed her multi-point game, scoring the game-winner to help the Pride start a season 2-0 for the second straight season and third time in the previous five seasons. Wagenbrenner (Berlin, Germany) fired a hard pass into traffic in front of Bryant's net to set-up Thompson's goal.
The Pride will look to continue its stellar play at Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium with back-to-back home games against Albany and Richmond Saturday and Sunday. Start time for both games is set for 1 p.m.
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