Hempstead, NY- Sophomore Genna Kovar scored her third goal in two games but Hofstra couldn't overcome Yale's early offensive onslaught as the Pride lost to the Bulldogs, 2-1, at Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium Sunday afternoon.
Kovar notched her team-leading eighth goal in logging three shots. Hofstra still fell to 5-5 while Erin Carter and Julia Weiser scored for the Bulldogs to improve Yale to 5-3.
Yale utilized an aggressive offense to surge to a 2-0 halftime lead in the non-conference matchup.. The Bulldogs generated pressure in the shooting circle, drawing a penalty stroke opportunity 13:35 into the contest. Carter capitalized on the scoring chance, sending a shot past Pride sophomore goalkeeper Meredith Golden in the one-on-one situation.
The Bulldogs built a two-goal edge with just 2:53 remaining in the first half. Weiser fired a hard head-on shot off a penalty corner opportunity that skipped into the open net. Katie Cantore initiated the corner attempt and Marissa Waldemore set-up Weiser's blast.
Hofstra stormed right back by out-shooting Yale, 10-2, in the second half. Kovar jolted the Pride by running nearly half the field to complete the individual effort. The Hampton Bays native gained separation from the Yale defenders as she raced down the left sideline. Kovar then shifted right towards the shooting circle and lifted a shot that beat goalkeeper Katie Bolling on the far left-side to cut the deficit to 2-1 at the 61:03 mark.
Kovar's speed nearly generated the tying goal with 2:45 remaining on the clock. Kovar battled for possession near the goal line before gaining control and running into the shooting circle. As Yale's defense converged to stop her, Kovar slid a centering pass to junior Nancy Wagenbrenner.
The ball skipped as it approached Wagenbrenner's stick, though the Berlin, Germany native still got off a shot. But Bolling made the second of her two saves on the attempt to preserve Yale's victory.
Golden (Louisville, KY) logged six saves before fellow sophomore Amanda Heyde (Somers, NY) entered at halftime. Heyde did not face a shot on goal in her 35 minutes.
Hofstra will now start a stretch of four straight Colonial Athletic Association games, starting Friday with a home contest against No. 14 James Madison.
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