Hempstead, N.Y. – Hofstra knew it would be
facing a challenging non-conference schedule to start the 2012 campaign. But
the Pride will be looking to start the season with two straight wins when Hofstra faces Temple on Friday at 5 p.m. from
James Madison's campus.
After defeating Ohio State, 2-0, in the season opener on
Aug. 17, Hofstra will play two games against Atlantic 10 member Temple and Big East-member schools in the
Fairfield Inn By Marriott Invitational. The Pride will oppose a Temple squad
that played its first game to a draw and will then face 2-0 Georgetown on
Sunday at 11 a.m.
Hofstra will be playing its first-ever game against Temple
when the schools meet at the neutral site. The Owls have already played a Long
Island school this season, tying Stony Brook on the road. Kate Yurkovic scored
the lone goal for the Owls, putting in her own rebound in the 26th minute.
The Pride showed some offensive skills of their own, led by
sophomore Lulu Echeverry's (East Meadow, N.Y.) first career goal in the 60th
minute. Fellow sophomore Sam Scolarici (Aldie, Va.) also scored against the
Buckeyes to help Hofstra defeat the Big 10-conference heavyweight. Ohio State
was coming off an appearance in the third round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
Temple is looking to improve off a 5-12-1 season in 2011.
Head coach Matt Gwilliam's team returns 14 members of last year's team while
also adding 15 freshmen to the mix in an effort to revamp the squad's look in
the last year of Atlantic 10 play. The Owls
also claim a good defense with junior Karly O'Toole
anchoring a back line that produced five shutouts, which was the most for a
Temple team in 16 years.
Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough also has a good defensive
team. The Pride held the Buckeyes to a single shot-on-net in the opener with
junior keeper Emily Morphitis (London, England) picking up her fifth career
shutout.
Strong work in front of Morphitis also contributed to the
clean sheet. Freshman Leah Galton (Harrogate, England) earned the Colonial
Athletic Association's Rookie of the Week award after playing all 90 minutes in
her collegiate debut. Galton helped mark OSU's leading scorer Tiffany Cameron, holding her to just two wide shots while playing as a defensive midfielder.
Like Temple, Hofstra has never faced Georgetown in a regular
season game. The Hoyas followed up the most successful regular season in team
history by starting 2-0 in the new campaign, defeating George Washington and
Delaware.
Georgetown finished with a 15-6-0 overall record in 2011.
The win total marked the highest in team history for a regular season and tied
for the most in a season overall with the 2010 squad. The Hoyas finished in
second place in the American Division of the Big East Conference and advanced
to the semifinals of the league tournament for the second time in program
history.
Entering the new year, Georgetown was picked to finish in
third in the Big East National Division behind first-place Notre Dame and Louisville.
Hofstra will have some good news before the team even gets
on the bus for the road trip. Senior Brooke Bendernagel (Smithtown, N.Y.) will
re-join the team after having to sit out the opener due to a red card from the
last game of the 2011 season. Bendernagel earned All-CAA third team honors last
year and was a key member of a defense that allowed just 22 goals in 18 games.
The two-game set in Virginia marks the start of a four-game
stretch away from Hofstra Soccer Stadium for the Pride. Hofstra will return
home on Sept. 7 versus St. Bonaventure.
