WSOC: Hofstra Starts CAA Play At W&M And Elon

Hempstead, N.Y. – Hofstra will start Colonial Athletic Association play with challenging road matches at William & Mary and Elon starting on Friday with a 7 p.m. matchup against the Tribe.

Hofstra (6-3) has won six of the last seven games following a win over Fordham to cap non-conference play. The Pride will now start CAA play on the road against two teams that are atop the league's standings entering the week.

William & Mary (6-2-1) was ranked 23rd by the NSCAA on Sept. 15 and is currently in second place. The Pride will then travel to Elon (7-1-1) on Sunday for a 1 p.m. match. Elon is the only CAA team remaining that has only a single loss.

Live video and live statistics will be available for each contest.

Senior forward Leah Galton will enter the William & Mary game with 106 career points, which is just two away from matching former teammate Sam Scolarici's program record of 108 set in 2014.

Hofstra is out-scoring teams, 22-14. Freshman Jenn Buoncore is emerging as an effective third forward in the team's formation, picking up three assists in her first eight games (including four starts). Sophomore Kristin Desmond has two goals and two assists to power a Hofstra offense that has scored at least three goals in four games. Junior midfielder Jill Mulholland has racked up four goals in nine games.

Since joining the CAA in 2002, Hofstra has compiled an impressive 86-33-12 record in league games. Dating to its days as a member of the America East Conference, Hofstra has finished fourth or higher in its conference standings in 12 of the last 15 years after earning the third seed in 2014.
Hofstra is 5-10-2 in the all-time series against William & Mary, including a 4-0 loss to the Tribe on the road last year. The Pride will again be playing in Williamsburg and is looking for the first win there since 2010.

William & Mary senior goalkeeper Caroline Casey has been a stalwart in net for the Tribe in posting a 0.65 goals-against-average. She has recorded four individual shutouts and combined on another clean sheet. Casey is 28 saves away from moving into second place all-time in school history.

The Tribe has allowed one or fewer goals in seven of the nine games this season. A three-pronged offensive attack has made the stingy defense stand up. Samantha Cordum and Katie Johnson each have four goals and Sami Grasso has contributed three goals. Five players have scored multiple goals for the Tribe overall.

On Friday night, the U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach Jill Ellis, a 1988 William & Mary graduate, will be in attendance. Ellis guided the United States to a World Cup title over the summer.

First-place Elon is off to the best start in the program's Division I era in starting 7-1-1. The previous-best record for the Phoenix was in 2013 when the team began 6-1-2. Goalkeeper Taylor Mohr is 5-0-1 this season. To support her up front, Samantha Burch is coming off a two-goal game in a 4-2 win over Charlotte that extended her team-leading total to four. Burch was named the CAA Player of the Week on Sept. 21 after scoring the game-winning goal in the 2-1 double overtime victory at Gardner-Webb in the 106th minute before her two-goal game against the 49ers.

Hofstra won the only previous meeting in the all-time series, posting a 4-1 road win last season to mark Elon's first year in the CAA. Galton scored in that contest.

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Players Mentioned

#19 Sam Scolarici: F/M; 5' 3"; Senior

#10 Kristin Desmond: F/D; 5' 3"; Sophomore

#21 Leah Galton: F; 5' 7"; Senior

#5 Jill Mulholland: M; 5' 5"; Redshirt Junior

#16 Jenn Buoncore: F; 5' 11"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#19 Sam Scolarici
: 5' 3"; Senior
: F/M

#10 Kristin Desmond
: 5' 3"; Sophomore
: F/D

#21 Leah Galton
: 5' 7"; Senior
: F

#5 Jill Mulholland
: 5' 5"; Redshirt Junior
: M

#16 Jenn Buoncore
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: F

Hofstra University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned