Hempstead, N.Y. – After playing its final road game of the season last weekend, Hofstra Women's Soccer returns to the friendly confines of Hofstra Soccer Stadium looking for its first Colonial Athletic Association win. Elon makes the trip to Hempstead for a 7 p.m. matchup on Friday before William & Mary visits at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Friday's game will be available via Pride Productions live video and audio, while Sunday's will be available via live audio with links available on this page or via the women's soccer schedule page at GoHofstra.com.
Fans can purchase tickets by visiting HofstraTickets.com, where it is now possible to print tickets at home. In addition, fans can also call (516) HOF-TIXX or visit the Hofstra Athletics Box Office in the Mack Sports Complex for more ticket information.
The Pride fell to College of Charleston, 1-0, and UNCW, 4-1, last weekend on the road. The Cougars scored in the 72nd minute to take the win on Friday night. On Sunday, junior
Kristin Desmond converted a penalty kick to cut the Seahawks' lead to one, but UNCW answered quickly before adding a penalty kick goal of its own in the second half.
Desmond's strike was her fifth goal of the season, and she ranks second on the team in goals and points behind senior
Jill Mulholland, who has 21 points on the season on eight goals and five assists. She currently leads the Colonial Athletic Association in points, points per game, goals, goals per game, shots and shots per game.
The Pride will be looking to get back into the win column this weekend, beginning with the matchup with Elon. The Phoenix come into the weekend with a 7-5-1 record, including a 2-1 mark in Colonial Athletic Association play after beating Towson, 2-1, and William & Mary, 3-0, but falling to James Madison.
Elon boasts a balanced offense, with 11 players registering at least a goal so far this season and 14 players picking up at least a point. Sophomore Tori Baliatico leads the charge with eight points on four goals with freshman Taylor Paradoski and senior Erin Tanhauser close behind with three goals and an assist each.
Senior Taylor Mohr and freshman Katelyn Fowler have shared time in net. Mohr has made 29 saves in posting a 1.08 goals-against average and .806 save percentage, while Fowler has recorded 24 stops with a 1.44 goals-against average and .706 save percentage.
The Pride and the Phoenix have met in each of the past two seasons since Elon joined the CAA, with Hofstra taking both matchups. The Pride has outscored the Phoenix 6-1 over the pair of games.
The Pride then hosts the preseason favorite in William & Mary on Sunday. The Tribe is 7-5 on the season, but 1-2 in conference play thus far, beating James Madison but falling to Towson and Elon. William & Mary plays first-place Northeastern on Friday night before making the trip to Hempstead.
Redshirt-freshman Sarah Segan leads the team with 16 points on seven goals and two assists, while junior Rachael Moore has accumulated 12 points with four goals and four assists.
Redshirt-junior Grace Smith has seen the most time in net for the Tribe, posting 40 saves with a 1.11 goals-against average and .816 save percentage.
The Tribe holds a 10-6-2 advantage in the all-time series with the Pride. In the past five meetings between the teams, Hofstra has played just one at home, a 3-3 tie. Three of the past five meetings have gone to double overtime, including the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association semifinal, when Hofstra advanced on penalty kicks. Last season, the Pride took a 2-1 win in the CAA opener.
Hofstra will stay at home, hosting Northeastern at 7 p.m. on Oct. 15.
