HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – For the first time in 457 days, the Hofstra women's soccer team returned to the pitch and faced the Stony Brook Seawolves in its 2021 season opener at the Hofstra Soccer Stadium. The Pride defeated the Seawolves, 4-3 in the Long Island Rivalry.
 
Hofstra, who finished 11th in the nation and first in the Colonial Athletic Association in goals a year ago, piled on four goals against the Seawolves including three in the second half.
 
Senior Lucy Porter scored twice for Hofstra, while senior Sabrina Bryan and junior Miri Taylor each found the back of the net once. Bryan also tacked on two assists for Hofstra, while freshman Louise Hayden and senior Amanda Ebbesson all tallied one assist.
 
Stony Brook jumped on the Pride early as Alyssa Francese put the Seawolves on the scoreboard in the 15th minute of action. Just under three minutes later, Porter nearly leveled the score but her shot from just in front of the goal tapped the post, keeping the score at 1-0. The Pride racked up three-straight corner kick opportunities within a minute span before Shepherd unleashed for a shot that hit the crossbar with three minutes remaining in the first stanza. The Pride finally broke through its fourth-straight corner kick when Bryan used her dominant left foot to send a pass into the center of the box. Stony Brook's goalkeeper then punched out the pass directly to Hayden who tapped a perfectly controlled past to Taylor for the finish with 43 seconds to go in the first half to tie the score at one.
 
It was a fast start out of the locker room for both teams, but just over four minutes into the second half, Stony Brook answered with its second goal of the contest. In the 54th minute, Bryan collected a pass along the left wing and made a quick move past her defender, finishing with her right foot to the lower left corner to tie the score back at two. The Pride took its first lead less than two minutes later with yet another goal from a corner kick as it was Bryan who sent it in to Ebbesson and Porter for the tap-in.
 
Hofstra put the icing on the cake in the 63rd minute with another successful corner kick, when Bryan once again sent it in on the far side before Porter finished with a header. Stony Brook managed to score once more on a penalty kick goal in the 80th minute, but Hofstra controlled possession the remainder of the way to collect the season-opening victory.
 
Hofstra is slated to return to action on Thursday, February 25 for a non-conference match against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights. Kick-off at the Hofstra Soccer Stadium is set for 7 p.m. Live video and audio as well as live statistics will be available for the match. This game is closed to the public and no tickets will be sold.
 
NOTES:
-Hofstra is now 13-3-0 all-time against Stony Brook and the Pride have won the last 10 meetings
-Hofstra had the edge on shots, 16-6 and on corner kicks, 10-2
-Porter now has 33 career goals which is fifth in Hofstra program history. She needs three more to tie Suzanne Newell. She now also has 78 career points which ties her for sixth in Hofstra history with Jill Mulholland.
-Sabrina Bryan now has 27 career goals and is now tied for eighth all-time in program history with Jerilyn Marinan. She now also has 72 points which is eighth in program history, just behind Porter and Mulholland.