Hempstead, NY – Behind a goal just before halftime by Mercedes Currie and a suffocating defense, Hofstra field hockey picked up a 1-0 win over Sacred Heart Sunday afternoon from Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium.

With their second consecutive win, Hofstra improves to 2-3 as they near the conclusion of non-conference play. Sacred Heart drops their season-opener against the Pride, putting them at 0-1 to start the spring season.

With 2:33 to play before the halftime whistle, the Pride defense denied Sacred Heart a goal-scoring opportunity off a penalty corner. After receiving a pass from Djuna Slort, Esmee Verdoes took the ball from her own end and charged down the field and into the Sacred Heart half of the field. After drawing multiple defenders, she fed a pass to Jasmijn Verdoes, who drew the goalkeeper out of position before finding Currie open at the far post for the tap-in goal.

Hofstra limited the Pioneers to just two shots all game, and zero shots ever came close to troubling goalkeeper Merlijn van der Vegt. Conversely, Hofstra took nine total shots and saw five of those shots go on goal. Slort led all players with four shots, while she tied with Jasmijn Verdoes for the team-lead in shots on goal with two each.

The Pride wraps up non-conference action with a pair of home games this coming weekend. Hofstra will first host Fairfield on Friday (Mar. 12) before welcoming UAlbany on Sunday (Mar. 14). Both games are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. There will be no spectators allowed inside Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium for either game.

NOTES:
-Hofstra is now 18-0 all-time against Sacred Heart.
-Mercedes Currie scored the second goal of her career. Her first career goal came against Sacred Heart in 2019.
-The Hofstra defense has allowed only seven shots, and one shot on goal, in the last two games.
-Hofstra earned nine penalty corners in today's game, and gave up only three.