Hempstead, NY - Following a pair of challenging road contests, the Hofstra field hockey team faces a busy week of action at home and on the road. The Pride will host LIU on Wednesday, September 15, at 3 p.m., before heading to Connecticut on Friday, September 17, for a 7 p.m. contest against Sacred Heart. Hofstra will then conclude the week at home on Sunday, September 19, at 1 p.m. against Quinnipiac.
The LIU and Quinnipiac games will be streamed live on FloLive, while Wednesday's game at Sacred Heart will be streamed on NEC FrontRow. Live stats will be available for all three games this week. These links are available at the top of this page and on the field hockey schedule page on GoHofstra.com.
Hofstra enters this week sporting a 2-4 record following tough losses to Vermont and UMass Lowell.
Eline Oldeman scored the first goal of her collegiate career to tie the game against the Catamounts in the team's 2-1 loss in overtime on Friday, and
Merlijn van der Vegt put in an eight-save effort in a 1-0 loss to UMass Lowell on Sunday.
Hofstra is averaging 2.5 goals scored per game thus far, ranking them 27th in the country in the statistic, while their defense has allowed two goals per game to put them at 41st in the nation.
Mercedes Currie and
Lara Borensztein continue to lead the team with three goals apiece, while
Lieke Gorsse has posted six points on two goals and two assists, and the first-year midfielder has also chipped in with a pair of defensive saves.
Simryn Desai has also proven to be a strong contributor in her first year in a Hofstra uniform with two goals and an assist. Six games through the season, van der Vegt ranks 24th in the country in saves per game (5.00) and 39th in goals against average (1.83).
After making the NEC Tournament in 2020, LIU is in the midst of a 1-3 start to their third season of Division I competition. The Sharks' offense is led by three goals from Sammy Bell, while Felicia King has produced four points on a goal and two assists for Wednesday's visitors. Goalkeeper Rachel Vellis has made 16 saves on the year, averaging 2.67 saves per game for the Sharks. Hofstra is 2-0 against LIU since the first meeting in 2018, the first season competing at the Division I level for the Sharks.
At 0-4 on the year, Sacred Heart is in search of its first win of the 2021 season on Friday. The Pioneers have been held without a goal through four games this season, yet have held their last two opponents to one-goal each. Erin Burgess has started all four games in goal for Sacred Heart with 12 saves, while Samantha Maresca has also seen plenty of time in net and has made five saves for the Pioneers. Hofstra holds an all-time record of 18-0 against Sacred Heart since the first meeting in 1993. The teams last played during the 2020 spring season, with Currie scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 home win for the Pride.
Sitting at 0-4, Quinnipiac is looking to get its first win of the season in a home contest against Temple on Friday prior to the Bobcats' game against Hofstra. Emilia Massarelli scored the lone goal on the year for Quinnipiac in a 5-1 defeat to Columbia on September 5. Nina Santore has played every minute for Quinnipiac this season and has made 17 saves on the year, averaging 4.25 saves per game. The all-time series stands at 14-2 in favor of the Pride, with Hofstra winning the last four meetings.
