West Point, NY - The Hofstra women's lacrosse team dropped a heartbreaker in West Point, New York Saturday afternoon, falling to Army West Point 13-12. The Pride's record stands at 1-1 following today's result, while Army West Point moves to 1-2 on the year.
Katie Whelan led the Pride with four goals and
Erin Demek tallied two goals and an assist.
Arianna Esposito found the back of the net twice, while
Taylor Mennella scored once and assisted once.
Jess Smith made 11 saves against the Black Knights.
Demek got Hofstra on the board at 11:49 of the opening period, but Army West Point jumped ahead with two straight goals before the Pride rattled off four unanswered goals to lead 5-2 at the end of the first. Whelan scored two of Hofstra's four goals during the run, while Esposito and Demek also found the back of the net for the Pride.
The Black Knights scored at 13:15 and 5:40 of the second quarter to make it a one-goal contest, but goals from
Amanda Guerra and
Kerry Walser restored Hofstra's three-goal advantage with tallies at 4:46 and 2:08 to bring the score to 7-4 going into halftime.
Both teams came out of the break firing, combining for seven goals in an exciting third period. Army West Point went on a 4-1 run, including three straight goals, to even the score at 8-8 before a pair of goals inside the final four minutes helped Hofstra to a two-goal lead entering the final 15 minutes.
Katie Kelly scored on a free position attempt at 3:42, and Mennella scored her goal with 1:38 left on the clock.
Esposito upped Hofstra's lead to three at 13:01 of the fourth period, but the Black Knights stormed back with a four-goal run inside of five minutes while keeping Hofstra off the board until the 1:25 mark thanks to a great effort from Whelan. However, the host Black Knights came out on top with Jolie Riedell scoring the game-winner with just seconds left in the game.
Riedell and Caroline Raymond led Army West Point with four goals, while Carleigh Armstrong scored a hat-trick. Lacey Bartholomay made nine saves between the pipes for the Black Knights.
The Pride's season-opening road swing continues on Tuesday, February 22, with a 1 p.m. contest against Brown on ESPN+. The Pride opens its home schedule on Friday, February 26, at 12 p.m. against Fairfield.
NOTES:
-Hofstra is now 6-3 all-time against Army West Point.
-Hofstra caused seven of Army West Point's nine turnovers.
-The Pride scored on four free position attempts.
