Hempstead, NY - Led by four goals from junior
Taylor Mennella, and also hat tricks from graduate student
Arianna Esposito and sophomore
Kerry Walser, the Hofstra women's lacrosse team used a strong fourth quarter to earn a 16-11 win over Delaware on Wednesday afternoon at Delaware Stadium. Trailing 10-9 entering the final quarter, the Pride outscored the Blue Hens, 7-1, in the final 15 minutes to pull away for the win.
The hat trick was the first of Esposito's career, while it marked the sixth for Mennella (fifth this season) and second for Walser (both this season).
The win improves Hofstra's record to 7-5 and 1-1 in Colonial Athletic Association action. Delaware falls to 3-9 and 0-2 in league play with the loss.
It was a back and forth first half between the two conference rivals and neither team was able to create much breathing room. The game was knotted after both the first and second quarters as Delaware tied the first quarter at three before the second quarter ended with a pair of Hofstra goals to make it 5-5 at the halftime break. Walser and Mennella scored the last two goals of the second quarter with less than six minutes left to give the Pride the momentum heading into the third quarter.
A goal from Mennella to open the third quarter put the Pride back in front but it was Delaware with a couple of answers in the third to stem the tide. The Blue Hens regained the lead at 7-6 with a pair of goals and after Hofstra went ahead 8-7 on a goal from junior
Lauren Coletti, Delaware scored three of the final four goals in the quarter to lead 10-9 heading into the final 15 minutes.
The fourth quarter was all Hofstra, though, as freshman
Brynn Hepting won the opening draw control and fed graduate student
Katie Whelan, who raced to goal to tie the score just 13 seconds in. Walser would put the Pride in front to stay with an unassisted goal at the 13:14 mark and Whelan added another with 12:14 on the clock to give the Pride a two-goal advantage. Delaware stopped the Pride run for a moment, but senior
Jackie Gatti started a game-closing 4-0 run off a feed from senior
Anna Kaufmann to push Hofstra to a five-goal victory.
Hofstra led the game in several categories, including shots (32-21), ground balls (16-12), draw controls (18-13), and caused turnovers (12-10).
Walser finished with a team-high tying four points on the three goals and an assist. Graduate student
Shannon Boyle was tremendous in the game with four draw controls, four caused turnovers, and a pair of ground balls. The four caused turnovers were a new career-high for Boyle. Hepting posted a team-best (and personal season-high) seven draw controls in the game. Senior
Erin Demek led Hofstra with two assists and added a goal, while Coletti had her third straight two-goal game for the Pride.
Lizzie Yurchak had four points on three goals and an assist for Delaware, while Danika Swech and Sydni Rosa each tallied two goals. Danielle Livornese had eight draw controls for the Blue Hens.
Senior
Jess Smith had seven saves for Hofstra, while Mercy McCarthy had 10 for Delaware.
Hofstra is off until next Wednesday when it travels to Drexel for a 3 p.m. contest. That game will air on FloLive.
NOTES
- Hofstra is now 13-20 all-time against Delaware. The meeting was the first between the teams since a 14-8 Pride win in 2019.
- With her two goals, graduate student
Katie Whelan is now just five points shy of 200 for her career as she has 121 goals and 74 assists as a member of the Pride. She is looking to become only the seventh player in program history to reach 200 career points.
- Whelan moved into a tie for eighth all-time in program history in draw controls with 135. She is now tied with Bridget Eder (2002-05).
- With her three ground balls in the game, senior
Jess Smith now has exactly 100 for her career.
- Boyle's four caused turnovers give her 72 for her career and move her into sixth place all-time in program history. She passed four players in today's game alone, including Shelby Milne, who had 71 from 2013-16.
- The assist was the first point in the career of senior
Anna Kaufmann.
