Hempstead, NY – The 2023 season of Hofstra field hockey is set to begin this Saturday, with the Pride welcoming Merrimack to Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium before hosting Fairfield on Tuesday, August 29.
 
Hofstra's season-opening match against Merrimack is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, while Tuesday's affair against Fairfield will begin at 3 p.m. Both contests will be streamed live on FloLive, and WRHU will provide live audio commentary for the Fairfield contest. These links, as well as links to the live statistics, are available on this page and on the field hockey schedule page on GoHofstra.com.
 
The Pride enter the new season following a six-win 2022 campaign. Samantha Spera is the top returning scorer from last season, finding the back of the net four times and assisting once for nine points, while Simryn Desai is back for another season following a four-goal season in 2022, and Teresa Karoff returns after scoring twice and assisting four times in her freshman season. Preseason All-CAA honoree Jamie Mc Millan leads a Hofstra defense that allowed 1.65 goals per game in 2022, second-best in the conference.
 
Merrimack finished last season with a 1-16 overall record in the NEC. Katelyn Bennett and Lauren Burke are the top returning scorers from the previous season with three goals each.
 
Fairfield finished as runner-up in the 2022 NEC Championship after going 11-9 on the year. The returning top scorer from 2022 is Carmel Van Dijk, who scored 13 points on three goals and seven assists.
 
Hofstra is 1-0 in its only meeting against Merrimack – a 4-0 home win for Hofstra in 2019 – and the Pride are 30-8 all-time against Fairfield. This will be Hofstra's first meeting against Fairfield since a 2-1 shootout win over the Stags in 2021.