Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra women's lacrosse team will see a familiar foe in the CAA semifinals on Thursday when the Pride takes on Drexel. The Pride and the Dragons will be meeting for the second consecutive game as the teams battled in a thriller in the regular season finale on April 27. The CAA Championship is being hosted by Stony Brook on Thursday and Saturday.

Hofstra is the third seed in the championship, while Drexel is the two seed. The Pride is looking for its second-ever CAA title this week after previously capturing the championship in 2007. Hofstra will also be looking for its fourth-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after previously qualifying in 2001, 2007, and 2021. 

This will mark the first time Hofstra has played the same opponent in back-to-back games since facing Towson on April 25 and May 1, 2021, during the COVID-altered 2021 campaign. The Pride and the Dragons went down to the wire last week as Drexel earned a narrow 11-10 win in Hempstead with the game-winning goal being scored with under four minutes remaining. 

Opening draw control between Hofstra and Drexel is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The first semifinal between Stony Brook and Elon will begin at 12 p.m. 

The game will air on Lacrosse TV as well as FloLive, with WRHU (HAWC) providing an audio-only broadcast. Links to the broadcast, as well as the live statistics, can be found on this page and on the women's lacrosse schedule page at GoHofstra.com. 

Hofstra will take a 9-7 overall record into the postseason after finishing the regular season with a 6-2 CAA mark. Melissa Sconone has had a tremendous regular season for the Pride as she leads the team in points with 72, assists with 35, and ranks second with 37 goals. Kerry Walser is second on the squad with 56 points on a team-best 46 goals and 10 assists, while also tallying a team-high 77 draw controls. Taylor Mennella is the third player on the Pride with at least 50 points as she has 55 points on 33 goals and 22 assists. Trinity Reed has been solid all over the field for Hofstra as she ranks second with 47 draw controls and 32 ground balls and third with 11 caused turnovers. Christine Dannenfelser is tops on the team in both ground balls and caused turnovers with 36 and 21, respectively. Luchianna Cardello has started all 16 games in net for the Pride and has a goals against average of 10.36, a save percentage of .461, and has made 130 saves this season. 

Drexel is 12-4 overall and went 7-1 in the league. Corrine Bednarik is Drexel's top offensive threat with 86 points on team-highs of 53 goals and 33 assists. She also has a team-best 64 draw controls. Allison Drake is second with 39 points on 34 goals and five assists. Jenika Cuocco has played nearly every minute in goal for Drexel with an 8.74 GAA, a .573 save percentage, and 185 saves on the year. 

Hofstra is 28-14 all-time against Drexel. The first-ever meeting occurred during the 1983 season. The Dragons have won six straight in the series, with the Pride's last win coming during the 2019 campaign.