Loudonville, NY - Kayleigh Bender had four points on a goal and three assists to lead the Pride, but Siena defeated the Hofstra women's lacrosse team, 10-6, in the season opener for both teams on Friday afternoon at Hickey Field. 

Nikki Mennella added a pair of goals for the Pride. 

Mennella opened the scoring in the contest at the 11:02 mark of the first quarter and Bender would give Hofstra an early 2-1 lead later on. Siena closed the first quarter with three straight goals to lead 4-2 after one. A goal from Shannon Steck in the second quarter got Hofstra to within two, 6-4, but the Saints once again answered and scored two straight to end the opening stanza and led by four at the break. 

The second half was a low-scoring affair with the two teams combining for just four goals. Charli Joyce scored the lone goal of the third quarter to make it 9-5 in favor of the home team. The fourth quarter would see each team tally one goal each to account for the final margin. 

A pair of freshmen tallied their first career goals as Joyce and Steck each found the back of the net. 

Evin Terzioglu tied her career-high in ground balls and established a new career-high with five caused turnovers in the contest. 

Olivia Nicholson led Siena with two goals, while Jenna Pollicino had four assists for the Saints to lead them in points. 

Hofstra returns to action on Wednesday, February 11 when it hosts Manhattan at 12 p.m. That game will be played at Captains Field (soccer stadium) on Hofstra's north campus. Admission is free of charge. The game will air on FloCollege. 

NOTES
- The game was the first-ever meeting between Hofstra and Siena in women's lacrosse. 
- Terzioglu previously had a career-high two caused turnovers at Wagner on March 4, 2025 and had three ground balls in that same contest against Wagner. 
- Mennella has scored a goal in 11 consecutive games and has at least one point in 17 consecutive games. 
- Mennella moved into 11th place all-time in goals at Hofstra. She now has 117 for her career and ironically enough, she passed her sister, Taylor, who had 116 goals from 2020 to 2024.