Hempstead, NY – A Bryant goal inside the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter was enough to put the Bulldogs over the Hofstra field hockey team 2-1 on Sunday from Cindy Lewis Stadium. Both teams now stand at 1-1 following today's contest.
Bryant got on the board within the first 1:23 of the game on a penalty corner goal, beating a diving
Luci Hollister for the game's opening tally. Both sides searched for the next goal, but Bryant maintained its 1-0 lead going into halftime by outshooting Hofstra 9-5 in the first half. Hofstra knotted the game at 1-1 with 16 seconds remaining in the third quarter as
Sarah Smalley followed her own rebound and got just enough on her second attempt to beat Bryant netminder Maud van Lierop before the fourth quarter.
Hofstra and Bryant both had moments of momentum in the fourth quarter, each registering four shots in the final frame, but it was Bryant who scored the game-winning goal on the 18th penalty corner of the game. After Caitlin Caito's initial shot attempt was blocked by a Hofstra defender, the ball squirted to Emerson Johnson, who lifted the shot over a sprawling Hollister and in with 23 seconds left before the final horn.
Johnson also assisted on the opening goal for the Bulldogs to give her three points on the day, while van Lierop made six saves for Bryant.
Hofstra faces its first road test of the season on Friday, September 4, at 3 p.m. on Staten Island.
NOTES:
-Hofstra is now 3-4 all-time versus Bryant.
-Hollister made seven saves for the Pride in the defeat.
-This was the first goal for Smalley as a member of the Pride and the fourth of her collegiate career.
-Bryant outshot Hofstra 15-14 and earned 10 penalty corners to Hofstra's eight.
