Moran scored her first career goal in the fourth quarter to spark hopes of a comeback (PHOTO BY Brian Foley)

Pride ride two early goals to victory, holding off fourth quarter challenge

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (September 10, 2023) – Hofstra University scored twice in the opening five minutes but was held in check from there and turned aside a fourth quarter challenge by Stonehill College for a 4-1 victory in a non-conference field hockey matchup at Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium this afternoon.

Highlights

• Hofstra got goals from four different players in the win, with postgrad Samantha Spera finishing with a goal and assist.
• Senior Gabriela Espinoza and sophomores Jamie McMillan and Logan Oswald also chipped in with goals for the Pride.
• Sophomore Pieke Roos started and played the first 45-minutes in goal for Hofstra and finished with three saves without yielding a goal.
• Senior Lacy Moran netted the first goal of her collegiate career for Stonehill, while junior Shannon Conte kept the Skyhawks within arm's length with nine saves – all in the first quarter of play.

How It Happened

• Hofstra grabbed a two-goal cushion less than five minutes into the game, getting on the board just 52-seconds in when McMillan converted off a penalty corner for her second goal of the season.
• Espinoza doubled the Hofstra lead less than four minutes later off a pass from Spera for her first goal of the year and the two-goal lead with 4:38 expired.
• Stonehill dug in and surrendered just one more goal 3:21 into the second half as Spera netted her third goal of the year off a pass from senior Cami Valor.
• Stonehill got a goal back with 3:53 to play when Moran pounced on a Hofstra turnover and fired in the first goal of her collegiate career.

• Conte totaled nine saves, all in the first quarter, to keep the Skyhawks within reach (PHOTO BY Brian Foley)

  Stonehill pulled Conte for an extra field player but was unable to draw closer before Oswald scored into an empty net with just a second remaining.

Noteworthy

• Moran's first career goal comes in her 18^th career game played, making her third career start for Stonehill today.
• Conte has totaled 219 saves after her 21^st career game played today, having totaled 50 stops in five games so far this season, and ranks tenth all-time in program history.

Up Next

Stonehill (0-5, 0-0 NEC) returns to action on Friday, when it visits Bryant University for a non-conference matchup at 4 p.m. The Skyhawks home opener is scheduled for Friday, September 29, when they host Fairfield University for a Northeast Conference matchup at W.B. Mason Stadium at 1 p.m. Cal (3-3, 0-0 AE) is back on the East Coast in two weeks, when it opens America East Conference play at UAlbany on Friday, September 22, at 11 a.m.

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