As the regular season came to a close,
Hofstra was able to enjoy one of the best
seasons they have had as a program. Despite
the struggles at the end of the season, Hofstra
hosted the first round of the CAA Conference
Tournament. UNC Wilmington came to Long
Island to try and upend the Pride, but ran into a
determined Hofstra team.
The game would remain scoreless into the
73rd minute, when senior Amber Stobbs received
a pass from junior Lulu Echeverry, and put it into
the back of the net to give Hofstra the 1-0 lead. For
good measure, Sam Scolarici added an insurance
goal to give Hofstra a 2-0 lead. It tied the all-time
Hofstra record for goals in a season (17), and added to
Scolarici’s CAA leading goal tally.
The Pride got a fantastic outing from its
freshman goalkeeper Friederike Mehring
who started in place of the senior
Morphitis who earned her first
career shutout.
The victory over UNC
Wilmington set up a
matchup with the James
Madison Dukes, two teams
who had played a 3-3 tie
earlier in the regular season.
An exciting contest, the two
28
teams headed into the halftime all tied up at 1, thanks to a
penalty kick goal for standout midfielder Sam Scolarici.
The goal was a huge milestone as it was Scolarici’s
18th of the season, giving her the record for most goals
in a season in Hofstra history. The previous mark was
held by Carlene Wawrzonek who scored 17 back in
1994.
James Madison would breakthrough in the second
half, however, scoring two goals 15 minutes apart to
pull away from Hofstra. Mehring made five saves in
between the posts, but it wasn’t enough as the Dukes
offense proved to be just a little too much for the Pride.
The 2013 season was over for Hofstra, but it was
one to be proud of if you are a member of the Hofstra
community. Sam Scolarici enjoyed a breakout season,
setting the record for goals in a season and lighting up
the scoreboard during an exciting season. While senior
goalie Emily Morphitis will not be back next season,
freshman goalie Friederike Mehring showed signs of a
promising future for the Pride.
Overall, Hofstra finished the season 10-6-3, and
looks forward to continued improvement in 2014.
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