HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's soccer team (0-1-0) opened the 2021 campaign with a 5-1 loss to Hofstra (2-0-0) on Thursday afternoon from windy Hofstra Soccer Stadium. This was FDU's first match since November 10, 2020 and is the only non-conference contest on the schedule.
Sophomore
Cayla Waterman scored her first career goal and the Knights first of the season in the defeat.
Coach Teepe's Thoughts
"I felt that the first 15-20 minutes we struggled with the pace of the game as it was our first match of the year," stated head coach Eric Teepe following the match. "We did recover towards the end of the first half and started to settle into the game. We were a little more pleased with the second half against a team that could finish the year as a top 10 team in the country. Our players battled and showed their willingness to compete in the second half."
"Playing today was definitely a different feeling as it had been so long and I don't think anyone knew how we would feel or react. We needed to have this game and now we can grow from this. Cass made some nice saves in the second half and Cayla scored a nice goal. Getting this game in was a positive in the sense that we've now shaken off the rust."
"We need to go out and battle on Tuesday against a Sacred Heart team that will be a tough test for us and is vying for one of the top two spots. It will be nice to play at home for the first time in over a year."
How it Happened
- FDU senior Cassandra Marcoux recorded her first save of the season in the fourth minute of the game when Sabrina Bryan fired a shot off a corner kick, but the Pride took a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute when Hofstra's leading goal scorer Lucy Porter found the back of the net.
- The Knights created their best chance of the first half when senior Alexiane Marquis broke through the Hofstra defense, but was unable to get a shot on the net as the Pride's goalkeeper knocked the ball away.
- After FDU had started to develop a rhythm and was dominating possession, Lucy Shepherd and the Pride countered the Knights by earning a free kick in which Shepherd found the back of the net to extend the lead to 2-0 in the 29th minute of action.
- The Pride added two more goals before the break off shots from Porter and Sabrina Bryan to take a four goal lead into the half.
- Senior Viktorija Miseljic ran up the left side of the pitch in the 64th minute and fired a shot that went just high of the net in a stretch in which Marcoux registered three saves over the first 19 minutes of the second half.
- In the 71st minute, the Knights applied offensive pressure when junior Lea Egner serviced in a ball that bounced around in the box and Waterman netted her first career goal on a shot that she fired with her right boot to the top right corner of the goal.
- Hofstra's Alia Mentzell scored the Pride's fifth goal of the match in the 86th minute after a save was made by Marcoux as Hofstra went on to win the match.
Inside the Box Score
- Marcoux recorded seven saves in the match, one in the first half and six in the second.
- FDU attempted three shots, with one on goal and earned one corner kick.
- The Knights played 18 players in the match.
- Freshmen Michelle Williams, Aleyna Gross, and Franziska Theus made their collegiate debuts against Hofstra.
What's Next
FDU will return home to host the first NEC contest of the season when they welcome Sacred Heart to University Stadium on Tuesday, March 2 at 5:00 p.m.
