Hempstead, N.Y-  It was a high scoring affair at Hofstra with a plethora of goals. Despite the October fireworks, your Saint Francis Red Flash field hockey team dropped its third straight game falling to the Pride by a score (7-3) more typical seen in football. Saint Francis is now 7-7 overall after this nonconference matchup.

Turning Point

In the 44^th minute, the Red Flash scored to narrow the margin to 4-2. One minute later, Philine de Wolf scored her eighth goal of the season to seal the contest for Hofstra.

Flashpoints

·        Hofstra came out roaring with a multitude of penalty corners and shots. In the 8^th minute, Jordan Thompson assisted by Frankie O'Brien scored off a penalty corner.

·        Six minutes later, Philine de Wolf corralled a turnover and shot from the right side. Her goal came in at mid height and found the back of the net for a 2-0 Pride advantage.

·        A couple of minutes afterwards, Madison Warfel took a shot that Claudia Marzec (Whitinsville, Mass./Moses Brown School) skillfully blocked. However, the rebound went in the air where Madison Georgiana knocked it in for a score.

·        From the 23^rd to the 29^th minutes, Saint Francis had a surfeit of opportunities. Nevertheless, none of the shots made it past the Hofstra wall.

·        In the 31^st minute, the Red Flash scored when Celeste Azzari (Woolwich Twp., N.J./Kingsway Regional), ably assisted by Kyra Castano (Laflin, Pa./James M. Coughlin), found the net. Castano drew the keeper out of the net and passed the ball to Azzari who finished the sequence.

·        The half ended with no further scoring.

·        In the second half, Hofstra wasted little time returning to its scoring ways. Frankie O'Brien earned her second assist of the game by helping Madison Warfel off a penalty corner.

·        Saint Francis' star scoring duo of Brea Seabrook (Wilkes Barre, Pa./GAR Memorial) and Brianna Govia (St. James, Trinidad/Holy Name) struck back. Coming off a penalty corner, the pair passed back and forth with Seabrook scoring on a low shot to make it 4-2 Hofstra.

·        The comeback was stillborn as the turning point of the game arrived just 33 seconds later. Philine de Wolf scored her second goal of the season. She zig-zagged through the Saint Francis defenders and scored over Marzec's left shoulder to seal the win.

·        In the 67^th minute, Hofstra scored again when Hannah Zemaitis moved right to left along the sideline and found Anne van den Boomen in the middle. Van den Boomen delivered a low shot in the right corner.

·        Saint Francis salvaged some pride in the 69^th minute as Seabrook and Govia teamed up again for a goal and assist. The goal was achieved as the duo passed back and forth to create the opportunity.

·        At the 70^th minute, Hofstra finalized the scoring at 7-3 with a Madison Sauve goal. Frankie O'Brien earned her third assist of the day on the play.

Notes

·        Due to Hofstra being a nonconference opponent this late in the season, Claudia Marzec (Whitinsville, Mass./Moses Brown School) was given the opportunity to start. She played all 70 minutes against relentless pressure and recorded six saves in her first starting assignment of the season.

·        Both goalkeepers had six saves.

·        It was a high shooting affair as both the Pride and the Red Flash had 19 shots each.

·        Saint Francis finished with 12 penalty corners while Hofstra had 14.

·        Celeste Azzari (Woolwich Twp., N.J./Kingsway Regional) scored her first goal of the year which was also the first of her career. Congratulations to the sophomore on her accomplishment.

Up Next

The Red Flash remain travelers as they head to the city of Richmond for two A-10 conference games against the University of Richmond and VCU.