HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – After capturing its fourth Colonial Athletic Association crown to receive the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division I tournament, the Hofstra University women are set to battle Providence College at the Hofstra Soccer Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m.
It is the second time in three seasons that Hofstra has earned the right to host an NCAA Tournament first round game.
The match will be streamed live free of charge at GoHofstra.com/video. The game can also be accessed on the CAA.tv app on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku. In addition, WRHU will provide live audio on WRHU 88.7 FM and live statistics will also be available. Links to all of the above are located on the top of this release and on the Hofstra women’s soccer schedule page.
The Pride (16-3-1) is making its fourth NCAA tournament appearance in the last five seasons and ninth in program history. During its previous seven appearances, Hofstra is 4-8-1, with the most recent NCAA Tournament win coming against Loyola Chicago in the first round in 2019.
Last weekend, Hofstra posted a 1-0 win over James Madison Univeristy in the CAA semifinal before defeating Northeastern University in the championship match, 2-1. Fifth-year forward Lucy Shepherd had hand on all three Hofstra goals (2 goals, 1 assist) over the weekend, and fifth-year midfielder Lucy Porter was named the CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. In addition, senior forward Miri Taylor headed in the game-winning goal in the championship match, giving her 42 points for the season which marked a Hofstra program record. Her 42 points are second in the nation and lead the team, while Lucy Shepherd (8 goals, 11 assists ), Lucy Porter (6 goals, 11 assists), Ellen Halseth (7 goals, 3 assists) and Georgia Brown (6 goals, 2 assists) all have double-digit points for the Pride. In all, Hofstra is out-scoring opponents, 48-10. Hofstra allows just 0.50 goals per game and racks up 19.6 shots per game to opponents 5.9.
Providence College is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1993 after earning an at-large selection. Providence enters postseason play with a 10-6-3 overall record after finishing fifth in the BIG EAST standings with a 5-3-2 record. The Friars were eliminated from the BIG EAST Conference tournament after falling to St. John’s in the first round.
All-Big East First Team honoree Meg Hughes leads the Friars with 22 points on nine goals and four assists, while four other players follow with four goals. Amber Birthwell has five assists this season to lead the team while her 13 points rank second.
Hofstra and Providence have met twice in the all-time series, the first time in 2002 when the teams tied, 1-1 and later in 2004 when Hofstra won, 2-0.
