Gandolfi, Whitcomb Lead Hofstra over Drexel
from press release
Junior midfielder Corrine Gandolfi capped a personal-best season
with a career-high six goals and senior midfielder Lauren Whitcomb
capped an impressive career with two goals in the season finale,
helping Hofstra close out 2009 with a 18-10 victory over Colonial
Athletic Association(CAA)-rival Drexel in front of a sun-drenched
"Senior Day" crowd Saturday afternoon at James M. Shuart
Stadium.
Hofstra's surging offense went on a 9-0 first half run while
junior goalkeeper Mary Cuddihy made eight saves as the Pride
finished 10-6 and 4-3 against the conference. Gandolfi finished the
year with 45 goals and nine different players scored for the Pride,
which finished with its first 10-win season since 2007 and cracked
double-digits in the win category sixth time in the past 10
seasons.
Junior attacker Courtney O'Connor chipped in two Hofstra goals and
junior midfielder Liz Falco ended the year with a hat trick,
snapping the Pride's two-game losing streak. Drexel concluded the
season 7-9 and 0-7 versus the CAA.
Drexel's methodical offensive approach paid off when Charlotte
Wood flicked a shot into the top half of the cage, putting the
Dragons up by a goal 1:25 into the contest.
Hofstra shook off the rough start, forging a 9-0 run with goals
from Gandolfi, Whitcomb, Sandy Wasserbach, O'Connor and Stephanie
Rice to put the game away. Through the first 30 minutes, the Pride
established a 26-9 edge in shots and a 21-12 lead in ground balls.
For the game, Hofstra out-shot Drexel, 45-25 and collected 44
groundballs.
Whitcomb fired the Pride's opening salvo, converting on a
free-position shot to make it one-all at 3:18. Gandolfi extended
the lead almost four minutes later, becoming just the seventh Pride
player to reach the single season 40-goal mark when her short-angle
shot beat goalkeeper Lauren LaBella.
Gandolfi's goal total is the seventh-highest in school history.
She finished the season on a hot streak, totaling 12 goals in the
final three games. By wrapping up a 70-point season, Gandolfi
finished in sole possession of fourth place on the single season
scoring list.
Wasserbach, a junior midfielder added a goal and Gandolfi scored
twice more during the run, picking up the hat trick with 18:38
remaining in the first half. O'Connor, took junior middfielder Liz
Falco's pass and flicked a shot into the cage, handing Hofstra a
6-1 lead. All three of Falco's goals game in the final half,
marking four Pride players with multi-goal games.
Hofstra would add two more goals, chasing LaBella for Whitney
Johnson after Gandolfi's fourth goal of the half. Drexel finally
ended the run of unanswered goals when Katie Lawson registered her
35th goal of the season. Senior midfielder Jacquelyn Hetzel
reestablished Hofstra's offense touching a minute before halftime,
putting the Pride up, 10-2, heading into the break.
Drexel opened the second half with two goals, cutting the deficit
to six. But Drexel would not get any closer to making a comeback,
thanks in part to Falco scoring her 27, 28 and 29th goals in the
final period.
Today's game marked the final game in a Hofstra uniform for the
Pride's six seniors (Jen Bach, Lauren Eberling, Hetzel, Alysse
Ruszkowski, Cat Thoreson and Whitcomb). This year's group
compiled 40 victories during their four-year careers, and they made
two appearances in the Colonial Athletic Association title game. In
2007 this group helped Hofstra capture its first CAA title and
advance to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program
history.
Whitcomb closed her career as one of the top goal scorers and top
draw control specialists in program history. She accumulated 87
career goals and 95 draw controls, with her draw control total
ranking fifth all-time in Hofstra Lacrosse history.
One of the top defenders in program history, Alysse Ruszkowski
closes her career with 119 ground balls and 89 caused turnovers.
Her caused turnover total is the second-best total in school
history and her ground- ball toal ranks sixth all-time.
