Despite losing to Hofstra in a close 7-6 game Saturday afternoon, the women's lacrosse team said they felt good about their play.
"It's disappointing to lose, but I think it was a competitive game for us," said Hillary Anderson '08.
The team felt they played a solid 60 minutes of lacrosse, something they have been struggling with this season. This newfound confidence, coupled with the beginning of a "second season" in the Ivy League, provides hope for the Bears as they prepare for their Ivy opener this Saturday at Harvard.
After the weekend's loss in Hempstead, N.Y., Brown's record dropped to 2-4, while Hofstra ended a three-game losing streak and improved its record to 3-3.
"We're really confident despite our record," said Lauren Vitkus '09, who scored a team-high three goals in the game. "We have learned a lot and we're improving,"
The game opened with an unassisted goal from Vitkus at the 23:10 mark. Despite a seven-minute scoreless stretch from both teams at the beginning of the half, there were goals on each side of the scoreboard nine minutes into the game. The Pride quickly reacted to Brown's opening goal and tallied their own within 1:30.
There was another scoreless patch for the next 10 minutes of the game, but Molly McCarthy '10 halted it with 11:02 remaining with her second goal of the season.
But Hofstra responded and tied the game at two just less than a minute later, gaining the momentum it needed to start its run.
Off two free-position shots within one minute of each other, the Pride scored at the 7:11 and 6:14 mark, respectively, to gain a two-goal advantage. Head Coach Keely McDonald '00 immediately called a time out.
The goals "were off free-position shots, so part of it was unlucky," Vitkus said. The timeout allowed the Bears to refocus.
MacDonald said that the team was playing hard, but it "just needed to put the ball in the back of the net."
And that's just what Brown did. With 3:53 left in the half, Vitkus scored her second goal of the game and ninth goal of the season. But it didn't stop there. With her third and final goal of the game, Vitkus scored with just six seconds left in the half to tie the score at four.
"Going in 4-4 at halftime was great," Vitkus said. "The coaches said to keep doing what we're doing and to just clean up some things."
The second period of the game played out much like the first. Possession was fairly even, but despite grossly outshooting the Pride 12-4 in the second half, the Bears couldn't find the back of the net.
Hofstra started the scoring with a goal by Ashley Jones at the 24:25 mark. Another goal by the Pride sent them ahead by two for the second time in the game. But goals from Kara Kelly '10 and Krystina Deluca '09 knotted the game at six.
Hofstra, which plays more of a sagging defense as opposed to Brown's more aggressive style, shut down Brown's final attempts to take back the game with a more conservative strategy.
The Pride called a timeout following Deluca's goal, and it helped the team regroup. A Brown turnover with 12:25 left in the game gave Hofstra a golden opportunity, allowing Jones to score what proved to be the game-winning goal.
The Bears' attack-style defense provided them with many opportunities to score toward the end of the contest, with Bruno taking shots until the last six seconds.
"Our defense played outstanding," Anderson said. "They set our attack up for an opportunity to score at the end of the game and you can't ask for anything more."
Brown is looking forward to a "new" season when it opens up Ivy League play at Harvard this coming weekend.
"It's like a second season in the season," MacDonald said. "We're fired up for those games and we've worked a lot out in our first non-league games."
