Junior midfielder Olivia Pearse launched a shot that found its way to the top left of the net over the head of Scarlet Knights goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer at 87:07 to score the only goal of the game as Hofstra defeated the Scarlet Knights, 1-0.

In four previous meetings, the Scarlet Knights had never lost to the Hofstra Pride. But that was the past.

From the outset, it became obvious that the strategy for Rutgers was to feed the ball to Riley Tiernan, and then let the talented junior run to daylight to create scoring chances.

For Hofstra, the strategy was simple. Any time Tiernan touched the ball, they were going to be as physical as possible, even double-teaming her, if necessary.

But while Rutgers controlled possession and the game’s tempo in the early going, Hofstra was equal to the task, avoiding some close calls and thwarting the Scarlet Knights in the offensive zone.

Meanwhile, in the Rutgers defensive zone, Hofstra had minimum chances, but those that did develop were backstopped well by goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer. Bodmer challenged Pride players by coming out of the net to break up chances, and then made big saves when they were needed off shots by sophomore Thorhildur Thorhallsdottir as well as juniors Gabriella Marte and Mathilde Braithwaite.

In the second half, a similar pattern emerged, as the Knights pressured the Hofstra goal, but kept coming up empty. With the entrance of sparkplug Gia Girman in the sixty-second minute, the scoring chances started multiplying for Rutgers, but great defensive plays and a little luck kept the game level at 0-0.

As the clock wound down the home crowd’s anxiety built, especially when Bodmer made a diving attempt in front of the Rutgers goal and the ball squirted behind her, rolling towards the RU net. As the Scarlet Knights’ fans held their breath, junior Emily Mason made a game-saving clear on the loose ball.

But the celebration would be short-lived, as Hofstra quickly regrouped, and when sophomore Wiktoria Fronc fed Pearse, the junior’s goal provided the late 1-0 lead that turned out to be the margin of victory.

From there, the stunned crowd of 821 at Yurcak Field could only hope that the Knights could find the equalizer, but it was not to be. Instead, head coach Simon Riddiough’s Hofstra Pride walked off with a hard-fought, out-of-conference win against the Scarlet Knights, 1-0.

Head Coach Mike O’Neill appears to have found an emerging talent in forward Ashley Baran, who played 12 minutes in the first half and created offensive chances, even recording a shot on goal during that time. In the meantime, graduate transfer Gia Vicari continues to be a regular fixture in the lineup, accruing 82 minutes of playing time in the loss to the Pride.

Rutgers will look to correct their mistakes and right the ship when it travels to Raleigh, to face N.C. State on Thursday, August 24 at 7 p.m.