Hempstead, NY  - Cortlyn Bristol scored the only goal of the match at 77:44 to lift the #23 Tribe of William and Mary over Hofstra in a defensive battle at the Hofstra Soccer Stadium Friday night.  The win was the eighth straight for the Tribe and improves their record to 12-1-2, 7-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Hofstra falls to 6-7 overall and 2-5 in the CAA.

The game was a tight, defensive battle for much of the game. Hofstra had four shots in the first half compared to William and Mary’s three, but neither team had what could be considered good scoring chances. But things picked up in the second half as both teams generated several scoring opportunities. Hofstra had nine second half shots, including three that resulted in saves by Tribe keeper Katherine Yount (5 saves for the match). Hofstra’s best chance came in the 71^st minute on  Brittany Butts shot that Yount made a diving save on and corralled the ball to prevent a rebound. William and Mary tested Hofstra’s Emily Morphitis with six shots, three of them on goal. Morphitis made two saves in the half and three total for the match.

Bristol’s goal came after a Hofstra defender slipped on the wet turf caused by heavy rains that fell before the game and during the latter stages of the first half. The junior forward raced in from midfield and blasted a shot from the top of the box that went over Morphitis’ head and into the back of the net.

Following the goal, Hofstra had two more scoring chances, but a Laura Greene shot was saved by Yount and a header by Courtney Breen off a corner kick went wide of the target. 

Hofstra finished with a 13-9 edge in shots and a 3-2 advantage in corner kicks.

The Pride will look to shake their longest losing streak since 1993 when they host Old Dominion on Sunday at 1 p.m. The match is the final home contest of the season for the Pride and marks the last home games for Hofstra seniors Courtney Breen, Erin Breen, Brooke Bendernagel, Laura Greene and Brittany Butts.

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