Youthful Hofstra seeks growth

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A season removed from just missing out on an NCAA Tournament appearance, the Hofstra women’s lacrosse team is loaded with youth.

The Pride graduated key pieces from last year’s 11-6 team that dropped an overtime heartbreaker to Towson in the Colonial Athletic Association semifinals, and a sizable 11-player freshman class has arrived. Fourth-year head coach Shannon Smith expects growing pains from a roster dominated by underclassmen, but is excited about how her younger plays have been competing early on.

“We’re looking to get better every day,” said Smith, who shined as a collegiate player at Northwestern and captured the 2011 Tewaaraton Trophy. “We’re going to continue to grow week to week.”

Hofstra’s youthful squad only has three seniors including co-captains Lindsay Alfano and Shelby Milne. Becky Conto, a West Hempstead native and Sacred Heart Academy graduate, is also back for her senior season and Smith is excited to the former Long Island Catholic Conference star healthy after being plagued by injuries the last couple seasons.

“She’s playing extremely well right now,” Smith said of Conto, who scored three goals in a 13-12 defeat to Fairfield on Feb. 27 that dropped Hofstra to 0-3. “I’m really excited for what she is going to bring.”

Graduate student attacker Lindsay Scott provides an additional veteran presence after a three-year career at national power North Carolina. Scott tallied seven goals in the loss to Fairfield and through the Pride’s first three games had 16 points. Her offensive spark is critical following the graduation of the program’s all-time leading scorer, Brittain Altomare.

“She brings a lot of confidence to the offense,” Smith said of Scott, a former standout at Westchester County’s Yorktown High School who won a national title with UNC in 2013. “She is a tremendous attacker.”

Hofstra’s offense is anchored by Scott and junior attacker Tiana Parrella, who scored 23 goals in 2015. Alfano and sophomore midfielder Drew Shapiro are also capable goal-scorers to complement Scott and Parrella. Freshman Lexi Lanaghan has added an offensive spark early on with four goals in Hofstra’s first two games after tallying 69 goals as a senior at Notre Dame Academy in Massachusetts. 

The Pride no longer have Wantagh High School product April Iannetta anchoring the defense, which puts more weight on the shoulders of Milne, who was a second-team All-CAA selection as a junior last year. Sophomore Carolyn Carrerra, who also plays goalie on the Hofstra women’s soccer team, is a key component of the defense from her midfield spot after starting as a defender last year. Freshman Maddie Fields has emerged as starting goalie early in her college career following the graduation of Rockville Centre native Kelsey Gregerson, who serves as the netminder the last three years.

Smith said she has been impressed early on with the play of freshman defenders Rachel Gregory and Jenna Baverman. Gregory stared at Babylon High School and was part of a 2013 team that captured a Suffolk County championship. Baverman, a Baltimore native, is team captain of the Under-19 Israeli National Team that completed in the World Cup last summer in Scotland. 

Hofstra will host Big Ten opponents Ohio State and Rutgers in home games slated for March 25 and 27, respectively, before hosting Columbia on April 2 in its final non-conference contest. After opening CAA play with road games at William & Mary and James Madison, the Pride will host Towson in a rematch of last year’s conference semifinals on April 15 at 7 p.m.

Smith wants her team to be battle-tested for the challenges of CAA play in hopes of earning one of the league’s four conference tournament spots, which would give Hofstra a chance to earn an automatic bid to the NCAAs.

“You have to bring it every game in the CAA,” Smith said. “It’s a backyard brawl.”