Columbia
Hofstra
5 Things to Know: Columbia vs. #25 Hofstra
9/1/2021 1:39:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Lions set host nationally ranked Pride in home opener
NEW YORK — After beginning the season with two matches on the road, the Columbia women's soccer team (0-1-1) is set for its 2021 home debut on Thursday when it welcomes No. 25 Hofstra (3-1-0) to Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Fans who can't attend Thursday's home opener can watch the action on ESPN+. Live stats will be provided by GoColumbiaLions.com. Fans can also keep up with the match on Twitter by following @CULionsWSOC.
Fans attending games at the Baker Athletics Complex must adhere to Columbia Athletics and the University's venue protocols. Please find Columbia's venue policies here.
5 THINGS TO KNOW
1. THE HOME OPENER
Thursday marks Columbia's 35th season competing at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium. Since 1995, the Lions are an impressive 15-7-3 in home openers, which included a program-long seven-match winning streak from 1995-2001. In 2017, Columbia also opened its home schedule against Hofstra, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Thursday's match will be Columbia's first at home since Nov. 2, 2019, marking 670 days since the Lions last competed at home.
2. TAKING DOWN THE TOP 25
Columbia will be looking to take down a top 25 team for the second time in just the last few years. In 2017, Columbia took down then-No. 11 Princeton, 2-0, on the road behind a ninth-minute goal from Natalie Neshat and an 11th-minute strike from Emily Koe.
3. REGIONAL RIVALRIES
Columbia will be playing its second match of the season against a team inside the top 10 in the United Soccer Coaches regional rankings. St. John's was ranked No. 5 in the regional poll when Columbia went into Belson Stadium and earned a hard-fought 3-3 draw last Friday. Hofstra enters Thursday's match ranked No. 2 in the East Region poll.
4. TALLYING UP OPENING WEEKEND
- Junior Ally Clark, sophomore Nata Ramirez and sophomore Madi Pilla all scored in the 3-3 draw against St. John's.
- Ally Clark and Nata Ramirez assisted each other's goals.
- A stat correction also awarded Madi Pilla an assist on the goal by Ally Clark, giving Ramirez, Clark and Pilla all a team-leading three points to start off the season.
- Pilla leads the team in shots with six taken on opening weekend. Five of her six shots were on target.
- Ramirez landed four of her five shots on goal.
- Between the posts, sophomore Paige Nurkin made five saves in her collegiate debut on Friday at St. John's
- First-year Audrey Byrne made three saves in her first collegiate start Sunday at Stony Brook
- Between the first-year and sophomore classes, 14 Lions made their collegiate debuts through the first two matches.
5. THE OPPONENT
Hofstra is coming off a week where it defeated Brown, 4-0 before suffering a slim 2-1 setback against No. 7 Penn State. Senior forward Miri Taylor was named the Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Week after tallying three goals for the Pride. Junior forward Ellen Halseth had a breakthrough weekend, recording one goal and two assists for the Pride.
Columbia is 4-9-2 in the all-time series against Hofstra and will be searching for their first win against the Pride since 2007. The Lions drew the Pride, 1-1, in the 2017 home opener at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium. Amaris Hemmings scored for Columbia in the 29th minute of that contest before the Lions conceded a penalty in the 36th minute to ultimately share the points.
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For the latest on the Columbia women's soccer program, follow @CULionsWSOC on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ColumbiaWSoccer and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
