Hofstra women's lacrosse team staying focused after 6-2 start

The Hofstra women’s lacrosse is heading into its final non-conference game at Stanford this Wednesday 6-2 but despite the solid start which has included wins at Cornell and a triumph over then 19th ranked Rutgers, head coach Abby Morgan is not allowing herself to be satisfied.

“I do feel like we’re continuing to improve and we’re moving upwards… but you can’t get to a point where you’re OK, you can’t get to a point where you’re satisfied,” said Morgan. “As soon as you rest on your laurels a little bit you’re going to get beat.”

Hofstra’s two early season losses came by one goal to then eighth ranked Notre Dame 13-12 and fourth ranked Penn 7-6. Had Hofstra pulled off one of those games the Pride would be in prime position for an at large berth to the NCAA playoffs. If Hofstra can win at Stanford this Wednesday the Pride would be back in position for an at-large should it not be able to capture the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title, but Morgan is not allowing her team to think about playoff possibilities as conference season nears.

“The focus has to be for our players that we have to play Hofstra ball and we have not that in the first half of our last couple games,” said Morgan. “We have to stay focused on the job at hand.”

Hofstra has been led offensively by senior attacker Corrine Gandolfi with 27 goals. The Northport High School product has also displayed leadership off the field by communicating with her teammates in practices and in the locker room what needs to be accomplished for the Pride to reach the next level. “She has realized how to not just lead by example but to lead vocally,” said Morgan. “Now she realizes it is do or die and she has to do everything she can to help this team win.”

After Hofstra returns from its trip to the San Fransisco Bay Area to face Stanford the Pride will have nine days to prepare for its CAA opener against William & Mary on April 9 at 7 p.m. After winning the CAA title in 2007 Hofstra has missed out on the conference playoffs by one game the last two years and Morgan is expecting 2010 to be another unpredictable season where one weekend slate of games could decide the Pride’s postseason fate. “The conference is crazy,” said Morgan. “There is a lot of parity.”