Hofstra field hockey caps dramatic weekend with CAA playoff berth

It was a dramatic weekend for the Hofstra field hockey team that included a loss, a win, a trip the emergency room and nervously viewing a key conference game online that potentially could have ended its season. When the dust settled however head coach Kathy De Angelis found her program back in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships for the sixth straight year, putting a young team comprised of 11 freshmen and six sophomores just two wins from an NCAA tournament berth. 

Hofstra (12-7, 5-3 in the CAA) officially punched its ticket as the fourth and final seed for a CAA Championships after James Madison defeated Northeastern in double overtime on Sunday afternoon. A victory by the Huskies had the potential to put Hofstra in a logjam for fourth place with Old Dominion, Northeastern and James Madison, and could very well had put a cap on the Pride’s season depending on what tie-breaker formula the CAA used. Instead Coach De Angelis and her players that viewed the dramatic game on Northeastern’s website were joyous in front of their computer screens knowing they lived to play another day.

The Pride learning its playoff fate on a computer was far from the only tense moment during Halloween weekend. After losing at 17th ranked Delaware 4-1on Friday night, De Angelis found herself traveling to an emergency room to visit key players Amy-Lee Levey and Gena Kovar, who had both got hit in the hands by sticks on two separate incidents during the game. The duo was cleared to play in Saturday’s critical game at Towson but had to wear lacrosse gloves in order to protect their hands, but both contributed heavily to the 3-2 come-from-behind win with Levey scoring two goals and Kovar registering two assists.

Levey thrives under pressure for Hofstra field hockey

An important part of field hockey is penalty strokes and Hofstra head coach Kathy De Angelis has found a reliable executer of these key open shots in junior midfielder Amy-Lee Levey. The Zimbabwe native is striking a .1000 average this season with a perfect three-for-three on penalty strokes including the game-winning overtime goal against Quinnipiac on Sept. 16 and her first of a career high two goals in this past Sunday’s 4-3 overtime win over Virginia Commonwealth (VCU).

“I always look up to the opposite corner and try and fake the goalie out,” said Levey of her mental and physical approach toward taking a penalty stroke. “It is so cool to get it in.”

Since arriving at Hofstra in 2007 from Africa, where she played at an all-girls catholic school in Harare, Zimbabwe called Dominican Convent, Levey has proven to be a reliable offensive producer with 10 points her sophomore season and six as a freshman. However this is the first year where Levey has been called upon to take those pressure penalty strokes, which is a shot taken only 6.4 meters in front of the goalie after a foul occurs in the circle around the goal.

"We are 110% confident that Amy is going to put the stroke in,” said Coach De Angelis of Levey’s clutch goals off of penalties this year. “It’s definitely about power and being technical but you have to have that confidence and composure to get up there and to score.”

Three of Levey’s four goals this season have been by the penalty stroke variety and her other tally came at an opportune time as she poked in a shot off a scramble in front of the VCU net to give the Pride its recent overtime triumph. Hofstra (6-6 and 1-2 in the CAA) needs to finish in the top four if they are to reach the conference playoffs for the sixth straight season and if the Pride manages to keep that post-season streak alive, Levey will likely be a large reason why.

“She is an outstanding athlete with great skill as well as just an amazing heart, which is so important for a program,” said De Angelis.

In addition to her field hockey success Levey also excels in the classroom. The finance major received the CAA Commissioner’s Award and was named a member of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Academics Squad her first two seasons at Hofstra. “She leads by example in every practice and every game,” said De Angelis.

Hofstra’s quest to reach the CAA playoffs will be largely determined this weekend when the Pride head to Virginia to battle William & Mary on Friday night and 16th-ranked Old Dominion on Sunday. “It’s our fist real away trip so our team is really going to come together,” said Levey. “We’re going to show them what Hofstra is made of.”