Sabrina Bryan is a historical talent at Hofstra
If you do a quick Google search of the name “Sabrina Bryan”, the first person that comes up is the multi-talented actress and singer known best for her role in The Cheetah Girls. But, on the soccer scene, it’s Hofstra’s Sabrina Bryan that takes center stage. Is the senior soccer star a fan of the other Sabrina Bryan? “I’m actually surprised that this is the first time this has come up in an interview for me,” she told BGN with a laugh. “But yes I am a big fan of her and she was my favorite Cheetah Girl.”
The Pennsylvania native has made quite a name for herself at Hofstra since arriving back in 2017. Stepping into a starting role immediately, she tallied two goals and two assists as a freshman. After scoring 13 goals and picking up four assists in 2018, she more than doubled her assist total up to ten to go along with 11 goals in 2019 as a junior. “I think that getting more assists is really just a testament to how much I can rely on my teammates,” Bryan explained. “It’s hard to defend a team that has so many offensive threats and I believe that’s what makes us such a difficult team to play against.”
Her impressive play in 2019 earned her CAA Attacking Player of the Year, All-American honors, and a spot on the 2020-21 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. She said, “It’s definitely really exciting to be receiving recognition from a national level. As a little girl, I always dreamed of being an All-American. But with that being said, it’s certainly not as satisfying if you haven’t achieved your goals as a team.”
While the team goals may not have been fully achieved, Hofstra has had success during Bryan’s tenure at the school, winning 47 matches in the three previous seasons. They have made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons. “Throughout my past 3 years at Hofstra, we’ve made it to the NCAA tournament. I think that the continued experience on a national stage is really all that we need to push ourselves to the next round,” Bryan said. “We feel more comfortable going into those games now and we have more belief in ourselves and what we can accomplish.”
Bryan and Hofstra are living up to the hype already in 2021. Through three matches, Sabrina has scored three goals and has five assists and the team has won all three fixtures. They will look to extend their undefeated start to the season when they travel to Philadelphia to play Drexel on Saturday afternoon.
With the impact of COVID-19 on recent seasons, the NCAA gave players the option of picking up another year of eligibility. Will fans get to see Bryan for another season later in 2021? “Unfortunately I won’t be back at Hofstra in the fall,” she answered. “It was a very difficult decision but having gotten accepted into graduate school for Physical Therapy, I feel that the best thing for me was to think of my future outside of college soccer.”
Already in the top ten for both categories, Sabrina will likely leave Hofstra in the top five all-time for career goals and assists. With her time on the pitch winding down at the New York university, she is able to reflect on what made her career special there. “Being a senior and looking back on my time at Hofstra, I’d have to say that what makes it such a special place for me is the athletic community,” she said. “All the teams are so supportive of each other and it’s definitely going to be a hard atmosphere to leave.”
