Hicksville resident Marisa Pistone has been playing soccer when she was just 6 years old. Now, the 22-year-old college senior, is a star midfielder for the Pride, Hofstra University's women's soccer team.

"Soccer runs in my family," said Pistone. "I used to watch my father play all the time. I loved watching him and got into it myself. When I was little, he did not want me to play because he was afraid I would get hurt."

So far this season, Pistone is ranked second on the team in scoring with 10 points. She has scored three goals and a team-high four assists, raising her career totals to 11 goals - eight of which have been game-winners - and 13 assists, tying her for 10th all-time at Hofstra. Currently, Hofstra is in first place with a record of 9-1-1.

Head Coach JoAnne Russell said that Pistone has been terrorizing opposing defenders with her speed for much of the last four seasons. "We've never had anyone faster," said Russell, adding that between Pistone's sprinter's speed and booming left-footed crosses, she's created dozens upon dozens of quality scoring chances for Hofstra in her career.

According to Hofstra's website, the Pride won their conference openers two years in a row because of Pistone's timely goal-scoring. Last fall, in the team's first-ever CAA contest, Pistone's left-footed blast gave Hofstra a 2-1 win over George Mason. In the Pride's CAA opener last month, Pistone scored the game-winning goal two minutes into the second overtime, giving Hofstra a 1-0 road win over home-team Delaware. As a result, the Pride was the only team to emerge without a loss or a tie during the first weekend of CAA play.

Pistone's success in the game against Delaware resulted in her being named CAA Women's Soccer Player of the Week award. Last month's honor was the second time the Hicksville athlete received that distinction, earning her first CAA Player of the Week award in September 2002 after another successful game gave the Pride a one-goal victory in its conference opener. She is the third Pride player to win one of the CAA weekly awards this fall, with freshman back Jacki Pollaro and junior goalkeeper Rebecca Wachsberger named Rookie of the Week and Player of the Week, respectively.

Since joining the Pride in the fall of 2000, Pistone has been a part of a program that has significantly grown in stature.

"The team is getting better and better every year," Pistone said. "Every year, we progress more and more. This season, we have the strongest team."

According to the Hofstra website, despite compression syndrome in her leg, Pistone helped lead Hofstra to a 12-5-2 record during her freshman year. In her sophomore year, Pistone was named second-team All-America East Conference - prior to the school's move to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) last fall, and in the summer of 2002 she played with the Long Island Lady Riders, a local semi-pro soccer team.

Pistone is a 2000 graduate of Hicksville High School. During her high school career, she ran track and played soccer, receiving the honor of being named her high school soccer team's Most Valuable Player four times and was a three-time All-Nassau County selection. When it came time to attend college, Pistone chose to stay close to home, picking Hofstra over St. John's University not only because of the scholarship they offered her, but because it was the closest Division 1 school with an excellent reputation and coaching staff.

A physical education major, Pistone said she hopes to get a job as a physical education or health teacher and would love to work with special education children. Pistone also plans to return to school, most likely Hofstra, soon after graduation and earn a master's degree in either health or special education, as well as continue playing semi-pro soccer.

Above all, Pistone said she will be sad to see her Hofstra career come to an end. "I definitely have enjoyed every aspect of being at Hofstra," she said. "I love it. I love my teammates, the coaches, the feeling of accomplishment, the competitiveness. I love everything about it. It's gotten me where I am today. I will definitely be one of those alumni attending all the games and wishing they could come back."