Yovino Has No. 18 Retired at Hofstra

Tiffany Yovino is used to collecting awards for her soccer prowess, but she received a great honor last weekend when her jersey No. 18 was retired at Hofstra.

Yovino, a Sachem East alum and Holtsville native, became the 25th Hofstra student-athlete to have a jersey number retired and only the second women's soccer player. Former All-American Sue Weber (2005-07) also had her number (No. 20) retired in 2008, according to the school.

She finished four-year career with the Pride last fall by earning third team All-America honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). She became the third All-American in the history of the Hofstra Women's Soccer program, joining Weber (2005, 2007) and Brooke DeRosa (2007), who were also third team selections.

In 2010 Yovino scored 12 goals and added two assists to help Hofstra to a 19-3 final record and a spot in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 19 wins set a new school record, breaking the mark that Yovino helped set as a freshman in 2007, when the Pride finished 18-4. Hofstra also won 18 straight games, shattering the old school record of 10 straight set by the 2005 team and tying for the third-longest single-season winning streak in Hofstra history in any sport.

In addition to her All-American distinction, Yovino also earned first team All-Mid Atlantic region honors from the NSCAA this fall, making her the first four-time all-region selection in Hofstra history. She earned third team honors as a freshman, and then captured first team honors in each of the last three years.

Among other achievements, Yovino was named the 2010 Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year, making her the first conference player of the year in program history.

In her four years with the Pride, Yovino started in all 85 games in the midfield and her career record with the Pride was 58-21-6. She recorded 50 career points on 21 goals and eight assists during her tenure, and had a key role in the two winningest seasons in school history, as well as both of the program's NCAA Tournament wins.

Yovino also excelled in the classroom and was named a first team ESPN CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2010, joining just six other student-athletes in Hofstra athletics history (in any sport) in achieving first team Academic All-America distinction. In 2011 she became the first Hofstra student-athlete to earn a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.