Men's soccer opens season with loss to Syracuse

460 days after the Hofstra men’s soccer team concluded their last season, the Pride returned to action Friday, Feb. 12, in a late 2-1 loss to Syracuse University. The match, played at a neutral indoor pitch at Afrim's Sports Complex in Albany, New York, marks the beginning of the Pride’s unique season as they return to play in the spring, not the fall, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The match started slow with only five shots, two for the Pride and three from the Orange, in the first half hour with one opposing goal in the first half.

Senior forward and 2021 MLS SuperDraft pick for FC Cincinnati, Matthew Vowinkel, saw the first chance at goal for the Pride in the 14th minute but came up short and was blocked by Orange goalie Russell Shealy. The Pride’s Storm Strongin saw another attempt in the 31st minute.

Just two minutes later, the Orange went up first as sophomore defender Abdi Salim slotted the ball home following a free kick taken by classmate Noah Singelmann.

Hofstra recorded three more shots before the break but couldn’t convert any of them, going into halftime trailing 1-0.

The second half remained even in play until the 73rd minute when the Pride tied the game, recording their first goal of both the match and season. Freshman Ryan Carmichael found the back of the net thanks to an assist by Strongin, marking his first collegiate goal as a member of the Pride. Strongin also earned his first point of the season with the assist, coming off his 2019 campaign for which he was the team’s assist leader.

With the match looking like it would end drawn, a late 85th-minute goal by Syracuse made it 2-1. Thanks to another assist by Singelmann, freshman Jeorgio Kocevski scored, sealing the deal for the Orange.

The Pride attempted to find the equalizer in the remaining few minutes but two offside calls prevented a comeback from occurring. Hofstra now sits at 0-1 this season as the Orange move to 1-0 in their spring schedule but 1-3-2 overall after playing 5 matches in the fall.

Overall, Syracuse recorded 10 shots, three on goal, to the Pride’s eight shots with seven on goal. Freshman goalkeeper Wessel Speel also recorded his first career save for the Pride as Shealy had six saves throughout the whole match.

The Starting XI for Hofstra’s season opener featured eight returners and three rookies, Wessel, Carmichael and Pierce Infuso as the team as a whole sits evenly among returners and newcomers.

The Pride will return to action for their home opener at Hofstra Soccer Stadium on Friday, Feb. 19, when they face Fairleigh Dickinson University. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. Fans are not permitted to attend over coronavirus concerns, however, follow The Chronicle’s social media pages for updates.

Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics