The No. 18 Hofstra University men’s soccer team lost to the College of Charleston 3-1 on Saturday, Oct. 26. The Pride dropped to 4-3-0 in conference play and 10-4-2 overall.
Hofstra fell behind exactly 10 minutes into the game as Ryan Watson’s in-swinger was punched in by midfielder Leonardo D’Ambrosio. Charleston used their newfound momentum 10 minutes later as Watson and D’Ambrosio doubled the Cougars’ advantage, only this time Watson was the one who finished it off with help from a deflection by Pride midfielder Roc Carles. The Cougars took their 2-0 lead into halftime.
Hofstra showed grit to start the second half, pressing the Charleston net immediately. They were awarded for their efforts with a goal by leading scorer Jacob Woznicki just nine minutes into the restart. Teddy Baker crossed the ball into the box for his second assist of the season.
Unfortunately for the Pride, their efforts to cut the lead down was undone in the 69th minute as Ezra White’s cross was struck into the bottom left corner of the net by forward Adil Iggoute. Charleston restored their two-goal advantage and didn’t let up a second time as they ended their regular season with a victory, officially clinching a postseason berth.
Hofstra picked up their third road game defeat to a conference opponent all season, two or more goals each time. The visiting Pride were dealt the loss despite the return of midfielder Laurie Goddard, who missed the previous three games due to injury. Hofstra was still without forward Lennon Gill, who missed a second consecutive appearance due to injury.
The Cougars outranked the Pride 16-13 in total shots and 8-6 in shots-on-goal while Hofstra outranked Charleston 6-2 in corners. Each goalkeeper finished with five saves as Charleston picked up only their second head-to-head victory all-time against Hofstra.
The defeat was a missed opportunity for the Pride to officially clinch a spot in the Coastal Athletic Association championship. The reigning CAA champions are also at risk of losing home-field advantage for the tournament, which is only accessible by finishing first in the standings at the end of the regular season.
While first place is currently out of their control, Hofstra will get another chance to book their spot in the tournament next week when they face the University of Delaware. Fortunately for the Pride, it’ll be a home match against a program that has already been eliminated from playoff contention. The Pride is unbeaten at home in their last 20 appearances.
Kickoff in the regular season finale is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 2. The CAA Championship will be held between Nov. 7, and Nov. 16, and the hosts will be determined in the last few matches of the season.
Photo courtesy of Annie MacKeigan
