The No. 24 Hofstra University men’s soccer team clinched a postseason win against the University of Delaware in their regular season finale at Captains Field on Saturday, Nov. 2. The Pride beat Delaware 4-0, finishing the regular season 5-3 in conference play and 11-4-2 overall.
“Solid performance on Senior Night,” said Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall. “[We have] 10 fantastic seniors who are going to be graduating. It’s a great way to honor them. From that point of view, I’m very thankful for that.”
A dominant start resulted in two goals in five minutes Hofstra, who took the lead in the 16th minute when midfielder Laurie Goddard scrambled to find the far corner of the net after Delaware goalkeeper Adam Vik failed to clear the ball. Goddard netted his sixth goal of the season.
Minutes later, Hofstra’s Eoin Farrell’s long ball was headed at the edge of the box before Pierce Infuso squared it with a header to defender Thengill Orrason. The Icelandic student controlled the ball with his chest on the first touch and punched it in on the second for his first collegiate goal, doubling the Pride’s advantage.
“[Orrason’s] been doing well in practice, so we made a change,” Nuttall said. “We were a little bit unhappy with our latest performance and how we were, so he deserved to come in and he did well.”
Hofstra extended their lead seconds before halftime as midfielder Aleksei Armas, who replaced Baker just three minutes prior, tried his luck from outside the box with a strike that hit the crossbar before finding the back of the net. Armas, son of the Major League Soccer Colorado Rapids head coach, joined Orrason as a Pride player who scored his first career goal.
The hosts put the exclamation point just under 15 minutes into the second half as midfielder Sean O’Donnell teed the ball for Baker at the edge of the box. Baker curled it into the top-right corner of the net for his fifth goal of the season. It capped a shutout win, which saw the Pride outpace the Fightin’ Blue Hens 17-10 in total shots and 8-5 in shots-on-goal.
“Some nights, you’re on,” Nuttall said. “I thought we were fluid, quick and tenacious. Put that all together and you can score goals. We’ve got skill.”
Senior goalkeeper Filippo Dadone made three saves before he was subbed off in the 68th minute, allowing Gino Cervoni to make his first collegiate appearance with two saves.
“I thought our shape and our one-on-one defensive abilities negated what [Delaware] was giving,” Nuttall said. “I don’t think [Dadone] had much to do, and what he had to do, he did well.”
Cervoni’s debut was a warm-up for next season with Dadone set to graduate. Dadone was one of 10 players that were celebrated during Hofstra’s pregame Senior Night ceremony.
“It’s quite emotional,” Nuttall said. “Their tenure has been probably the most successful tenure in 70 years of Hofstra soccer. They’re all different people in their own way. They’re going to go on their own paths and we’re going to miss them.”
The Pride enters the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament as the fourth seed and they will face the College of Charleston in the first round on Thursday, Nov. 7. Kickoff in Elon, North Carolina, is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Photos courtesy of Ethan Albin
