By Andrew Scharff
When asked how it felt to be at the helm of a men’s soccer team that won its third straight CAA Championship, head coach Richard Nuttall simply replied, “It feels great”.
After three consecutive titles, Nuttall may be running out of ways to describe the success of his team, which advanced to the NCAA Tournament after Sunday’s 3-2 win in penalty kicks over George Mason (GMU).
“[The boys] pulled together, worked hard and gave it everything they had,” Nuttall said. “You can’t fault any member of the squad. They all gave it their all and they got the job done.”
The Pride can specifically credit the win to freshman midfielder Rob Youhill and junior goalie Tom Johansen. Youhill scored the Pride’s lone regulation goal and also had a late game save that allowed the game to go to overtime.
In the shootout, Johansen stepped his game up and made three consecutive saves, giving his team a chance to rally from behind.
In a game of four halves, the team that had wind on its side dominated the play of that half. Hofstra had the wind on its side in the first half and the team’s play reflected it.
“We were all over them. We had chance after chance after chance,” Nuttall said.
A great individual effort from Youhill led to the first goal. He got the ball in the midfield, took a couple of dribbles a then fired a shot over the head of GMU goalkeeper Sean Kelley.
“Rob was having a great game. His speed and athleticism I guess were too much for them,” Pride assistant coach Brian Suskiewicz said.
However, the second half was a different story. GMU, playing with the wind, dominated the Pride and tied game with seven minutes left to play. GMU forward Chris Carroll intercepted a Pride clearing attempt, dribbled up to the end line and sent a crossing pass through the box. Johansen came out of his net but missed the ball, Francis McCardle headed in to tie the game at 1.
Aside from the goal, Youhill also had the game saving play. Late in the game, Johansen came out to try to punch a crossing pass away, but the ball was put past him to the far post. Youhill covered for Johansen and was able to deflect the ball away with his chest. McCardle got to the rebound but could only manage to float a soft shot on net.
Both overtimes came and went without any scores, leading to the penalty kicks.
Hofstra missed its first two shots, and GMU led 1-0 after two rounds. However, Johansen then made three straight saves, setting up the Pride’s comeback. Michael Todd and Arman Osooli were able to convert their kicks to tie the score at 2 after four rounds.
Then, Johansen made the save of his life. Josh Fleming attempted to beat Johansen in the upper left corner of the net, but Johansen leaped high and deflected it over the crossbar.Freshman defender Richard Martinez then tallied the deciding goal, causing the Hofstra bench to erupt in celebration for the third straight year.
“When you go down 2-0 you expect to lose. I thought it was over,” Nuttall said. “I felt a calmness from Tommy. He did well and made three unbelievable saves.”
Up next for the Pride is the NCAA tournament, and for the second straight season, Hofstra will host Providence on Friday night at Hofstra Soccer Stadium. Last year, the Friars sent Hofstra packing with a 1-0 overtime victory.
“It’s bit unusual. It’s going to be a fun game. Providence is probably a better team than they were last year,” Suskiewicz said. “But are guys are probably going to be looking for a bit of redemption.”
Along with Hofstra, three other CAA teams garnered NCAA tournament bids, as Towson, Old Dominion and GMU all grabbed at-large bids. Only the Big East and the ACC have more teams in the tournament.
“It makes me more proud that four teams from our conference have been selected for the NCAA tournament,” Nuttall said. “It shows the strength of the conference, and to know that we won it three years in row is unbelievable.”
When push came to shove, Johansen proved his big-game ability.