By Andrew Scharff
Defense was the name of the game down in Delaware on Sunday, as the Hofstra men’s soccer team played perfect defense and scored two goals in the first 10 en route to a 2-0 win over the Blue Hens.
“We looked comfortable. We were never really concerned with the outcome,” Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall said. “We were defensively strong and we did what we had to do.”
They looked very comfortable on defense not only against Delaware, but also against Drexel on Friday. In two games this weekend, the Pride has only allowed one shot on goal and no corner kicks.
“The defense was pretty new because Jamal [Neptune] and Richie [Martinez] were new to the program, and the fitness level of Corey [Gudmundson] was not where it needed to be,” Nuttall said. “So you take all those factors into account and as the season continues to move along, they get better every time they play.”
Now, the defense is a different story. Gudmundson has regained his fitness and has become the defensive force he was last year. Neptune and Martinez have now gained almost of year of experience playing next to Gary Flood, who could be the best defender in the CAA.
Along with those four setting fire, the Pride have implemented a team defense, where midfielders and forwards all come back to contribute.
Players like Ray Hassett, Brian Sosa, Rory McCrea and Charalambos Rossides are just some of the players who have stepped up and contributed on defense during this defensive hot streak.
As for the game, the Pride struck early and often against Delaware.
“It was very important to score early,” Nuttall said. “Delaware is a very hard working team. So getting them down 2-0 early, it probably got them down on themselves.”
The Pride’s first goal came at the five minute mark, as Justin Flood sent the ball in on a corner kick. Hassett headed the ball over to Gudmundson, who headed the ball into the back of the net for his first goal of the season.
It was a very costly goal, as on the play a Delaware defender was trying to clear the ball via a bicycle kick, but missed and instead hit Gudmundson in the jaw, causing him to leave the game and not return. Hassett played the rest of the game in Gudmundson’s spot.
Lewis Irish has continued his recent magnificent play, as he has tallied two goals and an assist in the absence of Pride senior Michael Todd who is nursing a sprained ankle. With Irish’s strong play, the Pride coaches are thinking of playing the two together when Todd returns.
“Lewis is a talented individual, but he was unfortunate that he is playing behind a fantastic player like Michael Todd,” Pride assistant coach Brian Suskiewicz said.
Although the result was good, the aftermath was not. The Pride left Delaware with more injuries than they came in with. Already missing Todd and Rossides, Gudmundson left with the jaw injury, while Cox and Adrian Papaluca also left the game early.
Starting goalkeeper Tom Johansen made his return to the lineup. On his one save though, he may have tweaked the quadriceps injury that kept him out five games.
“I am very concerned about are injury situation,” Nuttall said. “That was the only negative thing to come out of the game.”
With the win Hofstra (10-4-2, 7-2-1 CAA) moved into a second place tie with George Mason, who will host conference-leading Towson. A Pride win against Northeastern and a Mason tie or loss will give Hofstra the No. 2 seed in the CAA Tournament and the important first round bye.
“They [Northeastern] have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Suskiewicz said.
