By Andrew Scharff
Last Friday night before Hofstra’s 3-0 win over Drexel, the Pride honored its six seniors, as this may have been their final home game (depending upon where the Pride starts the CAA Tournament next week). Arnel Andrada, Arman Osooli, Brian Sosa, Constantinos Christoudias, Michael Todd and Gary Flood will all be leaving a program which hit its peak (two CAA championships-possibly three pending this year-and the first NCAA tournament games) while they were here.
“I’ve been here 18 years and the past two, three years have been my most successful years. These young men have worked so hard and they are a great group of guys on and off the field,” Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall said. “They are wonderful soccer players, but also great people. They will be sorely missed.”
Andrada, who has played both defense and midfield and made some great clearing attempts during the 2004 CAA Championship semifinal, has had a tough senior year due to a nagging leg injury.
Osooli is having his best year with two goals and three assists. What is really remarkable was that Osooli was not originally recruited to play at Hofstra and yet he ended up having a strong career.
Sosa has had a tough year as well as he is just getting back from a leg injury. Considered by many to be a future college coach, he has totaled one career goal with three assists.
Christoudias is coming off a magnificent sophomore year with eight goals and nine assists. He does have one year of eligibility left, but he is graduating in the spring and is expected to return to his hometown of Nicosia, Cyprus.
Todd has been one of the most prolific scorers in the program’s history. He third on the Hofstra all-time goals list with 37 and has been named to the first-team all CAA in consecutive years.
Finally comes one of the best players ever to wear a Pride uniform, Gary Flood. Even though he only has one goal and three assists in his playing career, it is his defense that makes him so great. The 2005 CAA tournament MVP has played every minute of every game since his freshman season.
Both Todd and Flood might have chances to play professional soccer, while these final few games will be the last for the remaining seniors.