The Hofstra University men’s lacrosse team defeated St. John’s University 13-12 on a Trevor Natalie game-winning goal in overtime on Saturday, Feb. 22. The Pride improved to 21-6 all-time in the Queens vs Long Island rivalry and have now defeated the Johnnies in four consecutive seasons.
Natalie made the golden goal for the Pride, while freshman Drew Bogardus scored a career-high seven goals. Bogardus’ seven goals are the most by a member of the Pride since Rory Jones scored eight against Wagner College on Feb. 3, 2024.
Brian Kelly led the Red Storm with four goals, while Mitch Campbell and Bobby Seel also had multi-goal efforts. St. John’s leading scorer, Ryan Ormand, did not play.
The Red Storm punched the Pride in the mouth in the first quarter, putting up a four spot with help from Campbell and Seel. Hofstra has now allowed goal runs of four or more in back-to-back games after giving up seven to Siena last week. The run was finally put to rest by John Madsen, who got Hofstra on the board with a beautiful release on a cross-seam pass from Jones.
Hofstra had a hard time breaking through in the first quarter despite outshooting their opponents 12-7 in the first quarter. St. John’s goalie Patrick Scarborough was sparkling in the first half with nine saves in 30 minutes.
St. John’s recorded the first goal of the second quarter and continued to frustrate the Pride with a 5-1 lead. Madsen recorded his second goal to put a dent in the lead.
Bogardus took over in the second quarter, scoring four straight goals for the Pride, tying the game at six a piece. Madsen took a late penalty, seconds of the first half. The goal was St. John’s sixth man up goal this season.
With the score nearly tied entering the second half, both teams played more aggressive on defense. Both teams forced 10 turnovers in the second half and the offensive opportunities continued to dwindle down. Bogardus and Kelly both added two to their goal totals in the third quarter. After 45 minutes, Hofstra trailed St. John’s by one.
Trey Parkes tied the game in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. It was Parkes’s first goal since the season opener against Iona. Bogardus’s seventh and final goal gave Hofstra their first lead of the game with 10 minutes left to play.
St. John’s reestablished a one-goal lead by scoring the next two. With just two minutes on the clock, Madsen completed the hat trick and tied the game at 12-12. The score would hold until overtime.
Ethan Wiegand won overtime’s opening faceoff, and St. John’s had the first offensive possession. Both teams were denied on their first possessions of overtime on brilliant saves by Scarborough and Hofstra goaltender Shea Kennedy.
With a minute left in overtime, Blake Cooling forced a turnover from Campbell, giving Hofstra an extra possession. After working the ball around the attacking third, the Pride found Natalie cutting from right to left across the field. Natalie released on the run and beat Scarborough to win the game.
The Pride’s last overtime win came on March 30, 2024, over Monmouth University. Hofstra improves to 3-1 on the season and will host Binghamton University on Saturday, March 1, at 1 p.m.
