The Hofstra University men’s lacrosse team has no face but six heads. The Pride’s midfield and attacking unit consists of Drew Bogardus, John Madsen, Anthony Mollica, Rory Jones, Trevor Natalie and Trey Parkes. Combined, they have 165 points, which includes 111 of Hofstra’s 128 goals through nine games.
Amazingly there’s no singular star player on the Pride. Bogardus leads Hofstra in scoring with 26 points. Jones ranks sixth on the team in scoring with 31 points and the Pride have had six different players lead the team in points at the end of a game.
The Pride are currently 7-2 overall and 3-0 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) games with wins over Stony Brook University and Monmouth University. It’s Hofstra’s first 3-0 CAA start since 2017.
Hofstra has the eighth-ranked scoring offense in the country with 14.2 goals per game and is “in the hunt” on USA Lacrosse Magazine’s The People’s Top 20 Poll. Hofstra is averaging more goals per game than several blueblood programs including the University of Maryland, Duke University and Johns Hopkins University.
All the previously mentioned things are new to the 2025 season. It’s been a while since Hofstra lacrosse garnered this level of national attention from the media.
There’s something different in the air surrounding this program. Hofstra’s already matched their win total from 2024, a season that they finished 6-9 and 3-4 in conference play. There is a different aura in the way the team carries themselves and it’s evident with the on-field results.
“There’s an old saying in coaching that goes ‘everyone’s undefeated on the dry-erase board,’” said Hofstra offensive coordinator and assistant coach Michael Gongas. “Whoever has the marker last is the winner. But on the field, it’s about the players. ‘All victory lies within the organization of the nonobvious,’ a Marcus Aurelius quote. These guys buy into that quote and embody it without a doubt.”
This quote from the famous Greek philosopher emphasizes paying attention to the little things in one’s game: if you take care of the small things like winning the groundball battles and working on your ride, the results will come.
One way Hofstra has improved this season is in shot selection: in 2024 the Pride took 43.9 shots per game and hit the net on 57% of their total shots. In 2025, Hofstra has averaged 45 shots per game and hit the net on 59% of their shots. The sheer number of shots increased slightly from last year, but the quality of these shots has improved greatly. Hofstra players are taking more hands-free shots as evidenced by opposing goaltenders’ save percentage dropping from 51% to 47%.
Gongas attributes the increase of quality chances to smarter selection and the ability to outwork the other team. He also attributes the practice of routinely getting multiple shots during one offensive possession because of great ball movement between all six guys.
In between Bogardus and Jones sits four players: Mollica sits second with 30, Madsen follows him with 28 and Natalie and Parkes are tied for fourth with 27 points. The ball finds everyone on any given offensive possession, and the guys know anyone can be the finisher.
“We are so lucky to have guys as committed to each other as they are,” Gongas said. “One thing they will do is spend so much time talking about their game. We do an exercise where each guy has to write out their favorite move in a certain area of the field. It makes them learn from their teammates. We all know what each guy likes to do out there and it makes us play faster.”
With so many guys having the ability to score the ball, it creates a nightmare scenario for Hofstra’s opponents: who do you stop?
Last year, the answer was simple: Madsen led the Pride with 51 points and 42 goals in 15 games. Madsen had an incredible individual season, but there were games where teams were able to shut him down. The University of Delaware, Rutgers University and the University of North Carolina were all able to hold Madsen to one goal. Hofstra lost all three of those games and scored single-digit goals in each performance.
Parkes, a junior midfielder from North Carolina, eclipsed his career high in points in just three games this year. Parkes was thrust into the role Griffin Turner had last season as the team’s “motor,” according to Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney. His development into a primary ball handler and facilitator is instrumental to the Pride’s success.
“I decided to stay up here this summer to train with [Rory] Jones,” Parkes said. “I believe having a very consistent schedule every single day between shooting, lifting and running helped me a lot. I’ve learned the offense. I’ve let the game come to me. I understand that some days might not be my day, but I want to do anything I can to help my teammates have more points on the scoreboard at the end of the game.”
There’s nothing wrong with how Madsen played last year. Madsen’s 42 goals were a product of how the team was built. Turner and Madsen had great chemistry. Hofstra drew up plays with Madsen being the finisher in mind. This year the game plan has changed to get everyone more involved. Parkes understands that some days he might not score a goal or he might not record an assist, but as long as he’s drawing slides and creating space for his teammates and his efforts help them win the game, he’s happy. Madsen plays the same way. So do Jones, Mollica, Bogardus and Natalie.
“No one’s a ‘me’ guy and that makes it easier for us,” Natalie said. “For example, Mollica is the nicest person you’ll ever meet. Playing with him is beneficial to me because he spreads the ball around. The offense just flows and everything makes sense. [This system] is really fun to play in.”
In January, Tierney said missing the CAA playoffs made the offseason a long summer. Clearly, the Pride didn’t forget about their shortfalls in 2024. They used it as a motivation to buy into the program and build something sustainable at Hofstra.
In early March, the team signed a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal where all 46 players received $500 in a Charles Schwab investment account. Tierney said the only reason he signed the deal was because every player was getting a piece of it.
Team success can be measured in many ways: it can be measured by your record or by the number of goals your team scores. In Hempstead, New York, team success is measured in the amount of buy-in every player has in the ideals the program stands for. At Hofstra, you play for the name on the front of your jersey, the guys in the room and the guys who have passed away, like Nick Colleluori and Joe Ferriso. The guys who have left this program are better than they found it.
There are minor quantitative reasons to explain why Hofstra is scoring more goals and why that goal scoring is more balanced. But no reason explains it like the qualitative ones.
The team has six guys with at least 22 points halfway through the season; it’s clear everyone bought into the team with the common goal of winning their first CAA title since 2008. With a 3-0 CAA start, the Pride are in good shape to make that goal a reality.
