The Hofstra University men’s lacrosse team defeated Monmouth University, 15-9, on Saturday, March 22. The Pride improved their overall record to 6-2 and their Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) record to 2-0 on the back of a spectacular goaltending performance from Shea Kennedy and five points from Trevor Natalie. The Hawks now sit at 3-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
The Pride, who have won their first two conference games for the first time since 2017, fired a furious opening salvo on Saturday scoring the game’s first three goals before the clock passed 10 minutes. Natalie found John Madsen in front of the net to start the scoring about five minutes in. Natalie then switched from the distributor to the scorer and fired a long range shot to give Hofstra a 2-0 lead.
The Pride took early control thanks to two saves from Kennedy and some solid defense from the Pride’s long-sticks. Kennedy’s first of 17 saves was possibly his best: just three minutes in, Monmouth’s Sean Ketchen split the defense and fired on the net, but Kennedy got on his knees and made a stick save to keep the game scoreless. Madsen broke the ice just two minutes later.
Madsen potted his second goal of the game to continue Hofstra’s onslaught, depositing a pass from Rory Jones into the back of the net to give the Pride a three-goal lead.
Monmouth woke up after that with Ketchen putting the Hawks on the board and Luke Cole bringing them within one goal just two minutes after.
The Pride were unbothered by Monmouth’s attack. Madsen completed his three-point quarter by finding Jones wide open on the left side of the net; Jones finished the chance and sent the Pride into the second quarter with a 4-2 lead.
Hofstra buried Monmouth in the second quarter, scoring five of the six goals to take a commanding 9-3 lead into halftime. Natalie got things going before Trey Parkes potted his ninth and 10th goals of the season. Anthony Mollica assisted on Parkes’s second goal and then scored one of his own to cap off a 5-0 Hofstra run. Brendan Dundas scored to bring the Hawks within five goals, but Madsen completed his first-half hat trick by beating the buzzer, scoring with just five seconds to go for his 19th tally of the season.
The third quarter was a much more even affair, with Monmouth scoring four goals compared to Hofstra’s three. Ketchen and Dundas both added tallies for Monmouth while Connor Gorman and Nick Teets scored their first goals of the afternoon.
Despite Monmouth’s strong performance, the Pride still came out of the third with a five-goal lead. Drew Bogardus got in on the fun, adding another to his team-leading 21 goals on the season. Meanwhile, Jones scored his second of the contest and Natalie finished his hat trick.
Dundas completed a hat trick of his own four minutes into the fourth quarter, cutting Hofstra’s lead to 12-8. The comeback attempt ended there as Mollica and Bogardus joined the two-goal club and Austin Clarke scored his first collegiate goal to cap off the Pride’s 15-9 win.
Hofstra faced University of Delaware on Saturday, March 29. Gametime was 12 p.m. from James M. Shuart Stadium on the campus of Hofstra University.
