The Hofstra University men’s lacrosse team lost to Yale University 9-6 on Tuesday, April 15. This loss extended their losing streak to three games. The Pride only managed six goals for the second straight game and dropped to 7-5 on the season.
Goaltending was the story of the game in New Haven, Connecticut, with both teams registering over 15 saves. Leading scorer Leo Johnson’s offense made the difference for the Bulldogs with three goals and one assist. Johnson has 42 points on the season. Chris Lyons also netted a hat trick in the win.
For Hofstra, Trevor Natalie recorded two goals and an assist before appearing to get injured in the second quarter. Natalie did not return during the game.
The Pride and Bulldogs battled from the opening draw. The game started with wide-open play and both sides got chances. Lyons fired two shots on Yale’s first possession, both saved by Shea Kennedy – the freshman goalkeeper played like a veteran, making 16 saves.
Minutes later, Hofstra had their first offensive possession. The Pride attackers paced themselves and made good decisions with the ball, eventually finding John Madsen in a scoring area. Madsen was denied by Jared Paquette on a high-danger shot from right in front of the cage. Paquette dueled Kennedy on the night making 19 saves.
Johnson scored two goals back-to-back for Yale in the following five minutes. It took most of the quarter for Hofstra to respond when Joey DeYoung netted his tenth goal of the season to keep Hofstra within one after the first quarter.
Anthony Mollica opened the second quarter by tying the game for Hofstra with his 20th goal of the season. Mollica’s two and Rory Jones’ one goal gave Hofstra a 3-2 lead midway through the quarter. It was the only time Hofstra led in the game. Carson Kuhl ended Hofstra’s lead by scoring with one minute and 20 seconds left in the quarter. The Pride and Bulldogs went into halftime tied for the second year in a row.
In the second half, Yale upped the physical play and asserted their dominance over the Pride. It led Hofstra to eight player-up advantages compared to Yale’s one. Yale’s aggression worked in their favor, as Hofstra converted on 1-8 chances. Natalie took a crosscheck from Yale defender Christian Johnson, drawing a two-minute man-up for Hofstra. Hofstra did not score on the player up chance.
Yale weathered the storm and killed off 7-8 of Hofstra’s player-up chances. The Bulldogs solved Kennedy five times in the second half to put the game out of reach at 9-6, defeating Hofstra in back-to-back years.
Hofstra returned to Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) action on Saturday, April 19, with a visit to Hampton University. The season will culminate on Saturday, April 26, with a home game against Towson University. Hofstra needs to win one of those games to clinch a spot in the CAA Championships for the first time since 2021.
