The Hofstra University men’s lacrosse team narrowly lost their regular season finale to No. 16 Towson University 9-7. As a result, the teams will rematch in the first round of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) tournament starting Thursday, May 1.
“I’m really proud of our guys and how hard they played,” said Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney. “That’s a top 20 team in the country. Our guys played well outside of the first quarter. You’re not gonna beat a team like that only playing 45 minutes. You have to play the full 60 [minutes].”
Redshirt senior Rory Jones led the Pride on Senior Day with three goals, however, it was the redshirt netminder Shea Kennedy who was the Pride’s number one star, making 12 saves only to be outdone by Towson’s tandem of Luke Downs and Matt Nilan making 14 saves.
The Tigers pounced on the Pride early in a game that was defined by scoring runs. Towson opened the scoring with a 3-0 run in the first quarter powered by long-stick midfielder Sam Morin’s two goals. Entering the game, Morin had just one goal on the season. Bode Maurer extended the lead to three goals within five minutes.
Entering the second quarter, Hofstra broke out. The Pride had four shots on goal before Jones found the back of the net for the first time. Then, Trey Parkes found one coming out from behind the net. Jones got the next two to give Hofstra a 4-3 lead midway through the second quarter. Hofstra scored their fastest four goal run of the season all within one minute and 45 seconds. The Pride held the Tigers scoreless in the second.
Coming out of the half, Towson reestablished their lead with a four-goal run of their own led by a faceoff goal from Kai Lopez. Despite the goal, Hofstra went 12-18 in faceoffs, well above their season average of 46%.
Unfortunately for the Pride, Towson’s four-goal run proved too much to overcome. John Madsen scored a goal late in the fourth quarter to cut the lead back to two, but it did not get any closer. Nilan shut the door on the Pride, making seven saves and allowing just three goals.
Despite the loss, the Pride still qualified for the CAA Championships for the first time since 2021. Only two members of the Pride, Jones and Benjamin Niesman, were on the team then. Hofstra will be the fourth seed taking on first-seeded Towson. Drexel University and Fairfield University will play in the other CAA semifinal game.
As the No. 1 seed, Towson will be the host site of the semifinals and the finals. The opening faceoff from Johnny Unitas Stadium will be on Thursday, May 1, at 4 p.m. Hofstra seeks their first CAA tournament win since 2008.
