The Hofstra University men’s lacrosse team’s season came to an end in an overtime game in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) semi-finals at the hands of Towson University on Thursday, May 1. Despite not reaching the ultimate goal of winning the CAA tournament, the Pride have a lot to hang their hat on.
In the preseason, Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney said his goal was simply to get better day by day. The Pride finished with a positive record at 9-7 and made their first CAA tournament since 2021. They gave top-seeded Towson all they could handle for 62 minutes of lacrosse. There is a lot to be proud of.
“We played turnpike-tough today. We could’ve gone either way, but the ball didn’t bounce for us,” Seth Tierney said. “It wasn’t meant to be. But it wasn’t due to our effort. I was so proud to share the sideline with this group of young men.”
The Pride came out of the gate strong in 2025, defeating Iona University 20-2 and Wagner College 17-5 in their first two games before suffering a setback to Siena College.
After Siena, the Pride ended the rest of their out-of-conference matches 2-1, with wins against St. John’s University and Binghamton University and a loss to the ranked University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Hofstra entered CAA play 4-2, the second-best record in the conference.
The Pride opened the CAA season with a thrilling 13-12 double overtime winner against Long Island rivals Stony Brook University and a commanding 15-9 win over Monmouth University before posting a win over the University of Delaware at home. At 3-0 in CAA play, Hofstra was primed to clinch the conference tournament.
That was before the wheels fell off on their season. Hofstra lost five of their remaining six games in April. The Pride dropped their first conference game to ranked Fairfield University, falling behind early and storming a comeback that fell short against the Stags.
Losing to Fairfield wasn’t concerning, but losing 14-6 to Drexel University was. Drexel finished the year 4-3 in conference play and 7-7 overall, but handled the Pride at the James M. Shuart Stadium. The season really seemed to turn on Hofstra after that moment. In their remaining games, Hofstra played a three-goal affair with out-of-conference rival Yale University and a two-goal loss to No. 16 Towson to end the year.
Their only victory came against winless Hampton University by 27-4. That win clinched Hofstra’s spot in the CAA tournament.
In their final game of the season, the Pride played their hearts out against Towson, who are now ranked 14th in the nation. They played with grit, determination and tons of skill. Their efforts came up just short in upsetting the defending CAA champions.
“The senior class… I love them. They’ve done everything we’ve asked of them,” Seth Tierney said. “The pain will go away, but I’m awfully proud of those guys in that locker room. Awfully proud.”
Seth Tierney shouted out the senior class for of everything they did for the program. Rory Jones and John Madsen suited up in their last game at Hofstra. Both players have been with the program for at least four years and joined the career 100-point club. Madsen’s 93 career goals are the most for any Hofstra player since Ryan Tierney’s 164 between 2017-2021.
On defense, players like Ryan Kiernan laid it all on the line. At the end of the first half in their semifinals loss, Kiernan laid a body check on Towson’s Owen Scott to force a turnover and keep the game tied at five. Plays like that may go unnoticed in the box score, but his teammates won’t forget them.
The Pride saw contributions from a slew of players on top of Jones and Madsen. A trio of breakout juniors in Trevor Natalie, Anthony Mollica and Trey Parkes carried the Pride’s offense at some points in the season. Mollica led the team with 51 points and was the only member of the Pride to record at least 20 goals and assists on the season.
Trevor Natalie was named to the All-CAA First Team for his 28 goals and 12 assists. Natalie, an undersized midfielder from Florida, had five points on two separate occasions this season.
Two freshmen who made an impact this season were Shea Kennedy and Drew Bogardus. Both were named to the CAA All-Rookie team.
Under Kennedy the Pride’s save percentage rose from .456 in 2024 to .558 in 2025. Kennedy ranked top three in the CAA in save percentage, goals against average and saves per game.
Bogardus led the Pride in goals this season with 35, including four in the season finale. Bogardus is the first freshman to lead Hofstra in goal scoring since Hofstra joined the CAA in 2002.
The Pride return with a lot of talent and will be poised to make the CAA tournament again with the experience they gained this year.
