The Hofstra University men’s soccer team extended their win streak to three games on Saturday, Sept. 13. defeating Long Island rivals, Stony Brook University, 3-0 at Captains Field.
Following the win, the Pride improved to a 2-0 conference record and 4-2 overall. On the other hand, the Seawolves drop to a 0-1-1 conference record and 2-2-2 overall.
Despite the three-goal performance, Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall believes that there is still room for improvement for his squad.
“To be brutally honest, we’re just not happy with a lot of our systems we play,” Nuttall said. “But bottom line is we’ve won a local derby and we’re 2-0 in the conference.”
Laurie Goddard was once again the man to watch for the Pride, providing his second multi-goal game in his last three matches. Goddard’s first goal came from the penalty spot in the 24th minute following a foul taken against the Pride’s Evangelos Chrysostomou in the box. Goddard tacked on a second goal in the 54th minute when a headed ball by Joe Duffy found Goddard one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
“I’ve been pretty lucky, there have been four pens for me to take,” Goddard said. “I would like a few more goals from open play, but as long as they keep coming, I’ll try to score them.”
Goddard leads the team in goals with six, while four of them have come from the spot.
Syracuse transfer, Daniel Burko, continued to impress in his first season with the Pride, netting his fourth goal of the season in the 76th minute. From a throw-in, Thengill Orrason directed the ball into the six-yard box, where Burko was able to head the ball over the top of Stony Brook’s goalkeeper.
While Hofstra was tallying goals, Stony Brook also had their fair share of chances. The Seawolves led the Pride in shots and corner kicks, 10-9 and 3-2, respectively. Despite the chances, Hofstra’s senior goalkeeper, Gino Cervoni, was there to stop all four of Stony Brook’s shots on goal. Cervoni’s four saves are a career-high for him.
“[Cervoni’s] shot-stopping was good, his overall play coming and collecting crosses,” Nuttall said. “But then I think there was four very average goal kicks. No starts [in] three years, he’s in his fourth year, there’s been an injury, he’s come in and he’s done well. It’s fantastic.”
Overall, Nuttall was not entirely pleased with his squad’s performance despite the 3-0 win. He looks for his team to bounce back in their next matchup as they face a rematch with the team that eliminated them from the NCAA tournament last year, the University of Vermont.
Nuttall understands that the reigning national champions will be a tough task for the Pride but he know’s they are ready to take it head-on. “It will be a brilliant game, and we can go toe to toe with them.” Nuttall said. “They’re national champions, but this is another year. We can’t wait to get up there and play.”
The Pride will travel to Burlington, Vermont, on Tuesday, Sept. 16. Kickoff against the Catamounts is set for 6 p.m. The last time the teams faced each other, Vermont finished on top in a 2-1 tournament thriller.
