It was a special night at Captains Field on Saturday, Oct. 4; not only did the Hofstra University men’s soccer team pull off a 2-1 win over Northeastern University, but the night was a celebration.
Hofstra held their yearly alumni night and welcomed back dozens of former players, shining a light on the conference championship teams of 1985, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2015. The biggest festivities were saved for an on-field ceremony after the match to honor head coach Richard Nuttall, who is stepping down at the end of the season after 37 years at the helm.
The Pride’s win elevated them to 7-4 overall and 4-1 in conference play. They now hold first place in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) with 12 points. The Huskies fell to 2-6-2 with a 1-4-0 conference mark.
Northeastern failed to convert on an early corner kick and could not record a shot on goal in the first half. Meanwhile, their opposition scored twice, taking control of the match.
Aleksei Armas, who turned 21 on Saturday, potted the evening’s first goal just 12 minutes in. The Pride could not convert a breakout opportunity due to an errant pass, but they managed to keep the ball in bounds. Laurie Goddard cleanly received a pass from Daniel Burko. Goddard was double-covered just outside the six-yard box and boxed out his defenders, giving him just enough space to find Armas open in the middle of the field. Armas softly tapped the ball toward the net and put it in, placing the ball in the left side of the net and past the diving Northeastern goaltender Tobias Jahn.
Evangelos Chrysostomou potted the game-winning goal 19 minutes later. Aaron Basenach brought the ball down the right side uncontested by any defenders. After taking the ball from midfield all the way down to the painted CAA logo, Basenach delivered a pass directly onto the head of Chrysostomou. Jahn got a piece of the header shot, but could not turn it away, deflecting the ball into the net for a 2-0 Hofstra lead.
The Huskies peppered the Pride in the second half with seven shots on goal, the first of which found nylon. Bryce Flowers weaved in and out of the Hofstra defense, drawing multiple defenders his way and opening a passing lane in the direction of Neil Devnani eight minutes into the second frame. Devnani found open space by cutting to the right, and his shot struck true, halving the Huskies’ deficit.
After the setback, Hofstra goalkeeper Gino Cervoni was perfect, with six saves to preserve the win. Northeastern controlled much of the play; Hofstra did not register a shot on goal until there were less than five minutes to go, when Burko was robbed by a diving Jahn.
The Pride took a slight detour into non-conference play on Tuesday, Oct. 7, when they welcomed Loyola University Maryland. Hofstra will return to CAA play on Saturday, Oct. 11, when they head about an hour east to take on Stony Brook University for the second time this season. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
