Three second-half goals propelled the Hofstra University men’s soccer team to a 3-2 road victory over Stony Brook University on Saturday, Oct. 11. The Pride did not obtain a lead until the final 36 seconds of play, thanks to Daniel Burko’s second goal of the day. The Pride remain atop the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) with a 9-4 overall record and 5-1 conference mark. The Seawolves fell to 1-3-1 in CAA play.
The game marked the second time the Long Island rivals faced each other this season. In the first game on Sept. 13 at Captains Field, Hofstra was dominant, rolling over the Seawolves 3-0. Laurie Goddard and Burko pounded the Seawolves in both battles, they both individually have three goals against the Seawolves this season. Goddard had two goals in the first matchup and one in the second, while Burko tallied one in the first game and two against the Seawolves the second time around.
Despite the close score, the Pride were much stronger on the offensive side than Stony Brook. The Pride took 24 shots in the game to the Seawolves’ six. Half of Stony Brook’s shots were on goal, and two found the back of the net. Ryan Farr and Jamie Orson each recorded a goal for the Seawolves.
Seawolves’ keeper Heidar Hermannsson held strong in the goal, saving half of the shots he faced. The Pride’s goalie, Gino Cervoni, made just one save and conceded two goals.
It was a back-and-forth fight throughout the first half. Hofstra came out of the gate firing off 10 shots in the first 45 minutes, but the Seawolves found the back of the net first. Opening the scoring just under 39 minutes into the half, Bruno Penney flew down the left wing to find Farr centered in front of the goal. Cervoni was playing up high in the six-yard box, allowing enough space for Farr to sneak the ball past him into the bottom corner of the net.
The second half saw much more net action. Hofstra knotted the score at one apiece on Burko’s first goal of the night. Owen Barnett passed to Pablo Hempelmann-Perez, who fired a shot off the crossbar. Burko followed up with the rebound and tapped it in to tie the score. In the 81st minute, Orson capitalized on a corner kick to take the lead for the Seawolves, finding the top right corner of the net.
With little time left on the clock, Hofstra looked for the equalizer. Goddard looked to tie the score on the free kick opportunity, but Hermannsson made a beautiful diving save to keep Stony Brook’s lead intact. Goddard was able to come up with the equalizer just a minute later, on a header assisted by Stefano Campisi that was originally ruled offside. After a successful challenge, Goddard’s goal was deemed good.
With just 36 seconds left, the ball pinballed around the Seawolves’ box, first off Thengill Orrason, then off the head of Goddard. Finally, it found Burko, who perfectly placed the ball in the bottom left corner of the net to give Hofstra the win.
The Pride have an off week before heading to the Bronx to face Fordham University for an out-of-conference game on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Gametime is set for 7 p.m.
