The Hofstra University men’s soccer team advanced to the second round of the NCAA men’s soccer tournament on Thursday, Nov. 20, defeating Syracuse University 2-0 at SU Soccer Stadium.
The Pride now advance to the second round of the tournament, where they will face the No. 1 seed University of Vermont. Meanwhile, Syracuse’s season has ended following the defeat.
The game started with possession flipping from side to side as each team registered a shot within the first five minutes of play. Both teams received a corner kick early in the match, but neither team was able to capitalize on the opportunity.
In the 19th minute, Pride forward Daniel Burko delivered a ball into the box for Laurie Goddard. As Goddard approached goalkeeper Tomas Hut in the box, Hut came out to challenge the ball. Hut missed the ball and swiped Goddard’s foot out from underneath him. There was no foul given initially, but after review, the referee awarded the Pride a penalty kick. Goddard stepped up to the spot and shot the ball right down the middle for an early 1-0 Hofstra lead.
The Pride did not stop there as they continued to apply pressure on the Orange’s defense. In the 26th minute, Owen Barnett played a ball forward to Goddard, who took the shot, but Hut made the save. However, Burko was waiting for the rebound and put the ball in the back of the net with no issue for the 2-0 lead.
Both teams ran into yellow card trouble in the first half as Syracuse’s Tim Brdaric received one in the 33rd minute for a challenge on a header. Hofstra’s Evangelos Chrysostomou received a yellow card in the 45th minute for a slide tackle challenge. The Pride had to be wary of yellow cards, as a double-yellow to Thengill Orrason cost them in their Coastal Athletic Association semifinal matchup. The red card Orrason received in the semifinal meant he was suspended for the match against Syracuse, limiting the Pride’s options off the bench.
The Orange managed five shots in the first half to the Pride’s four, but Hofstra goalkeeper Gino Cervoni faced no shots on target. In the second half, Hofstra goalkeeper Sean Bohan replaced Cervoni for the third straight match.
Syracuse began to pile on the pressure, tallying six corners and thirteen shots in the second half. Bohan stood tall for the Pride, stopping three shots on goal, all within the final ten minutes of the match. All three shots came from within the box, but were routine saves for the senior goalkeeper.
Hofstra produced some offense of their own in the second half, recording two corners and nine shots, with four making their way on goal. Although the Pride did not tack on any goals, it was not necessary as they finished ahead 2-0.
In the second round of the tournament, Hofstra will face the top seed Catamounts on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 1 p.m. in Burlington, Vermont. The two squads faced earlier this year in Burlington, with Vermont coming out on top 2-1. This will also be a rematch of last year’s national tournament second-round match, where the Catamounts took down the Pride 2-1 in Hempstead, New York.
