By Andrew Scharff
A week after an emotional win against UMass, Hofstra found themselves in Rhode Island for a contest against the Brown University Bears. Unable to find the same energy and emotion they had for the UMass game last week combined with a horrible first quarter Hofstra dropped its first game of the season 7-6 last Saturday afternoon.
Brown freshman forward Thomas Muldoon scored three goals including the game winner with 3:38 remaining in the fourth quarter. Senior forward Will Davis, who set up Muldoon’s winner added a goal and assist for Brown. While sophomore Tommy Dooley scored two goals and senior midfielder Bill Peters chipped in a goal and assist.
“Brown was a tough one. We got ourselves caught behind an eight ball a little bit and got down 3-1 in the first quarter. The coaching staff feels like we lost the game in that quarter,” said Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney. “We didn’t come out as fired up for Brown as we did for UMass. The emotion, the energy we had for UMass was not there. We learned a lesson for a young team that we need to bring it every week.”
Maybe with last’s year senior and star dominated team, Hofstra might have been able to pull out the win, but this year is a different team. Hofstra could never get over the hump Saturday afternoon. Though they were never down by more than two goals, they were never up by one.
Brown took the first lead but it was short-lived Dooley answered right back for the Pride. Then the walls came tumbling down on Hofstra. Muldoon and Davis each scored a goal and all of a sudden the Pride found themselves down two going into the second quarter.
“During the first quarter we went out and during our first possession we dropped the ball offensively, we didn’t run what we were supposed to run and then we let our frustrations get to us,” Tierney said. “We had a penalty. Although Brown didn’t score on that ensuing man up, they scored when we went all even. Then one mistake led to three mistakes.”
Hofstra (1-1) answered right back with two goals one from Steve Prifte and one from Mike Colleluori. With the game tied a three, Brown took another two goal lead. Hofstra and Brown traded goals before Peters and senior attackman Ryan Miller scored back to back goals to tie the game.
With the game all even six, Brown (1-1) would get the winner. On the possession they got the winning goal, they controlled the ball for nearly six minutes and took three shots. But it was the fourth shot that counted. Davis set up Muldoon who fired a shot from the goalie’s right that beat freshman goalie Danny Orlando (10 saves) in the top left corner.
“If you stop the game at the end of the first and then start another game with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters, we won 5-4,” said Tierney. “So we need to come out a little bit sharper from the beginning. And again it’s a lesson learned for a young team that you have to play each minute itself and we have kind of put that motto together.”
“You have to play 60 minutes in order to win in college lacrosse,” Tierney added. “We can’t afford to take a quarter off or a play off.”
Now Hofstra has to turn its attention from Brown to perennial powerhouse and #5 ranked Johns Hopkins. Hopkins like Hofstra is 1-1. Also like Hofstra, Hopkins lost a game people say they should have won. SUNY Albany beat Hopkins in opening weekend of the season
“It just shows you the parity of Division I lacrosse. On a given day if you don’t bring you’re A game mentally and physically you are going to be in for a long day,” Tierney said. “We have our work cut out for us this week with Johns Hopkins. They probably learned a similar lesson as we did this week. And they came back and beat a very talented Princeton team. Hopkins is a very talented team.”
But along with playing the #5 ranked team in the nation, Hopkins is also the alma mater for coach Tierney. Tierney spent four years is a player and six as their associate head coach. Along with Tierney, Pride assistant coach Matt Rewkowski also has ties with Johns Hopkins as he was the lacrosse team captain when they won their national championship in 2005.
“This game is just the next game, their no side stories. I am very close with the coaching staff over there. We have been roommates, in each other’s wedding parties. And most guys of the guys on the team most I recruited,” Tierney said. “I have a lot of good feelings for them. But when the whistle blows on Saturday we are in a battle.”