By Max Sass, Assistant Sports Editor
Stephan Barea may be young, but he sure knows how to count to five. That is the number of goals the freshman midfielder has scored for the Hofstra men’s soccer team this year and all five have been big. None may have been bigger than his goal at Towson Wednesday, to help the Pride rebound from a disappointing defeat Saturday at the College of William and Mary.
Hofstra fell from first place in the Colonial Athletic Association standings after losing one to zero in Williamsburg, Virginia against William and Mary. This is the second year in a row the Tribe has beaten the Pride with a one to nothing shutout, last years came at home in Hempstead.
The teams played to scoreless draw through 80 minutes until William and Mary was able to put a tally on the board. Sophomore goalkeeper Greg Cumpstone deflected a ball crossed into the Hofstra box, but the resulting jumble left a William and Mary attacker open for a slight second, during which he found the net.
The loss dropped the Pride behind Northeastern and UNC Wilmington into a tie for third place with William and Mary. Should the Pride and Tribe end the season tied, William and Mary hold the tiebreaker because of their head to head win. This loss could be devastating for the Pride, because only four teams make the CAA tournament this season, instead of the six teams of past years.
Hofstra was able to rebound just days later when they traveled to Maryland to face Towson. Barea’s fifth goal of the season very well might be the most clutch of his young career. Just on the edge of making the CAA tournament, the win over Towson puts Hofstra squarely in the drivers seat.
With less than ten minutes remaining Junior forward Johannes Grahn took a shot on net that was saved by a Tiger defender after their goalkeeper was found out of position. The ricochet off the Towson defender was one timed by Barea into the goal, giving Hofstra a one-goal lead they would never relinquish.
The Pride have only two games remaining on their regular schedule, both to be played at the Hofstra Soccer Stadium in Hempstead. The next game is Saturday, October 31st at 7 P.M. against James Madison University. The Pride, now tied for second place in the conference after Wednesday’s win over Towson could guarantee themselves a spot in the CAA Tournament by winning both of their remaining games.
