By Max Sass
Hofstra Men’s Soccer Team Not Taking Off-Season Off
Dissatisfied with their finish, the members of the Hofstra men’s soccer team are working tirelessly this offseason to improve upon last season’s performance. The team finished with 6 wins against 9 losses and 4 draws overall and with an RPI ranking of 89, but topped the .500 mark in Colonial Athletic Association play with 5 wins, 3 losses and 3 draws.
The Pride, projected to finish fourth in the conference, ended up in sixth place, sliding in as the last seed in the men’s CAA Tournament. Opening the tournament against a George Mason squad that it had defeated in D.C. earlier in the season, the Pride was shut out 5 – 0 by the Patriots, ending the season with an unanticipated crash. Freshman goalkeeper Greg Cumpstone explained his disappointment with the team’s finish by saying, “After a slow start to the season, I thought we really picked it up at the end and we were hoping to do some damage in the CAA tournament. After a pretty solid first 45 minutes where I thought we were the better side, George Mason came out with two quick goals and as we pushed men forward they caught us on the counter attack.”
Returning captain, Rich Martinez, an All-CAA 1st Team selection and 2nd team All-South Atlantic Region selection this past season agreed that the team needs to rededicate itself to working extra hard this offseason to improve upon last year’s finish. “Our biggest motivation”, Martinez said, “Is that we only lose two guys who played major minutes to graduation and have 23 players returning.”
Addressing last year’s results, Martinez said, “We know we have experience and we know we can compete with every team in our conference. The games we won last year were against teams at the top of the table and we even competed with SMU, the number two ranked team in the nation at the time.”
Martinez’s co-captain and fellow junior, Jamal Neptune, echoed Martinez’s sentiments. Neptune considers Hofstra’s team to be “one of the best on the East Coast and in the nation”. Neptune also feels, “anything less than winning the conference would be a disappointment.” Neptune, who tallied 3 assists last season, believes the team has a great shot at living up to his expectations. “Our team has a handful of players who were a part of the CAA championship team in 2006”, he said, “and everyone else is making my job as captain easy, because they are so self motivated and everyone is holding them self accountable.”
Coach Richard Nuttall, a native of South Yorkshire, England and former professional soccer player in both England and America, just finished his 20th season at the helm of the men’s soccer team at Hofstra. Nuttall explained that his views of last season were two fold, “We played the toughest schedule in Hofstra history” he said, “but we also had very high expectations.”
This offseason, Coach Nuttall has encouraged the team to, “work a little harder and leave nothing to chance.” Nuttall said that he enters most seasons with a lot of optimism, but this season is one he is looking forward to. He said, “We are pushing extra hard this spring, we have a lot of experienced players coming back and we expect to challenge for the CAA title and the NCAA tournament.”
Cumpstone, who lead the team in goals against average, saves, save percentage and shutouts added, “Last season’s shortcoming has really left a bad taste in the mouth of everyone, but especially next year’s seniors, who have only one more shot at getting another CAA championship. They have really been motivating the whole team to work extra hard this off season so that we are better prepared for 2009.”
The player’s dedication to improvement is evident in the zeal with which they have accepted Coach Nuttall’s rigorous offseason conditioning program, which Martinez described as “old school” and a “throwback to what the team used to do.” Five days each week the team runs: Monday, Wednesday and Friday for distance, a minimum of 3.5 miles each day, with Tuesday and Thursdays reserved for long, challenging sprints. In addition, three days per week the team lifts together in the weight room, although many of the players lift all five weekdays. The upperclassmen have also taken it upon themselves to organize pick up games for the team over the winter, on weeknights and weekends. Coach Nuttall hopes the team can, “use the spring work as a stepping stone for next season.” Neptune added, “There is a greater sense of camaraderie this year. People are more relaxed and having more fun which makes us play better and allows us to enjoy the game more.”
The team expects all the effort they expend working hard this offseason to translate into results on the pitch in the fall of 2009. Martinez puts it best, declaring, “We know where we need to be, it is just a matter of getting there.”