By Max Sass, Sports Editor
Sixteen minutes and 28 seconds into the Pride’s game against Air Force, senior attack Jay Card shot and scored his one-hundredth career goal. At that point though, the Pride did not need to lean on its star or his fellow Canadian senior attack, Jamie Lincoln. Hofstra was winning 4-1 before Card reached the century mark and would pile on the goals to eventually win 11-6.
Lincoln did not score in the game, the first time he was held without a goal this season, but the Pride got goals from junior midfielders Mike DeNapoli and Brad Loizeaux as well as sophomore attack Michael Burke to supplement the usual scoring.
“They stuck on the Canadians [Card and Lincoln] pretty tight for most of the day,” head coach Seth Tierney said.
DeNapoli opened the scoring late in the first quarter and less than a minute later Loizeaux put Hofstra up 2-0. Air Force cut the lead in the half with 2:09 to play in the quarter, but just 13 seconds later, senior attack Stephen Bentz pushed Hofstra’ lead to 3-1.
Burke’s goal followed by Card’s milestone and sophomore midfieldfielder Drew Coholon’s second goal of the season gave the Pride a 6-1 lead that looked to be untouchable.
Air Force fired back, scoring three straight goals to close the deficit to 6-4 with under two minutes left in the half.
“I think we got a little bit too comfortable with what we had in our lead,” said goalie Andrew Gvozden. “I wouldn’t say we doubted them, I just think we had a couple of mental mistakes.”
The Pride found a cushion when sophomore midfielder Ian Braddish scored two goals in the last minute of the half to put the Pride up 8-4 at the break.
Despite letting Air Force get close in the second quarter, the Pride never trailed in the game. Hofstra scored three of the last five goals of the game, including two more from Card to put away Air Force 11-6.
Gvozden had eight saves and felt it was his best of the season.
“I thought this was probably my most locked-in game that I’ve had yet,” Gvozden said. “I think I was seeing the ball well. There were one or two that maybe I wish I could have had back, maybe a clear here and there, but I felt comfortable out there today, composed and just felt good.”
Hofstra next game is its first Colonial Athletic Association game of the season, an away matchup with Delaware.
