By Max Sass, Sports Editor
Hofstra finally had reason to celebrate. The men’s lacrosse team was 2-0 entering its game against Princeton after defeating Colgate and Sacred Heart, but this win just felt different for the Pride.
“I walked into the locker room after the game today and it was such a great feeling,” Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney said, “because the guys were bouncing around, music was playing and we had two wins prior to Princeton that we could not really celebrate about.”
Princeton got to do most of the celebrating early, jumping out to a quick lead at Shuart Stadium.
Princeton freshman Tom Schreiber put the Tigers on the board first, scoring just 53 seconds into his very first collegiate game.
Hofstra answered right back 2:02 into the game to knot the score 1-1. Hofstra won the faceoff after Schreiber’s goal and drew two slashing penalties on the Tigers. With a two-man advantage, senior attack Jamie Lincoln took a feed from senior attack Jay Card to net his third goal of the season.
The Tigers scored two quick goals, including one on an extra man offensive series by Schreiber to jump out to a 3-1 lead.
Princeton extended its lead to 4-1 when sophomore midfielder Forest Sonnenfeldt bounced a shot past Hofstra goal.
“To be honest with you, I think it was nerves and I don’t really know why,” Tierney said of the early defensive lapses.
Senior attack Stephen Bentz halved the Tigers’ lead when he dodged two defenders and scored falling down. Lincoln tallied his second goal of the game 33 seconds later when he took a feed from graduate student midfielder Steve Serling at the doorstep and laid the ball in.
“We were moving the ball real well and for some reason they were overplaying the right side and I just found space and the ball came to me and I finished like I always plan on,” Lincoln said.
Sonnenfeldt’s second goal of the game gave Princeton a 5-3 lead with 2:52 to play in the first quarter.
Hofstra closed out the scoring in the first quarter after Princeton turned the ball over at midfield on a failed clear attempt. Card assisted Bentz, who caught Princeton junior goalie Tyler Fiorito out of position, and made the score 5-4 at the end of the first 15 minutes.
Sixteen seconds into the second quarter Card tied the game, off a feed from junior midfielder Kevin Ford. The see-saw battle continued as Sonnenfeldt notched his third goal of the game to give Princeton a 6-5 lead.
Bentz found his third goal of the game midway through the third quarter when he scored over Fiorito’s left shoulder. Ford’s extra man goal with 4:55 to play in the half, off a feed from Card, gave Hofstra its first lead of the game, 7-6.
Junior midfielder Brad Loizeaux’s left-handed goal with 3:09 to play was matched by Lincoln seven seconds later when he scored to cap Hofstra’ 8-1 run, after trailing 4-1 in the first quarter.
Princeton struck first in the second half, scoring on an extra-man opportunity and then again when Princeton sophomore midfielder Jeff Froccaro cut the Hofstra lead to 9-8.
Drew Coholan, a sophomore midfielder, gave the Pride a two-goal cushion when he split two defenders and beat Fiorito low.
Scoring slowed until Lincoln scored a highlight-reel behind the back goal with 7:16 to play in the game to extend the Pride’s lead to 11-8.
The clock ticked down as the teams traded turnovers and Princeton’s last-ditch effort to comeback fell flat.
Froccaro scored to cut the lead to 11-9, but with just 1:25 to play.
After a procedure call on the faceoff gave Princeton possession, Gvozden saved a low shot from sophomore attacker Luke Armour to seal the game for Hofstra.
Lincoln led the scoring charge for Hofstra with four goals and Bentz added three. Sophomore midfielder John Antonaides won 16 of 22 faceoffs and Gvozden made six saves.
