By Gio Annatelli – STAFF WRITER
“I can’t sugarcoat it, it stung us bad.”

That is what Hofstra Pride men’s lacrosse head coach Seth Tierney said about seeing the season end last year at Fairfield. Hofstra was one win away from making the conference tournament before suffering a heartbreaking 5-4 loss against the Stags. The Pride entered the season as the preseason favorite to win it all, but was unable to even make the tournament.

The Pride is no longer that 5-9 team that failed to live up to expectations. A lot has changed since last year. The entire rope unit of Ryan Reilly, John Reicherter and Steve Romano is gone. Going with them is goalie Chris Selva and the team’s second leading scorer, Mike Malave. But Hofstra has brought in new faces in order to come out on top.

“I think we’re more mentally tougher,” said senior captain Sam Llinares. “I think we’re gelling well and hopefully we can continue that into the season.”

For starters, coach Tierney named Llinares, Finn Sullivan, Brian von Bargen and Tom Voelkel as the quad captains for the season.

Llinares was named to the 2016 Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America third team in addition to his All-CAA Preseason honor. Last season, he was named the CAA player of the year, leading the conference with 33 goals and 57 points, while also tallying 24 assists.

Last season, Sullivan started all 14 games for the Pride and recorded 37 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers. He was also the recipient of the 2016 Nicholas Colleluori Memorial Award for his relentless and spirited play. He will wear number 27 this season in honor of the late Hofstra lacrosse player.

For von Bargen, he is coming off the best season of his career. The former CAA All-Rookie teamer tallied a career-high four assists and 11 points, while adding seven goals.

Voelkel has been used as a reserve player up until this point. He redshirted his freshman year, and last year he played in 14 games and tallied five ground balls.

Hofstra returns a string of key players. Along with Sullivan, Tanner Griffin and Michael Diener return as starters in front of the net. The two combined for 41 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers in the 2015 season.

At All-CAA preseason team member Kris Clarke returns for his third year as a member of the Pride. The Long Island native led the conference and was 10th in the nation in face-off winning percentage, as he won 173 of 284 draws for a .609 mark. Clarke had two goals and three assists to go along with 82 ground balls, which ranked him 15th in Division I lacrosse.

Other top scorers that return are Korey Hendrickson, Dylan Alderman, Brier Davis, Zachary Franco and Brendan Kavanagh. Hendrickson was third on the team in points with 21 by tallying 13 goals and eight assists. Alderman led all freshman on the team in points with 18. Davis tallied 14 goals on 24 shots to lead the team with a .583 shooting percentage. As a sophomore, Franco had seven goals and three assists to tally 10 points. Kavanagh, the brother of Notre Dame star Matt Kavanagh, had a four and five stat line to tally nine points.

With the departure of Selva, the Pride looks to sophomore Jack Concannon to fill the void. In four games, he allowed 15 goals on 11 saves. Hofstra also brings in freshman net-minder Alex Gipe from Sykesville, Maryland, as the backup to Concannon.

“Jack definitely doesn’t play like a sophomore,” Sullivan said about the tentative starter heading into the 2016 season. “I’m confident in both of their abilities as defensemen.”

Hofstra opens up the season at sixth-ranked North Carolina, and the road does not get easier for the blue and gold. In the 2016 season, they take on five teams ranked in the top 20 and three other teams that are receiving votes. Following the Tar Heels, they take on a Princeton team that received votes. After NJIT, Hofstra takes on three ranked teams: 11th-ranked Ohio State, 13th-ranked Georgetown and 20th-ranked Stony Brook. Following that stretch, the Pride get a break from ranked opponents with Providence, Vermont and St. John’s before starting conference play against Fairfield, who received votes. Hofstra follows that game up with taking on Delaware and Drexel, before taking on a Massachusetts team that received votes. The Pride end the season at home, against 16th-ranked and last year’s CAA champs, the Towson Tigers.

When asked about how Hofstra can win the Colonial Athletic Association, coach Tierney said these simple words, “If we are about ‘we’ and less about ‘me.’”