The top-seed Hofstra Pride men’s soccer team defeated the fourth-seed University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 4-1 in the 2023 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) championship semifinals at Hofstra Soccer Stadium in Hempstead, New York, on Sunday, Nov. 5. With the win, the Pride advanced to their fifth conference tournament final in six years.
“I thought it was outstanding, excellent, energetic,” said Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall. “We played as a unit; I thought our backline was brilliant, I thought how we pressed the ball was excellent and our special players did great things.”
Leading conference scorer Ryan Carmichael scored Hofstra’s first two goals in the opening 30 minutes. He scored a tap-in off Delaware goalkeeper Adam Vik’s save before sprinting into the 18-yard box and finding the bottom right-corner to complete the brace. The senior striker has scored 14 goals this season.
“He’s class,” Nuttall said. “I think he’s the best center-forward of his kind in the country, in college soccer. He’s got to be one of the top scorers. I believe he’ll say himself that he should’ve had maybe four or possibly five today with the chances he had. He’s a goalscoring machine, a great kid and dangerous, so we’re happy to have him on the team.”
Defender Shane Salmon extended the Pride’s advantage to three with 24 seconds left in the first half as he curled one into the far-left corner. It was the first goal of his Hofstra career.
“He’s one of the best human beings you’ll ever meet,” Nuttall said. “If you get to know him, you’ll grow to love him. For Shane, I’m so happy for him. Everything he gets, he deserves.”
Graduate midfielder Albert Kang scored his second goal of the season and put the Pride up by four until an Orri Thorhallsson penalty in the final minutes put the Blue Hens on the board. Delaware played the majority of the second half with a numerical disadvantage after defender TJ Hastings was sent off for taking down Carmichael, who was through on goal.
The visitors struggled to find form even before the early dismissal. The Pride outranked the Hens 17-3 in total shots and allowed no shots on goal apart from the penalty. Nuttall’s side pressed high and spent the majority of the game on their opponent’s half of the pitch.
“We said we’ve got to keep the tempo of the game high,” Nuttall said. “Let’s get the line high, let’s get pressure on the ball, and I thought we were magnificent at hounding the ball.”
Hofstra’s previous meeting with Delaware on Oct. 14 ended in a 2-1 defeat, their only conference loss of the season. The defending conference champions ensured history did not repeat itself.
“Their energy that day was better than ours,” Nuttall said. “They worked hard all over the field, and they got a deserved win. Afterwards, they celebrated, and they gave us a little reminder. We remembered that celebration; they can do that, now hopefully we can celebrate as well after a win. It’s not revenge.”
Hofstra will host the Monmouth University Hawks for the CAA championship title on Saturday, Nov. 11.
“It’s going to be a brilliant game against a very well-coached team,” Nuttall said.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Evan Bernstein
