The No. 19 Hofstra University men’s soccer team defeated the Binghamton University Bearcats 1-0, at Hofstra Soccer Stadium in Hempstead, New York, on Tuesday, Sep. 26. It was the Pride’s third consecutive win as they improved to 7-1-2 overall.
“I’m glad we stuck to the task,” said Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall. “It was a tough second half and kudos to Binghamton. They’re a decent team and they play in a very good conference with a lot of great teams.”
Defender Bjorn van Gorkom snatched the winning goal for the Pride off a corner kick in the 21st minute. It was crossed in by midfielder Eliot Goldthorp before van Gorkom headed it home to give his side the 1-0 lead,. The graduate student returned to the starting lineup after missing the majority of the second half in Hofstra’s previous match against the College of William & Mary with an apparent knee injury.
“The half he wasn’t on the field, we lost his leadership a little bit,” said Nuttall. “He’s got a great voice back there and he commands the troops well. I’m happy for him scoring the winning goal, he’s a great human being and we love him.”
The Pride held onto their 1-0 scoreline for the remaining 69 minutes of the match as they completed a perfect home stretch which saw three wins in as many games. Goalkeeper Wessel Speel made two saves in the second half as the Bearcats amplified the pressure following the goal.
“They gave us a lot of problems there,” said Nuttall. “I’m very happy how we reacted to their incessant pressure and the way they played. They got the ball forward. We got a few toes and heads in, and we did what we had to do. Then we saw out the game, so I’m incredibly pleased.”
Senior defender Nico Oberrauch made an appearance as he was subbed on in the 41st minute for Goldthorp before starting the second half. Oberrauch, from Rome, Italy, saw the most playing time out of any substitute on the night, totaling 42 minutes.
“Nico’s [Oberrauch] a great player,” said Nuttall. “He brings energy, he’s got a great love for the game. He’s quick with the ball, quick without the ball and he got a couple of crucial tackles in. He kept the ball well at times and got forward as well. His crossing wasn’t as good as we would’ve liked but he made a good impact on the game.”
After a quick start, Hofstra managed to hold strong defensively and ensured their fifth shutout win in 10 games. While their attacking side only had one shot to speak of in the second half, their defense did enough to secure victory. The Pride is three-for-three when leading at halftime this season.
“The way we work as a unit, it’s not just the back-four of the back-five,” said Nuttall. “It’s our effort from front to back. From the forwards working midfielders: [Albert] Kang, Roc [Carles], Joe [Wright] and Eoin [Farrell], we’ve got some workers. It was more of a team effort where we pressured the ball well.”
Hofstra will now head on the road as they take on Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) rivals Elon University Phoenix on Saturday, Sep. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Alexis Friedman
