There was no shortage of drama in the battle of Long Island as the Hofstra University men’s soccer team finished with a 1-1 draw against the Stony Brook University Seawolves at Hofstra Soccer Stadium in Hempstead, New York, on Saturday, Sept. 9. The Pride’s Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) record dropped to 0-0-1, but their conference account opened with a bang.
“It had many of the characteristics of a local derby,” said Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall. “Toe-to-toe, lots of battling from both teams, lots of energy, lots of hard work, lots of huffing and puffing without much continuity. The continuity was sucked on a regular basis, wrongly in my opinion.”
Reigning CAA Player of the Year Ryan Carmichael snatched his third goal in five games and put the Pride in front with a header in the 19th minute via a cross sent in by defender Stefan Mason. Hofstra’s lead didn’t last long though, as Jonas Bickus scored the equalizer only seven minutes later. It was the Seawolves’ first shot attempt of the match, and it was enough to save the draw. It was also the Pride’s first goal scored against them at home this season.
However, much of the focus was on what took place outside the two goals. In the 71st minute, Stony Brook defender Jacson Coppack was sent off via red card for a foul on opposing defender Pierce Infuso. Hofstra had a one-man advantage for approximately a quarter-of-an-hour until the 88th minute when midfielder Eoin Farrell was sent off in the aftermath of a foul on opposing midfielder Amit Magoz. The final minutes were played 10-a-piece.
“I thought we were good in many ways,” Nuttall said. “But when they [Stony Brook] were down to 10 [players], we committed the wrong bodies at the wrong times to get forward. We were fortunate not to concede when they had 10 and we had 11 [players].”
In addition to the two reds, three yellow cards were also handed out to each side. There were 27 total fouls called throughout 90 minutes.
“I’ve got to be careful with what I say,” Nuttall said. “I think some of my actions spoke out loud, I thought the continuity of the game wasn’t good when it didn’t have to be that great. That’s the best way I can put it.”
Hofstra outnumbered Stony Brook 19-8 in total shots and had twice as many shots on goal with 10 shots on goal to Stony Brook’s five. They had seven more corners and forced nine saves out of Seawolves goalkeeper Edmond Kaiser.
“We had loads of chances,” Nuttall said. “A lot of our better players, I think, played well. There are your positives. A disappointing draw, though, without a shadow of a doubt.”
From the chants of support from Hofstra supporters to the chorus of boos that rang down the stands amid Farrell’s dismissal, the match encapsulated a heated rivalry and a close battle in its own right.
“It was a nice crowd here, good atmosphere,” Nuttall said. “Everyone’s fired up, including their coaches, our coaches and all the players. I think that was the good part about it, loads of energy out there. That was fun.”
The Pride’s overall record is 3-1-1, and they’ve yet to lose a match at home. The team will be put to the test once again as they host the University of Maryland Baltimore County Retrievers on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Alexis Friedman
