A dominant third quarter propelled the Villanova University Wildcats to a 15-8 victory over the Hofstra Pride men’s lacrosse team on Saturday, March 4, at the James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, New York. The Wildcats, ranked 15th, improved their record to 3-1 with the win, while the Pride fell to 2-4 on the season. Hofstra managed to jump out to a quick 2-0 lead over the Wildcats, but a lopsided third quarter that saw Villanova outscore the Pride 6-1 was ultimately the turning point in Saturday’s game.
“[It was] certainly disappointing, the games always play out a little different than the stats show,” said Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney, “That third quarter is glaring right at me. Otherwise, we’re right in this game.”
Attackers Griffin Turner and John Madsen opened the scoring for Hofstra in the first quarter, putting the Pride up 2-0 within minutes. Madsen was Hofstra’s leader on offense in the contest, posting a career-high five points on three goals and two assists. Hofstra notably lacked the services of leading scorer Gerard Kane on Saturday and posted their second-lowest scoring total of the season as a result.
“Our leading scorer obviously was not here today,” Tierney said. “We definitely need time to rest and get healthy.” Luckily for Hofstra, the Pride will have 10 days to get back in form before their next matchup on Tuesday, March 14.
The Wildcats were led by fifth-year attacker Patrick Daly who scored four goals in the victory, while senior midfielder Mason Reale added a pair himself. However, it was fifth-year senior Matt Cambell who stole the show for Villanova, setting the program scoring record with his 129th career goal in the win. Campbell entered the day tied for the program record with two other players but etched his name into the history books with 4:39 remaining in the third quarter. Saturday’s 15-goal outburst marked a season high for the Wildcats, and Tierney offered a great deal of praise for his opponents.
“Villanova was the best opponent we’ve played thus far,” the Hofstra head coach said. “When you play a team of that caliber you can have a bad five minutes and find yourself losing by a bunch.”
The Pride’s next game will be against the Syracuse University Orange at Shuart Stadium. Syracuse will be the penultimate game on Hofstra’s rigorous non-conference schedule before Colonial Athletic Association play opens on Saturday, March 25, against the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
