The Hofstra Pride men’s lacrosse team suffered a nail-biting defeat at the hands of a late rally from the University of Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, Feb. 18. It was a back-and-forth game throughout, with Hofstra holding a slight one-point lead heading into the final period. The Wolverines eventually got the last laugh, as Jacob Jackson found the back of the net with just 51 seconds left to give Michigan an 11-10 victory. The goal was Jackson’s fourth of the afternoon.
With the loss, Hofstra falls to 0-3 on the young season, still looking for their first victory after three straight close losses. Not all was lost, however, in the defeat, as three Hofstra players accounted for two goals each. Rory Jones converted his two scores on four shots on goal, whilst Justin Sykes and Colton Rudd went two for five in shots on goal.
The Wolverines came out of the gates hot with an early goal by Ryan Cohen at the 15:49 mark of the first period. The Pride quickly responded two minutes later, with a goal from Sykes, which ultimately led to back-to-back scores from Jones to lead 3-1. Momentum once again shifted in the final five minutes of the quarter, with Michigan scoring three straight goals of their own to go ahead 4-3.
Hofstra’s Anthony Mollica reached the back of the night with 14:01 to play in the second period, a goal assisted by Gerard Kane. With the game notted up at four, the Wolverines once again retook the lead with two quick goals, going up 6-4. Sam Lufti responded with an unassisted goal for the Pride, cutting the deficit to one. Michigan’s Josh Zawada continued the fast-paced scoring with a goal assisted by Ryan Schriber. Down by two, 7-5, the Pride looked to end the quarter with a bang. Colton Rudd connected with the back of the net to extend the lead to two. Sykes scored his aforementioned second goal with 5:32 left remaining in the second, as the Pride evened the score once again with a 7-7 deadlock, heading into halftime.
Both teams were nearly identical in almost every major statistic in the first half. Hofstra had a total of 12 shots on goal, while Michigan had 13. The Wolverines had one extra turnover than the Pride with eight giveaways. Hofstra corralled nine ground balls compared to Michigan’s 11.
Jackson once again jumpstarted the Michigan offense with the first score of the third period, to lead 8-7. After a big gap of no scoring, the Pride nailed two more shots on goal to retake the lead, 9-8 with just under two minutes to play. The ending to the quarter was uncharacteristic of this game, as both teams played conservatively to wind out the clock, heading into the fourth and final quarter.
The score was once again tied at the 14:29 mark of the fourth quarter, with another goal by Zawada. Aidan Mulholland extended Michigan’s newly found momentum with a shot on an assist from Peter Thompson. Griffin Turner was determined to walk out of Ann Arbor with a victory, stepping up big time in the clutch with a goal at the 4:02 mark, off an assist from Jones.
Turner’s dreams were of course dashed, however, as Jackson broke the 10-10 tie with the game-winning goal, leaving the Pride in dismay when the clock hit triple zeros.
The Pride will look to pick up their first win of the season when they return home to James M. Shuart Stadium on Tuesday, Feb. 21, to take on the Long Island University (LIU) Sharks. This game will start at 11 a.m. and can be available to watch on Flo Sports, as well as listening to WRHU on the HAWC.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Lon Horwedel
