On the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 12, at Rudd Field in Elon, North Carolina, the Hofstra Pride men’s soccer team captured yet another Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title with a tightly contested 2-1 victory over the Elon University Phoenix.
The Pride is now 8-1-1 in matches against Elon and has defeated the Phoenix in the championship game for the second consecutive year. The conference title is the sixth in program history and Hofstra’s third since 2015.
To close out a dominant first half, which saw the Pride outshoot Elon 6-1, junior forward Oliver Svalander opened the scoring in the 39th minute, curling a left-footed shot past a sprawling Ryan Bilichuk for the game’s first goal. Svalander’s seventh goal of the season was assisted by junior midfielder Roc Carles, who dribbled deep into the final third and outpaced several Elon defenders to deliver a pass to Svalander.
Elon’s attack picked up in the second half, firing off four shots in five minutes. Hofstra goalkeeper Wessel Speel was forced to make two near-impossible saves on shots launched from barely two feet in front of him to keep the Pride’s lead intact.
The Pride doubled their lead in the closing minutes on a second effort goal from midfielder Francesco Perinelli. Svalander sent a high arching corner kick into the box, which was promptly headed toward the goal by Ryan Carmichael.
Carmichael’s attempt rebounded but landed back in front of of Perinelli, who fired home Hofstra’s second goal from a sharp angle. The tally marked the second of the season for Perinelli and his first goal in over a month. Hofstra was able to get two goals past one of the nation’s premier goalkeepers, Bilichuk, who hadn’t allowed multiple goals in a match since Oct. 22, against College of Charleston.
Elon failed to put a mark on the score sheet until the final minute of play, as forward Kasper Lehm found the back of the net with 12 seconds remaining to settle the final score. The goal came courtesy of an assist from junior forward Victor Stromsten. Nonetheless, the Phoenix failed to mount an attack in the final seconds, as Hofstra’s celebration kicked off on away turf.
After the conclusion of the match, sophomore forward and national goals leader Eliot Goldthorp was named the CAA Championship Most Outstanding Performer for his efficacy in the conference tournament, joining Carmichael, Pierce Infuso and Perinelli on the All-Championship team.
Goldthorp tallied a goal and an assist during the Pride’s three-game run to the championship.
Having won the CAA title, the Pride clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, making this their seventh appearance in program history. Elon is still up for an at-large bid to the tournament, but they will have their fate decided by the NCAA selection committee.
On Monday, Nov. 14, the NCAA Selection Show revealed that the Pride’s first round in the tournament will be against the University of South Florida.
The match is set for Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. in Tampa, Florida at Corbett Stadium.
Photo courtesy of Troy L. Sayles/Elon Athletics
