With the clock winding down and the score deadlocked at one, the Hofstra men’s soccer team made a late break down the pitch hoping for a miracle against Fordham University in its opening game of the season.
The ball found the foot of sophomore midfielder Eliot Goldthorp with just two seconds to spare. Appearing in his debut game for the Pride, Goldthorp fired the ball into the net just before the clock hit zero. The Pride was victorious, and Goldthorp was the hero.
“Looking back at it, I probably wasn’t thinking about the clock at the time, but it was an unbelievable feeling for it to go in,” Goldthorp said. “For the game against Fordham to be the first game at home in front of a great crowd, as well, was one of the better moments in my career so far.”
The journey to scoring one of the most memorable goals in recent Hofstra soccer history was not a conventional one for Goldthorp, who hails from Leeds, United Kingdom.
Before arriving at Hofstra, he began his soccer career playing in the third highest division in English professional football, English Football League 1.
“I played five games professionally for Bradford City, which was an invaluable experience,” Goldthorp said. “I [didn’t continue playing there because I] was not offered a professional contract in the end; that combined with the whole situation with COVID-19 and my parents wanting me to get a degree. My parents believe that this was the best thing for me to do, and they’ve been incredibly supportive.”
An English soccer player with professional experience like Goldthorp making the transition to playing college soccer in the U.S. is not something that happens often.
Goldthorp cherishes the time he spent at Bradford City, calling it “the best experience” of his life. However, the limited playing time he had only gave him a “taste of it” and has left him hungry to succeed at Hofstra.
Goldthorp joined the Pride for this season, having spent last year with Old Dominion University. There, Goldthorp started all 13 games for the Monarchs, leading the team in goals with four, assists with two and points with a total of 10. While at Old Dominion, Goldthorp was a member of the Second-Team AllConference USA and also received AllRookie honors from Conference USA.
When Goldthorp made the decision to transfer to Hofstra, there were undoubtedly going to be challenges.
“Making the change from secondary school to college is obviously challenging,” Goldthorp said. “But for me it’s been easy; we get here earlier on campus than normal students, which is helpful because you already have 25 friends that are all looking out for you.”
While he deals with the various challenges associated with joining a new school, including finding his place in a new social setting, Goldthorp explained how he uses one of his best tools on the soccer field to succeed off the field.
“I’m quite a confident guy,” Goldthorp said. “It helps playing football, and I transition it into my social life as well.”
During his time in England, one of the contributing factors to his decision to ultimately move overseas was a managerial change. However, Goldthorp had nothing but good things to say about his new manager, fellow Englishman, coach or, as Goldthorp calls him, “gaffer,” Richard Nuttall.
“The gaffer’s awesome,” Goldthorp said. “His character is awesome. He’s from my neck of the woods back home which really helps. He’s hard, he’s tough, but I think that brings the best out of any team. He also has a good sense of humor as well which really brings the team together, and when you talk about comraderie around the team, it’s why this team and program has been so successful.”
Since bursting onto the scene with the Pride, Goldthorp has wasted no time making an impact on the team. In his first nine games with the squad, Goldthorp has scored six goals and recorded eight assists for a total of 15 points, as he leads the team in all three stat categories.
Those numbers were good enough to make Goldthorp the Colonial Athletic Association player of the week during the week of Sept. 12. He has also received the honor of Hofstra Student Athlete of the Week earlier on this year as well.
Goldthorp’s talent is undeniable. Even though he’s quickly become a breakout star at Hofstra, Goldthorp still keeps his eyes on his ultimate goal: playing in the English Premier League.
With the World Cup on the horizon, Goldthorp was quick to answer who he thought was going to win it this year, and to no one’s surprise, he chose his home country.
“Definitely England,” Goldthorp said. “We’re still waiting for football to come home. We’ve done really well at tournaments over the last few years. I’m a Spurs fan, so I’m biased towards Harry Kane. I think he’s one of the best players in the world. I love the way he plays; I think his character and his whole story is very inspirational.”
Although he’ll be cheering on his home country this upcoming November, Goldthorp wouldn’t be surprised to see the defending World Cup champions take home the trophy once again.
“The way France plays their football has been so enjoyable to watch,” Goldthorp said. “As a person that’s a student of the game, it’s really entertaining to see what they do.”
Since joining the Pride nearly two months ago, Goldthorp has taken Hofstra by storm, as his confidence on and off the pitch has been the talk of soccer fans around campus. Goldthorp wants nothing more than to win.
Keep an eye out, Hofstra, and make sure to watch this “student of the game” master the pitch.
Photo courtesy of Alexis Friedman/Hofstra Chronicle
