Ryan Carmichael’s lone goal propelled the Hofstra men’s soccer team to a 1-0 win over Monmouth University on Saturday, Sept. 10. The Pride picked up their first road win of the year as they improved to 3-2 on the season. This was the Pride’s second consecutive win after they defeated Long Island University this past Wednesday.

Despite neither teams scoring, the first half was busy as both Hofstra and Monmouth were able to both get four shots on goal. It was quite the defensive showcase for Hofstra goalie Wessel Speel. Speel allowed no goals, while accumulating four saves during the game. 

The Pride wasted no time on the offensive aspect of the sport as a shot not even two minutes into the second half by Roc Carles barely missed the mark. 

The Pride dominated the shots on goal in the second half, beating out Monmouth seven shots to three. Later in the half, toward the 80 minute mark, the Pride finally broke through and netted a goal. Eliot Goldthorp had the assist via a corner kick, giving Carmichael the chance to score his second goal of the season. 

Despite the low scoring affair, the Pride was able to outperform Monmouth in just about every category. Their 11 shots on goal as well as the six corner kicks were enough to get the job done. Defensively, the Pride outperformed as well, accumulating four saves to Monmouth’s three. Both had a little penalty trouble as well, as there were seven yellow cards distributed during the game.

The duo of Goldthorp and Carmichael has served as the backbone for the team this season so far, as they are the Pride’s top two leading goal scorers and, combined, account for five of the team’s seven goals. 

Goldthorp himself has five points in the last two games after picking up his first assist of the season. The team seems to be heading in the right direction after a few early season losses. 

Monmouth slips to 2-2 on the season and remains winless in conference play thus far. Hofstra keeps their undefeated all-time record against Monmouth, as the Pride has now beaten them four times in the teams’ history against one another.

The Pride will look to go for a third consecutive victory and improve their record to 4-2 in their next faceoff on Saturday, Sept. 17, at home against the Northeastern University Huskies.

Photo courtesy of Alexis Friedman/Hofstra Chronicle