The Hofstra men’s lacrosse team snapped its two-game losing streak when they came out on top against the Manhattan College Jaspers on Saturday, March 12, at James M. Shuart Stadium by a final score of 8-4.
Hofstra got first possession almost immediately at faceoff, prompting the offense to charge at the Jaspers at lightning speed. Maneuvering around the Manhattan players and nearly making them trip over their own feet to keep up, attacker Gerard Kane was the first of the day to score three and a half minutes into the game. Three and a half minutes later, attacker Dylan McIntosh netted another goal, pushing the Pride’s lead to 2-0.
Although the rest of the first quarter didn’t yield any more goals, there was still a great deal of action as the Pride had no shortage of defensive muscle. Goalie Mac Gates blocked a shot that was taken from point-blank range and Tim Hegarty stepped in front of a shot, letting it hit him instead of the back of the home net. Given how Manhattan took a total of nine shots combined with Hofstra’s 11 the momentum of the game was constantly changing sides.
The Jaspers struck back in the second quarter, scoring on three of nine shots in that 15-minute stretch alone. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded throughout the stadium, the Pride was down 3-2.
Hofstra didn’t stay at a goal deficit for long as attacker Rory James found the back of the Jaspers’ net 42 seconds after the third quarter began. Less than three minutes later, Kane scored his second goal of the day, giving the Pride the lead once again. The Pride put two more goals on the board in the third, one from Colton Rudd and another from Jones, to outscore Manhattan 4-0 in the frame.
“I’m proud of our guys,” said Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney. “They’ve been resilient after two tough losses.”
Attackers McIntosh and Ryan Sheridan continued the success from the third quarter into the fourth, with McIntosh scoring his second goal of the game a minute after the buzzer sounded. 43 seconds later, Sheridan followed up with a clean and sweeping goal, bringing the Pride to its highest point advantage in the entire game, 8-3.
Manhattan attacker Kyle Gucwa netted one of his nine shots of the day to close the gap by one, but 11 minutes later, the buzzer rang, signaling an 8-4 victory for Hofstra on a cold, damp and windy afternoon in Hempstead.
“We told these guys ‘become one with the weather,” Tierney said. “It can’t be an excuse in the end; both teams [are] playing.”
The Hofstra men’s lacrosse team will have its next appearance at home against Rutgers University at James M. Shuart Stadium on Saturday, March 19. Faceoff is scheduled for 1 pm.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
