After a very valiant effort, the Pride couldn’t beat the UNC-Wilmington (UNCW) Seahawks on Saturday, Nov. 6. Hofstra and UNCW played to a 0-0 draw at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.
With this draw, the Pride finished the regular season with a 14-1-2 overall record and a record of 5-1-2 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play. UNCW are now 9-6-2 overall this season, with a CAA record of 4-3-1. This was also Hofstra’s first non-win at home this season, as the Pride finished the 2021 regular season with an 8-0-1 home record.
“[This was a] tough game, tough day against UNCW,” said head coach Richard Nuttall. “At times I thought we got outbattled. I’m a bit disappointed because we could’ve tied up the conference, but overall, we got another clean sheet against a very good team. We didn’t play well, but we played tough.”
Shots on goal came at a premium in this game, as Hofstra finished the day with six, compared to the UNCW’s four. The Pride also had an advantage in corner kicks, as they had 12, while the Seahawks had four.
The Pride’s closest scoring chance came with a minute and 14 seconds to go in the second half of overtime. Sophomore midfielder Roc Carles got a ball that was cleared out of the box, whipped a high cross in that forward Matthew Vowinkel bicycled into the back of the net. Vowinkel ripped off his jersey in celebration, only for the flag to come up for offsides seconds after the crowd started celebrating.
“If you look at it now, it looks like it was onside, which is upsetting, but that’s how it goes,” Nuttall said. “Sometimes, you make a good quiet decision, but I thought it was a beautiful goal.”
This crucial call proved to make a difference. As a result, this 0-0 draw was the first time this year that the Pride were shut out this season.
Even though his team was shut out, Wessel Speel did the same to UNCW, which gives him four consecutive shutouts, as well as the fifth consecutive for the Pride. This was the Dutch sophomore’s eighth of the season.
With the CAA tournament coming up, Nuttall and his squad know that they can’t take anything lightly and they know they’re going to face some challenges along the way.
“We believe in our ability as a group, but we’re not stupid enough to say we’re going to win it without any battles or any incredible games against great quality players,” Nuttall said. “It’s a fine line between success and failure. We believe in ourselves but we’re not under any illusions. The fact is we’ll have to play well to win this conference, because there will be three very good teams, which one of them could be UNCW. The semi-finals are going to be tough on Thursday, but we’re looking forward to it.”
However, since the match came to an end, there has been a little change in the look of the tournament. The CAA announced that Hofstra Soccer Stadium will now be hosting the tournament, which takes place on Thursday, Nov. 11, and Sunday, Nov. 14.
The Pride will play in the semifinal against the Dragons of Drexel University as the number one seed on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. If the Pride wins that game, they will move on to the CAA finals against the winner of Northeastern vs. Elon University.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
