The No. 19 Hofstra men’s soccer team now has a 10 game unbeaten streak following their 4-0 victory over Lafayette College on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.
“Lafayette is a good, well-coached team. I just thought we dealt with them very well today and we finished some great chances,” said Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall.
Forward Matthew Vowinkel has had a relatively quiet season offensively according to his standards. He led the way with two goals in the match. The first came by way of a penalty kick in the 37th minute to give Hofstra a 1-0 lead.
A few moments later, Vowinkel struck again by putting home a rebound off a Ryan Carmichael shot that Lafayette goalkeeper Griffin Huff couldn’t maintain. The Pride’s lead was extended to 2-0.
“Everybody knows [Vowinkel’s] abilities,” Nuttall said. “He’s being closely guarded all the time. I think he’s a much better all-around player now, and because he’s getting excessive attention [from defenders], it’s opening things up for other people. He got in the right spots today. I’m pleased with his overall performance.”
Meanwhile, Carmichael scored his 13th goal of the season, placing him atop the national leaderboard, and freshman defender Mason Tatafu put home his third of the year as the two young phenoms continued their stellar play for the Pride.
“Hopefully, every year you get some special players, and [Carmichael and Tatafu] have been as good as any,” Nuttall said. “The future is bright, but not just because of those two. I think we’ve got the right group around them to help them perform. While they’re doing incredibly well, I think the people around them have been incredible as well.”
Even though Hofstra’s offense dominated much of the game, their defensive structure was pivotal to their victory. Goalkeeper Wessel Speel only had to make one save in goal, recording his fifth shutout of the season.
“We had a good line and a good shape to our defensive rotations tonight,” Nuttall said. “It’s difficult to play against us. Even if you do get around our box, I think our one-on-one defending is very good. Our players move their feet well.”
Following the victory, the Pride’s record now sits at 12-1-1 as they have gone 9-0-1 over the course of their last 10 matches.
Looking ahead, Hofstra will face their toughest competition of the regular season when they take on Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival No. 23 James Madison University (JMU), who have taken home the CAA crown each of the last three seasons. The game will be at home on Saturday, Oct. 23, at 4 p.m. for what will be Hofstra’s Senior and Alumni day.
JMU has had Hofstra’s number the last few years, as the Dukes have gone through the Pride en route to each of their last three titles. This year though, Nuttall believes things will be different.
“Historically, if you look at the last few years, it’s been us and JMU. It’s no secret that they’ve put us out on [penalty kicks] in two finals and one semi-final,” Nuttall said. “But, that’s the past. We’ve got to believe in ourselves, believe in our process and believe in our talent. We think we’re better than ever and quite dangerous going forward.”
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
