The No. 4 seeded Hofstra Pride clinched their spot in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship game with a 10-9 win over the No. 1 seed University of Delaware Blue Hens on Thursday, May 6, at the James M. Shuart Stadium.
It was a day to remember for the Pride men’s lacrosse team as they faced off with the Blue Hens in the CAA semifinals. Although the Pride played at home, due to the seeding in the conference, they qualified as the road team.
After the Blue Hens won the opening faceoff, they took a quick one-goal lead 14 seconds into the contest off a shot from Jason Seiter. Several minutes later, Charlie Kitchen gave Delaware a two-goal advantage off of a turnaround goal.
It was minutes of back-and-forth as both goaltenders made saves, keeping Delaware at a two-goal advantage. It stayed that way until 36 seconds remained in the period when Dylan McIntosh found the back of the net bringing the Pride within a goal. After Brian Herber won the following faceoff, Sterlyn Ardrey brought the Pride even with the Hens at two.
Hofstra opened the following period with a four-goal run. McIntosh found the back of the net three times in less than four minutes, giving the Pride a 5-2 advantage. James Philbin followed up with a goal of his own to extend Hofstra’s lead.
Delaware was able to chip away at the lead slightly, as Matt Acchione brought the Blue Hens within three. The Pride brought their 6-3 lead into halftime.
The Blue Hens were able to get the scoring started in the third with a goal from Mike Robinson, and he was followed up by Kitchen’s second goal of the afternoon, cutting the deficit to one.
Despite Ryan Sheridan giving the Pride a two-goal advantage again, Cam Acchione and Kitchen were able to tie the game at seven apiece.
Just over one minute later, after a turnover by Hofstra, Cam Acchione added his second goal of the afternoon, giving Delaware the lead for the first time since the opening period. The Blue Hens held an 8-7 lead heading into the final 15 minutes.
With the home crowd cheering them on, the Pride was able to step up with their season on the line. With 13:18 remaining in the period, Philbin tied the game once again at eight apiece. Goals from both McIntosh and Sheridan then gave the Pride a two-goal lead with 9:52 left to play.
After the Blue Hens won a faceoff, Tye Kurtz converted for his first goal of the game, bringing Delaware within one of tying it.
During the final minutes of the period, both teams traded possessions and were able to get clears. With 1:43 remaining, Delaware called a timeout with a chance to draw up a play and tie the game at 10.
Coming out of the timeout, the Blue Hens turned over the ball with 1:06 remaining. With Delaware adding pressure while Hofstra attempted to clear, Pride defenseman Logan Danenza fired a shot in an attempt for Hofstra to retain possession.
Despite another timeout by Delaware, the Pride were able to run out the clock as they stamped their ticket to the CAA championship.
Bobby Casey had the win for Hofstra as he had 11 saves and tied a team-high of five ground balls. McIntosh had a team-high five goals during the afternoon, while Brian Herber was 10-21 from the face-off circle. He also tied for a team-high of five ground balls.
All 10 of Hofstra’s goals were unassisted.
“We just bought ourselves another 48 hours,” said Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney. “For me, that 48 hours is like a lottery ticket.”
The Pride will prepare for Saturday, May 8, when they will face the Drexel University Dragons for the CAA Championship in Hempstead. Faceoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
Photo Courtesy of Evan Bernstein/The Hofstra Chronicle
