After a heartbreaking end to the 2019 season that left the Pride without a berth in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship tournament for the first time since 2015, the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team will look to turn its fortunes around in the new year.
After going 2-3 in conference play last year, and 5-9 overall, the Pride were knocked out of the playoffs on a tie-breaker, as Drexel University earned the final spot in the tournament.
“No question, it was heartbreaking,” said Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney. “You look back on [losing to] Towson [University] by a goal, and we made some really bad mistakes. If we win that game, then we’re not in the tie-breaker and we’re in the tournament. And there were certain plays, Drexel [University] scored a lot of man-up goals against us, and they came back after we were up six or seven goals, and that keeps us out of the playoffs.”
The end of the season meant the departure of some members of the Pride, most notably Jimmy Yanes, who was second in points accumulated for Hofstra last season with 17, behind only Ryan Tierney with 55, and second in assists made with nine to add to his eight goals scored. Yanes started 13 of the team’s 14 games, as did Brian Philbin, the team’s only other starter to depart following the season. Philbin had 17 ground balls and caused three turnovers in the 2019 season.
With the departure of seniors comes the addition of freshmen, however, and the team has brought in a plethora of players for the 2020 season. Eleven true freshmen, along with four redshirt freshmen, have joined the squad, giving the coaching staff the tall task of getting the large crop of new guys acclimated to the program.
“Practice has been going pretty well,” Coach Tierney said. “We had a scrimmage against Syracuse [University] in Vermont. We played a lot of freshmen, and they played like freshmen. The good part is, we came home and we got an experience – that’s what we really [played] for. I would’ve liked to perform a little better, but we didn’t. But at least we found out, ‘We thought our base was here, but maybe it’s a little bit lower, and now it’s time to build that up.’ We’ve had a couple of spirited practices [since then].”
A highlight of the Pride’s 2019 season was the emergence of then-freshman Sterlyn Ardrey. Ardrey tallied seven goals and two assists in his opening campaign with the Pride, and collected six ground balls. He was named to the CAA’s All-Rookie Team for the 2019 season, despite an injury sustained against the University of Massachusetts that sidelined him for the season’s final three games.
“[Ardrey’s] going to be one of our guys, he had a good freshman year,” Coach Tierney said. “He got hurt towards the end of last season, so we’re hopeful that he stays healthy. He worked out all summer long, so he changed his body, and his role will be expanded this year.”
Players for the Pride have racked up preseason accolades in the weeks prior to the 2020 season’s opening day. Ryan Tierney, Michael Altmann and Brian Herber were named to the CAA’s Preseason All-Conference Team. Last year, Ryan Tierney ranked No. 2 in the CAA in goals scored with an incredible 42 and a team-leading 13 assists, while Altmann’s tough defense netted him the second-most caused turnovers in the conference with 23. Herber’s face-off prowess earned him the accolade, as he ranked fourth in the conference and No. 27 in the nation in face-off winning percentage. He collected the fourth-most ground balls in the CAA, as well, and ranked No. 18 nationally with 100 for the season.
Additionally, Ryan Tierney, Herber and defenseman Eric Wenz were named to the Preseason All-CAA Team by ‘Inside Lacrosse,’ and Ryan Tierney was awarded the CAA Preseason Player of the Year honor by the same publication. Wenz was fourth on the team in ground balls last year with 23, and second in caused turnovers with 11.
Of those players who received recognition in the preseason, three will be playing their last season for the Pride in 2020, as Ryan Tierney, Altmann and Wenz all enter their senior years. Additionally, Ryan Kinnard, who scored the second-most goals for the Pride last year with 13, will suit up for his last year with the team.
“It’s bittersweet that they’re seniors,” Coach Tierney said. “They’ve played an awful lot of lacrosse throughout their careers, and I just hope they go out with a bang. I hope they go out on a high note. They’re such great people, such hard workers, and last year we got bit by the injury bug. We just hope that the lacrosse gods are with us a little bit and we don’t get beat up by the injuries like we did last year.”
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
