The Hofstra men’s soccer team was defeated by Marist College at Tenney Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 25, by a score of 3-1. The loss brought the Pride’s record to 4-4.
The Pride played aggressively in the first half, outshooting Marist 11-4 and picking up six fouls to the Red Foxes’ five. The physical play continued in the second half as both teams received 10 more foul calls, but it was the Pride that was held to just four shots in the half while the Red Foxes had seven. Five yellow cards were handed out in the contest, three of which went to Marist.
Hofstra’s lone goal came from Matthew Vowinkel, who converted a penalty in the second half to cut the Red Foxes’ lead to one. Vowinkel and Petter Soelberg each had two shots on goal to lead all players in the match. Shots on goal were also taken by Oscar Ramsay, Etienne Botty and Stefan Mason, while George O’Malley, Luca Tausch, Hendrik Hebbeker and Jason Ramirez erred in their shot attempts.
Alex Ashton struggled for the Pride in goal, as he made no saves and let three goals past him. It was just the second time this season that Ashton, a graduate student in his fifth year with the Pride, allowed more goals than saves made. The first time came in the Pride’s previous match against Elon University, a 3-2 win in which he only made one save. He was subbed out of the game in the 76th minute, and sophomore Alex Dudley made his debut as backup, finishing the contest without facing another shot.
Marist’s offense was minimal but effective, as they converted on all three of their only shots on goal in the game. The first came in the form of a penalty by Huib Achterkampwith six minutes left in the first half. Right before the 59-minute mark, Skylar Conway set up Stefan Copetti for a goal, but the Pride answered back five minutes later with Vowinkel’s successful penalty kick. Looking to prevent a comeback from Hofstra, Allen Gavilanes put in a goal to create a 3-1 lead with just over 15 minutes remaining.
Hofstra’s record is now at .500 for the third time this season. Since the match with Marist was non-conference, the team’s record against Colonial Athletic Association opponents remains at 2-1. The team will return to action on Tuesday, Oct. 1, when they host the Long Island University Sharks.
Image courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
