Hofstra University (4-3-3, 1-0-1 CAA) took down Drexel University (6-2-1, 1-2 CAA) under the lights at Hofstra Soccer Stadium on Wednesday night in the squad’s Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) home opener.
The win not only extends the Pride’s unbeaten streak to six, but also marks the sixth-straight match Hofstra defense has not allowed a goal.
“I’m really proud of the team and how we defended collectively,” Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall said. “It’s team defense from the front backward. They’ve defended when they have to, and they’ve gotten rid of the ball when they have to. So, from that point of view it’s no nonsense defending.”
That “no nonsense defending” helped senior keeper Alex Ashton get his sixth straight clean-sheet in net, breaking a Hofstra record for consecutive shutouts by a goalkeeper. That mark was previously held by Hofstra goalie Matthias Gumbrecht in 2005 with five. Ashton had two saves on the night.
The lone goal was scored by senior defender Marcus Lindqvist on a beautiful give-and-go assist just inside the 18-yard box by junior forward Luke Brown in the 67th minute. The Englishman laid it off to the Norwegian for him to find it on his left foot and rifle it into the lower left corner of the net.
The goal was the culmination of the momentum and build-up play the Pride had captured since the start of the second half. The Drexel defenders found themselves on their heels for most of the period.
A peek at the box score indicates unbalanced play as well. Hofstra had eight corner kicks in the second half compared to none for Drexel. Hofstra out-shot Drexel in the game 15 to seven.
Besides the goal, the next best scoring chance in the game came from freshman forward Luca Tausch in the 69th minute, just after Hofstra had taken the lead. Tausch’s shot was a rocket from 30 yards out. Drexel’s goalkeeper Stephen Kopsachilis did well to adjust to the shot given the velocity and push it over the byline for a Hofstra corner kick.
However, the man of the match for the Pride appeared to be Brown. Brown made his impact felt in his first game back from injury after missing the previous four. The man from Cambridgeshire, England not only assisted in the lone goal of the match, but also led Hofstra with four shots, two of which were on target, in only 53 minutes of game action.
“You can see just when he’s near the ball everyone gets excited because he can do things,” Nuttall said.
That excitement brought by the addition of Brown can help continue the energy from a team that is already on a hot streak in the thick of conference play.
Up next, the Pride will face off against the College of William & Mary on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
