By Nick Bond

Hope, it has been said, never dies. But hope may have final met its maker this evening, as the Pride managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, only to then snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Although they didn’t technically lose the game, and as such, are not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, the Pride’s inability to pull all three points from this wild ride of a soccer game has essentially erased any hope of the Pride making it to the promised land that is postseason play.

For those that missed tonight’s game, and it was most likely a lot of you – as the recorded attendance was a scant 247 – you missed one of the most exciting games in the history of the Hofstra Soccer Stadium, a double overtime thriller that saw the Pride punt a season- high 25 shots and scoring two goals in a matter of 25 seconds.

The game began strong, with the Pride continuing to put pressure on their opponents, as they had begun to do during their undefeated streak. The problem for the Pride, however, was that they also continued to show an almost stunning ability to not put the ball in the back of the net. Despite several quality chances off of set pieces and rebounds, the Pride were simply unable to put any points on the scoreboard, whiffing on all nine of the shot attempts in the half.

Things continued to spiral downward for the Pride shortly after the left the locker room for the final second half at home for the season, as after a defensive mistake in the box, the Pride put Towson Tigers junior forward Tommy Appel-Schumacher on the line, allowing to him convert a penalty kick that put his team a point ahead.

The Tigers would stay in front, for what looked like the rest of the game, until, finally in the 87th commenced one of the most intense intervals in the history of Hofstra sports.

After a misplay by Towson defenders to close to the line, Hofstra capitalized on a corner kick, as forward Demont Mitchell scored off a clumsy clearance, pound the ball into the mesh from twelve yards out to put the Pride on the level with less than 2 minutes left in the contest. A miraculous enough performance to salvage what looked to be a lost cause was what many in the crowd assumed as the time ticked down on the Pride’s home finale.

They were wrong.

Through happenstance, or possibly serendipity, a Pride breakaway led by senior midfielder Justin Flood would provide what the crowd thought was the most miraculous comeback in the history of the program, as a handball in the box would give the Pride a penalty shot to take an improbable 2-1 lead with a minute to go in a tense, tight game.

They were wrong.

Junior defenseman and captain Richard Martinez would take the shot, but in what seemed to be a cruel twist of fate, the shot ricocheted off the Tiger goalkeeper John Steele, as many in the crowd gasped, fearing that the Pride’s last great chance to win the game, and make the year-end CAA tournament, had bounced off the body of a conference rival.

They were wrong.

Because of quick thinking, and even quicker reflexes, Captain Martinez was able to corral the rebound, and it seemed, win the game for the Pride.

Or so it seemed.

In what was actually a cruel twist of fate, only 13 seconds the Towson Tigers’ go-to forward Appel-Schumacher converted another penalty kick after yet another poor played parry turned into yet another handball, finally sinking the Pride’s season for good as despite their best efforts, as they were simply unable to continue their success into overtime.

Only able to garner one point, the Pride find themselves almost definitely out of playoff contention and only able to think of what may have been.