By Kevin Carroll – Assistant Sports Editor
After a disappointing quarterfinal loss to James Madison in last year’s CAA Tournament, the Hofstra Pride men’s soccer team will have their work cut out for them this season as they look to climb to the top of the CAA. The loss of Maid Memic, who led the team with 10 goals last season, will leave a large hole in the Pride’s offense that needs to be filled as they get ready to start their season on August 28^th.

NOTE: Unlike some Pride sports, the MSOC non-conference schedule includes games sandwiched between CAA play. The Pride opens conference play on September 19^th, while still playing out-of-conference teams until the last week of the season.

8/28 vs. Syracuse University (16-4-1, ACC)

The Pride opens up their 2015 season with a tough matchup against the Orangemen of Syracuse. Syracuse is coming off of a successful season that saw them advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, before falling in overtime to Georgetown.

This team returns a lot of experienced players, and promises to be just about as good as last year’s squad, which was ranked 15^th in RPI (of 205 total programs) at season’s end. Cuse does, however, lose their leading scorer Emil Ekblom (8 goals), as well as standout goalkeeper Alex Bono. Bono saved 67 shots, and posted 12 shutouts last season, and will be sorely missed in Syracuse. Still, no matter the losses that the Orange suffers, you could always expect a team of this caliber and magnitude to retool and reload. This will be as tough of an opener as it gets for the Pride.

8/30 vs. Vermont (8-9-2, America East)

Not quite the juggernaut that Syracuse appears to be, the Pride will welcome the University of Vermont for their second game at home. The two teams met last season in a match that Hofstra won 1-0. The Catamounts had a disappointing season last year, especially down the stretch, but rebounded for a nice performance in the AE tournament, knocking off Albany, and advancing to the semis before losing to top-seeded UMBC.

Vermont dropped a lot of really close games last season, and their record could have been much better, but losses against a relatively weak schedule put them way down in 134^th on the RPI list. Brian Wright will be back, accounting for 9 goals and 3 assists last season, leading the team with 21 points. The defense will remain largely intact, and the Catamounts will ultimately be a better team than a year ago. As with Syracuse, one huge question remains in the goalie box, with Connor Leland graduating. The Pride should be ready to contain Wright, and they should send the Hempstead crowd home happy.

9/4 @ Army (6-8-6, Patriot League)

The Pride will face yet another new goalie in this one, as Winston Boldt graduates for the Black Knights, who had a similar season to Vermont, stumbling through the regular season, then turning it on in the conference tournament. Army up-ended #3 American (also on Hofstra’s schedule), and then came agonizingly close to knocking off top-seed Boston University, falling in double overtime.

Army is something of a one-trick pony, relying on stout defense to overcome an anemic offense last season, only scoring 16 goals all season, and getting shutout ten times. The good news for the Black Knights is that their four top defenders are all returning this year. They also bring back their two starting forwards, and a couple of other experienced midfielders, but they’re going to have a lot of work to do if they want to put more balls in the back of the net. Ranked 113^th in RPI last season, the Black Knights will improve, but not enough to contend in the Patriot League. The Pride stand a good shot here, albeit in a gritty defensive struggle. This one could get ugly.

9/6 @ St. John’s (4-10-1, Big East)

The Pride stays out on the road for this one, heading down the road to play in Queens. The two teams played to a 2-2 draw last season, a game which ultimately turned out to be one of the highlights of an otherwise dismal season for the Red Storm. They only won one game in conference play and finished 84^th in RPI, well among the worst in the stacked Big East.

Things don’t seem to be looking up for St. John’s this season, only returning three of their starters from last season. They do retain an experienced goalkeeper in Jordan Stagmiller (73 saves), as well as two solid defenders, Jean Leveille and Simon Tchoukriel. While the back line at least has a foundation to build around, the offense, which wasn’t very good last season, is gone. While that may be a blessing in disguise for the Red Storm, they appear to be in full-fledged rebuilding mode. St. John’s should look for increased production from graduate student Luis Esteves, who appeared in only 8 games last year, and scored two goals. It’ll be a tough road for the Red Storm this season, and Hofstra should look to pick up another win here before getting to some of the tougher non-conference opponents.

9/11 @ American (11-4-4, Patriot)

This is where business starts to pick up. Ranked 34^th in RPI, this will be Hofstra’s toughest opponent since the opener against Syracuse. The Eagles had a very strong season, before being shocked by Army in the Patriot League quarterfinals. With that loss sitting in the rearview mirror, this team is undoubtedly going to be hungry for redemption heading into the season.

The Eagles were a mix of good offense and good defense last season, scoring 25 goals while only allowing 16. Six starters were lost to graduation this past season, which will lead to some issues for this team. However, they retain the core of a very good team. Dylan Hobert made 52 saves as a junior last season, shutting out six teams. Liam Robley returns, fresh off a 5 goal, 5 assist season, good enough to lead the Eagles with 15 points. Right behind him is Dale Ludwig (10 points), as well as Joe Iraola and Jake Garcia (8 points apiece). Garcia was also the anchor of the defense last year, and he’ll have to hold the back line together with fresh faces all around him. This team will be dangerous.

9/13 @ George Mason (11-4-5, Atlantic 10)

While most would remember the George Mason Colonials as college basketball’s favorite Cinderella team from years ago, but they also hold their own on the soccer field, finishing 31^st in RPI, and falling to Rhode Island in the A-10 tournament. The Colonials were ranked as high as #18 in the national rankings last season, and were receiving votes all season. They’re receiving preseason votes this season as well, so the Pride will have its hands full.

Timi Mulgrew will be a tough loss for George Mason, having scored 13 goals in 20 games last season, best on the team. As far as losses go for this team? That’s it. The Colonials return TEN of their majority starters from last season. Klaus Steffens is back in goal, coming off a season in which he made 50 saves, and allowed just 12 goals. Henning Dirks will look to pick up the scoring slack in Mulgrew’s absence; he was second on the team in goals with 4, and led the team with 5 assists. The defense was stellar last season, and nothing has changed on the Colonial back line. This team is loaded, and primed to make big noise this season.

9/26 @ Dartmouth (12-5-2 Ivy League)

Another very tough opponent on the road for Hofstra, as they head up to New Hampshire for a date with the Big Green, a week after kicking off their CAA schedule versus UNC-W. Dartmouth claimed a share of the Ivy League title last season, and earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, where they ran to the second round before falling to Providence. Dartmouth snuck its way into the national rankings towards season’s end, rising as high as #20, and finishing the season 23^rd in RPI.

Things are shaping up for it to be a bit of a down year for the Big Green, however. The majority of an offense that scored 35 goals last season is gone. Of all those goals scored last year, only 9 of them came off of the feet of players still on the roster. Matt Danilack will have to shoulder a heavy burden on the offensive end of the field, coming off of a 3 goal, 3 assist season. Last season’s shaky defense, the Big Green’s un-doing at times, does remain largely intact, with goalie Stefan Cleveland looking to keep it all together on the back line. Still, Dartmouth is coming off an NCAA tourney bid, and there’s no doubt they could smell another one on the horizon.

10/5 @ Duke (9-9-1, ACC)

This team is coming off of a lackluster season last year, but no team ever fielded by Duke University should go overlooked. They fell in last year’s ACC quarterfinals to fellow Hofstra opponent Syracuse, and finished just 53^rd in RPI. By the numbers, the Blue Devils were nothing more than a middle of the pack ACC team, but in a loaded conference, that’s not too shabby. Duke was virtually unbeatable in Durham, even knocking off the #1 team in the country, North Carolina.

Duke returns a lot of talent, and a season of playing in the shark tank ACC has got them seasoned and battle-tested. They return a lot of talent, including Brady Huitema and Cameron Moseley, the Blue Devils’ top scorers last season. Joe Ohaus is back in goal for Duke, although he will need to step his game up if he wants to remain there. He gave up 26 goals last season, a performance that cannot be repeated if the Blue Devils want to sniff the ACC crown, or a bid in the NCAA tournament. They do lose as crisp a passer as they come in Sean Davis, who assisted on 10 goals last season. Shaky in the back, this team will spot Hofstra goals, so the Pride is going to have a chance here, they just have to capitalize on opportunities.

10/19 @ Coastal Carolina (16-6-1, Big South)

The gauntlet run continues for Hofstra, as they head on down the east coast for a matchup with Coastal Carolina, another very tough opponent. They ran through the Big South with relative ease last season, winning the conference tourney and advancing to the NCAA tourney, before their season came to an end at the hands of Clemson in the second round.

Not only do the Chanticleers possess one of the best nicknames in all of college soccer, they also have one of its deadliest offenses, too. They scored a mind-boggling 47 goals last season, while only allowing 20. Better news for the Chanticleers is that 6 of the top 7 point scorers from last year’s squad are returning this year, including standout midfielder Pedro Ribiero (11 goals, 7 assists). They also lose Dev Cook-Petrales in goal, and may turn to Akron transfer Fernando Pina to fill his shoes. This offense is unbelievably strong, and may be just a bit too much for the Pride to handle.

10/27 vs. Stony Brook (4-13-2, America East)

Hofstra’s last non-conference opponent is also their first non-conference home game since facing Vermont, way back in August. The Seawolves will also most likely turn out to be the Pride’s easiest opponent on the schedule. They finished at the bottom of the weak America East, and were 188^th in RPI at the end of the season.

Stony Brook returns 8 starters from last year’s disappointing season, and are pretty well-stocked with underclassmen, having only two seniors on the official roster. Goalkeeper Tom McMahon returns after a 72-save season, in which he was working overtime trying to keep the Seawolves afloat. It does look like another off year is in the works for the Seawolves, but the Long Island rivalry between Hofstra and Stony Brook should make for an exciting atmosphere, and anything could happen.