By Sean Williams – Staff Writer
After road losses to Georgetown and Ohio State, the men’s lacrosse team earned a badly needed home win against Providence, as junior attack Sam Llinares and faceoff man Kris Clarke helped the Pride to an easy 15-4 victory.
“I’m certainly happy for the guys, it’s good to see them smile. It’s been a little bit,” head coach Seth Tierney said after the game. “I know it says we’re 2-4 but we’re 1-0, that’s how we’re starting it and that’s how we’re going to continue.”
The game began evenly, as a defensive battle in the first quarter resulted in a 2-2 match. But Hofstra’s relentless success at the faceoff X (20-23 on the day) and ability to nullify Providence’s clears attempts led to a 6-3 Pride lead by halftime, a lead that would expand tremendously in the third as the Friars simply did not have answers for Hofstra’s depth. Eight straight goals for the Pride in the third sealed the game for Hofstra, and head coach Seth Tierney salted away the final quarter with a variety of backups.
Llinares and the rest of the men’s lacrosse team knew they had to make a statement after a disappointing 1-4 start to the season, and Llinares’ eight points (four goals and four assists) gives him 35 on the season, well ahead of second-place Mike Malave’s 20. The Friar’s defense targeted Llinares with physical play, but the Hauppauge native’s four goals all came unassisted with close shots to the goal.
The Pride’s attack was aided tremendously by Clarke, whose 19-22 mark on faceoffs meant that the Pride applied constant pressure through possession. The 46-15 discrepancy in shots tells the story of Hofstra’s command of the game.
“Wing play helped me out a lot. John Puckhaber had five ground balls, [Steve] Romano had four and [Ryan] Rielly had four,” Clark said.
“When you win 20-23, it tilts the battle of possession your way” Tierney said.
Hofstra also won the battle on ground balls 34-16, a testament to the Pride’s superior athleticism. Providence, now 4-3 on the year, has cleaned up against weaker teams but struggled against stiffer competition.
“Providence is a tough team, very well coached … we made a very strong push during the third quarter because we [the coaching staff] didn’t like our third quarter stats over the course of the season and so we just took it one goal at a time,” Tierney said. “The energy, focus, and effort was there. We just need to tweak few more things.”
Goalie Chris Selva had a solid game, making eight stops and remaining active as the brains of Hofstra’s defense.
“I thought Chris Selva bailed us out a couple of times, made some key saves early in the game,” Tierney said.
The Pride’s nonconference schedule continues this upcoming Tuesday as Hofstra hosts 1-5 St. John’s. The Red Storm has had the Pride’s number the last couple of years, but the graduation of several of St. John’s best players leaves the team in something of a rebuilding season.
“We haven’t been very successful against them the last two years,” Tierney said. “We’ll get back at it [on Sunday.”