The Hofstra men’s soccer team’s journey back to the CAA title game has been a long and bumpy one.
The Pride currently sit at 4-3-1 with a 2-0 mark in CAA play after wins over James Madison and most recently, a 4-0 shellacking of the College of Charleston on Saturday night at Shuart Stadium.
“I think we’ve been solid in most games,” said Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall about the season so far. “The Achilles’ heel at the moment is that we’ve not been taking chances.”
After a memorable season last year that saw the Pride capture the CAA championship and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Hofstra has been off to a bit of a sluggish start this season, at least on paper.
But the Pride’s non-conference schedule was a proverbial minefield, a slate that included games against three ranked opponents in UNC-Charlotte, Boston College and Syracuse. Hofstra played these opponents tough, outshooting Boston College and taking second-ranked Syracuse down to the wire.
“[Against] Boston College, I thought we were unfortunate not to get something out of that one. Syracuse was the better team on the day but we were right there.”
A major part of the Pride’s struggles through the first half of the season could be found on the front line with Hofstra’s attack.
Before the four-goal outburst against Charleston Saturday night, the Pride had scored just six goals in its first seven games.
“I think we’re missing a little bit in the engine room,” said Nuttall. “Players have been a little bit tense, they’ve been a little under-confident.”
“I think the good news is we’re getting the chances, the bad news is that we haven’t been finishing as well as we should.”
Of those first six goals, two came off of the foot of CAA Preseason Player of the Year Joseph Holland. Unfortunately for the Pride, both of Holland’s goals came in the season opener, a 3-1 victory over Long Island rival Stony Brook.
Since that win, Holland has been held scoreless as opposing defenses have clued in on the Englishman, preventing him from getting anything going on offense.
“I think the term ‘bottled up’ is very appropriate,” said Nuttall. “A lot of attention goes on Joe … he gives room for other people. It’s just part of soccer.”
With Holland being the main focus for opposing defenses, the rest of the offense around him has had their own opportunities at being a catalyst in the Hofstra offense.
Forward Danny Elliott has seized these opportunities, leading the Pride with four goals, including two against Charleston on Saturday night.
Elliott, a junior from across the pond in Nottingham, England, has already doubled his scoring output from last season, scoring only two goals last year.
Other contributors up front include Meshack Eshun Addy, a familiar face from last season who has tallied two goals this season, and freshman Luke Brown, who scored his first career goal in the season opener. Brown also had a nifty assist to get the scoring started against Charleston, and he looks to have a bright future ahead of him.
“Luke’s a quality player, and he’s got a great sense for the game,” said Nuttall. “I have no doubt he will be a source of many goals for Hofstra.”
On the back line, Hofstra has been dealing with a two-goalie rotation for the majority of the season. Hofstra’s two netminders, Alex Ashton and Leonard Arkhanhelskyi, have split time for the majority of the season, with Arkhanhelskyi taking the first-half duties before being relieved by Ashton in the second half.
While Arkhanhelskyi took the reins for the last four games of the non-conference slate, going the distance in net for each of those contests, the two goalies have resumed splitting time in CAA play.
“We’re in a very good spot, we’ve got two quality keepers,” said Nuttall.
As the defending CAA champs, the target on the Pride’s back is huge. Everyone that was toppled on Hofstra’s trip to the CAA crown will undoubtedly be gunning to knock off the defending champs.
Nuttall’s squad will look to remain unblemished in conference play this weekend, shipping up to Boston to take on the Northeastern University Huskies on Wednesday evening.
A win on Wednesday will further cement the Pride as a legitimate threat to repeat as CAA champs, a remarkable feat that Nuttall feels is within reach for Hofstra.
“Absolutely, but it’s not going to be easy,” said Nuttall when asked about Hofstra’s chances of remaining atop the CAA mountain. “If we repeat, it will be an incredible feat against quality teams.”
