The Hofstra Pride men’s lacrosse team came up just short in their effort against the United States Naval Academy (Navy) Midshipmen, as they were defeated 13-12 on Saturday, Feb. 11, at the James M. Shuart Stadium at Hofstra University. The Pride is now 0-2 to begin the season, while Navy improves to 3-0.
Right out of the gate, Navy stole the show as they found themselves up 5-1 at the end of the first quarter. Henry Tolker scored three goals for the Midshipmen in that period alone, and Xavier Arline added another two. Those two would combine to finish the day with 12 points.
“Not that there were issues defensively, but we allowed them to do some things that we didn’t want them to do,” said head coach Seth Tierney. “We didn’t want them to score an unassisted goal, and they came around and got two of those.”
Despite a rocky beginning to the game, Hofstra was able to settle down and score three unanswered goals to cut the deficit to 5-4. Two of them came from Griffin Turner, and the other was courtesy of Rory Jones.
The Pride was down 7-4 at the break, despite getting off eight more shots than Navy. However, Navy goalkeeper Pat Ryan came up with eight saves. Despite this, he would be replaced by Dan Daly who played the entire second half in the net.
After the Midshipmen scored twice to open the second half, Gerard Kane took over. He scored three times in the third quarter. That, combined with a goal from John Madsen, helped the Pride cut the lead to 9-8 heading into the fourth quarter.
“He’s a competitor, and he’s a lacrosse player,” Tierney said. “He is difficult to cover at times and when he stays disciplined, he’s going to be helpful.”
Rory Jones knotted up the game at nine with his second goal of the game just 34 seconds into the quarter. However, Navy then started to break away, as they responded with four unanswered goals to lead 13-10. That’s when Madsen stepped up with another two goals to cut it to 13-12 with just over a minute left to play.
Hofstra called a timeout with 1:01 to play and hoped to draw up a possession that would end with the ball in the net. However, Jones turned the ball over, and Navy was able to hang on for the win.
Kane and Madsen combined for 10 points for the Pride, with each scoring a hat-trick. Kane racked up three assists, and Madsen had one of his own. Ryan Woodland and John Veit also had a goal each. Mac Gates had 10 saves in the net.
“I would like to just get back to work,” Tierney said. “I need Monday to come in an hour so we can get back with these guys.”
Hofstra’s next game will take place in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as they take on the University of Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 12 p.m. That game can be listened to on the HAWC, and live stats will be available at GoHofstra.com.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Evan Bernstein
