The Hofstra Pride men’s soccer team fell to the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls by a score of 4-2 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 17, in Tampa, Florida. Hofstra’s seventh NCAA Tournament run fell short in the opening round, as the Pride finished with a 14-4-3 record in the 2022 season. The Pride holds a record of 5-7 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.
Eliot Goldthorp opened the scoring in the sixth minute, as he dribbled through the heart of the Bulls’ back line and fired home a right-footed shot from just outside the box. The goal came as the result of a costly turnover by USF, as Hofstra’s persistent full-field pressure caused a myriad of passes to go awry early on.
Hofstra’s lead didn’t last, as USF midfielder Ajmeer Spengler rocketed home an equalizer just over 20 minutes after Goldthorp’s opening tally. Spengler took advantage of a great deal of traffic in front of the net, firing a shot through the maze of players and past goalkeeper Wessel Speel.
The Bulls doubled their lead just before the stroke of halftime, as leading scorer Oscar Resano knocked in his sixth goal of the season on a second-chance attempt from inside the six-yard box. Resano found the ball at his feet after a corner kick was knocked around in the box, and calmly slotted home the go-ahead goal from in tight.
The Pride had a marquee chance to equalize just minutes into the second half, as senior forward Hendrik Hebbeker’s close-quarters attempt was narrowly steered wide by a sprawling Jackson Weyman. Hofstra tested Weyman time and time again in the match, but the senior goalkeeper was up to the task, making four saves in the contest.
South Florida began to pull away in the 54th minute, as sophomore winger Marcus Victorio scored his second goal of the season. Shion Soga struck again for the Bulls just minutes later, pushing their advantage to 4-1. Hofstra surrendered 16 shots in the loss, a season high that forced Speel to make three saves.
Goldthorp scored the Pride’s final goal of the season in the 78th minute, dribbling through a pair of defenders and finding the back of the net from distance with his left foot. Goldthorp finishes his historic 2022 season with 17 goals, the third most in a single season in program history. Goldthorp also became the third member of the Pride to tally two goals in an NCAA Tournament match, joining Roc Carles and Hebbeker as a part of program history.
South Florida improves to 9-6-4 on the season with the win and will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, to play the top-ranked University of Kentucky Wildcats in the next round on Sunday, Nov. 20. The Bulls will look to hand Kentucky their first loss of the season after the Wildcats finished 14-0-5 en route to a Sun Belt Conference championship and the tournament’s top overall seed.
Photo Courtesy of Julio Aguilar
