“Family over everything; where there’s a will there’s a way,” said Riley Forte, a double-majoring senior at Hofstra University who serves as captain of the men’s lacrosse team. 

Forte hails from Dix Hills, New York along with his older brother, Brendan, and two sisters. Between soccer, football and softball, athletics have brought a bond between the siblings, but when lacrosse was incorporated, it brought the bond closer.

When Riley was in elementary school, he learned lacrosse along with his friend Ryan Rodgers. They were taught the basic skills of the game from Rodgers’ father. In middle school, Riley continued to get better and gain exposure by working out with friends and shooting on the net.

As a senior in high school, Brendan was captain of the varsity lacrosse team while Riley was in the eighth grade. Still, Riley got the call to play alongside his big brother. The younger Forte enjoyed his experience and as for the future, tournaments and trips were in his vision as he was planning for a collegiate career.

“It got serious in ninth grade when I got showcase calls and emails from other colleges and coaches,” Forte said.

Throughout Forte’s high school years, he played on Team 91, a summer league team where he met Ryan Tierney, Bobby Casey and Justin Lynskey among others. Besides playing lacrosse and winning summer championships, the bond between the players evolved off the field by hanging out on weekends.

In 2016, Forte attended the Showtime Showcase along with Ryan. The showcase helped Forte gain recognition from Stony Brook University, Brown University, Sacred Heart University, Binghamton University and Hofstra. As a native Long Islander, it wasn’t a hard decision for Riley, as he fully committed to Hofstra.

“I knew right away once I got the call from Hofstra. My eyes were set, [and] I was locked in,” Forte said. “I knew Seth [Tierney], how he coached, who he was. After talking to Bobby Casey and Ryan [Tierney] about where they were going, I was right there with them.”

Riley’s family was excited about his commitment to Hofstra. They were also happy that they weren’t too far from coming to see his games in person, and were more than ready to travel on the road for games.

“They were hyped,” Forte said. “My dad especially; he hasn’t missed a game.” 

In 2016, Riley was a freshman at Hofstra sharing a suite with Ryan Tierney, Casey and another roommate, Larry Galizia. Aside from lacrosse and the ventures of being a freshman, the suitemates will never forget times of small pranks and nights of playing Nintendo 64 or watching various sports. Others like Michael Altmann and Ryan Kinnard would always stop by and spend time together.

“Being together for so long, being so close, it’s definitely a special group,” Forte said. “For five years, we haven’t left each other’s sides.” 

Although it was an enjoyable journey for Forte, the journey took a hit. In a preseason game against Syracuse University, he was shown the ugly side of athletics. It was the first time that he had a serious injury throughout his athletic career or his life.  

“Once I got hit, my knee buckled, I went down [and] I felt it pop,” Forte said. “[And when I] dropped the ball right at my feet, all I told myself is, ‘You’re not laying down, get up and get off the field.’ I got the tests done and was told I was done [for the season].”

When the team got home, the diagnosis showed that Forte tore his ACL and meniscus in his left knee. It was hard on him as he knew the team was planning on having him play a major role in the lineup, even as a freshman.  

Back in his suite, his teammates came to check in on him and brought ice to ease the swelling. Forte’s friends went out of their way to make sure that they had his back.

“There wasn’t a day where someone wouldn’t grab my backpack if we’re heading to class,” Forte said. “M.A. [Michael Altmann], Ryan, Bobby, they’d always ask if they could help me with my homework or if I wanted food from the Student Center.”

After recovering for months and practicing for the 2018 season, Forte tore the ACL in his left knee again. After calling his parents and alerting them of his second injury, his older sister came to pick him up.

Riley’s older brother, Brendan, was in school for physical therapy at the time and coached his younger brother on how to treat his injury.

“When I had my surgery, he was right next to me helping me out, bringing me ice and water,” Forte said. “My little sister would FaceTime me every day when I was home after my surgery.”

Altmann, Ryan Tierney and Casey came to Forte’s house to try and lift his spirits after his second injury.

“They showed up with a pack of diapers, and I was thinking like, ‘Are you serious right now?’” Forte said. “But I knew it was meant to brighten my mood.”

Through the injuries and not playing, Riley felt as if he was a liability to the team due to absences for two straight seasons. It came to a point that the thought of quitting ran through his mind. Weeks after his surgery, he chose to make the decision to do his best to help the team although he wasn’t able to play.

“I became the music guy,” he said. “I was bringing the energy with that. If someone broke a stick or needed tape, I’d help them out with that. I just did what I could. There’s a lot of emotions in the recovery process but you need to put that energy into something positive.”

Riley continued rehab and, fortunately for him, he was healthy for the 2019 season.

In the second game of the year, he registered an assist for the Pride against the University of Utah early in the first period, and in the second, he found the back of the net off of a pass from Ryan Tierney. He went on to finish the game with a goal and two assists en route to a Hofstra victory. Sure enough, Forte’s family was in the stands supporting him.

“That was crazy. Once I let that thing go, I put everything I had into it,” he said. “It was a mental and physical step, and everyone was excited for me knowing what I went through. Getting that hug from my parents [and] knowing they believed in me since day one was huge. [Head coach] Seth [Tierney] congratulated me, and it felt great knowing that he still believed in me [enough] to put me on the field which meant a lot.”

Forte finished with nine goals and four assists for 13 points in 2019. He worked out during the offseason and made sure to practice his wall ball skills. He went back to indoor training facilities for Team 91, practicing with hometown friends. Forte was ready to show more of what he can do on the lacrosse field.

Throughout the
first seven games of the 2020 season, Forte accounted for three goals and four assists for seven points. He felt the team was getting ready to hit their stride with the conference play sitting on the horizon. While the team was going 4-3, the COVID-19 pandemic was sitting on the horizon.

“We knew it was something to think about,” Forte said. “On the way home from St. John’s University, we found out that the University of Pennsylvania shut their season down. I remember sitting near Michael Altmann on the bus and he said to me, ‘Dude, this might’ve been our last game,’ and I said, ‘There’s no way. We’ll be fine.’”

The Pride held a practice the following day and there were plenty of discussions going on about the state of the season. Coach Seth Tierney told the team that he would send information and have a meeting the following day.

“We got a text the next morning that we had a meeting at 1:00 p.m., which was weird because that is the time for practice usually,” Forte said. “That’s when chills ran down the body and my roommates and I were all questioning what the meeting was about. When we were in the locker room, Seth [Tierney] pulled a chair over and told us, ‘That’s it.’ We all looked at each other and were confused. It’s a surreal moment, and [it goes to show] how anything can be taken from you in an instant.” 

A lot of questions were asked by various players in regard to their NCAA eligibility and if they would get their years back.

“We were in shock,” Forte said. “Our emotions were out the window because we didn’t know how it was going to go. We just looked at each other and questioned what to do next.”

Luckily for Forte and plenty of other athletes, the NCAA granted players another year of eligibility due to the pandemic. Bobby Casey and Forte were already coming back due to medical redshirt years, but it was good for the both of them to have Altmann and [Ryan] Tierney coming back for another go-around.

Forte was able to have his closest friends back for the 2021 season. Unfortunately, at the start of the season, his family or outside friends weren’t able to attend lacrosse games due to health and safety protocols.

“It made us buy in a little bit more to our team. You don’t need fans in the stands to make anything happen,” he said. “It’s about who’s in this locker room.”

Forte spent the summer of 2020 working at an internship and practicing his lacrosse skills in his backyard, lifting weights and going for runs.

“It was tough because when I was working through my internship everything was shut down, [and] I wouldn’t be able to see my friends,” he said. “It would be work, come home, shoot on the net, work out, eat dinner, then go to bed. It became repetitive. We had Zoom meetings with the team and we would be assigned workout groups and we would have to take pictures or videos of the workouts.”

When the school year started and people returned to campus, the thoughts of the 2021 season were on the table. There were new faces to the program, and the thoughts of achieving something special were discussed.

“We made a pact at the beginning of the season of nothing silly [regarding COVID-19 protocols],” Forte said. “Either you’re in or you’re out. Don’t spend time with people you don’t know. We get tested once a week and we can’t afford to get a positive.”

Overnight road trips for Forte aren’t exactly what they used to be before COVID-19. He and Ryan Tierney would usually be roommates and they would have people come over to hang out. Unfortunately, in 2021, they didn’t have that luxury, especially when it came to some of the light-hearted pranks.

“One time, we called the freshman’s room and we impersonated ourselves as hotel staff members and told them that we forgot to wash their sheets, so they needed to throw them in the hallway,” Forte said. “We looked outside and saw sheets flying out the door.” 

Despite the injuries and setbacks, Forte will always hold his teammates and coaches in a special place in his heart.

“[I am] definitely running with a special group of guys; there’s too many to name,” he said. “Not many groups of kids get to spend five years with their brothers and play lacrosse, which is something that they love, and come home later and hang out [together]. We have a special group between the guys I came here with like Bobby, Ryan and Michael, [and] we just need to make it last until the end. We have memories that will last a lifetime.”

Forte is also thankful for what Seth Tierney has done for him.

“[Seth Tierney has] always believed in me, he’s trusted in me. No matter what the situation is, he’s just been that guy you could talk to,” Forte said. “He frees his schedule up for his players. He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. It’s been an honor playing for him and I’m going to miss it.”

Forte has been interning for Posillico Civil for the past two summers. During his first two years at Hofstra, he was a civil engineering major, and after his injuries, he switched to management. He plans on going back to Posillico to do Project Management.

“I’m excited to see what it holds, and I’m excited to get going with it,” Forte said.

Photo Courtesy of Adam Flash/The Hofstra Chronicle