The Hofstra University men’s soccer team opened their 2024 season with a 0-0 draw against Fordham University at Hofstra Soccer Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 22.

“It was a back-and-forth game,” said Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall. “We didn’t really get the ball down and [kept] playing in the last 20. We panicked a little bit. Early season game, a lot of good pieces. We’ve got a lot to learn from.”

Fordham surpassed Hofstra 14-9 in total shots and 5-4 in shots-on-goal. Both sides had their fair share of opportunities to break the deadlock, but the match ultimately finished scoreless. The Pride were left frustrated with three offside calls against them. Hofstra also had a goal disallowed in the first half due to the ball going out of play before finding the back of the net.

“I thought a couple were close,” Nuttall said. “It’s the early-season rustiness. I’ll be interested to see when we scored if that ball did go out; we didn’t think it did. But we’ll see it on the video [replay].”

Goalkeeper Filippo Dadone debuted for the Pride and marked the occasion with a double save with 20 minutes to go in the second half. His heroics saved a draw for the reigning Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) champions.

“A magnificent double save,” Nuttall said. “[Fordham] really should’ve scored but [Dadone’s] reflexes were brilliant. Maybe that one will get on ESPN’s [SportsCenter] Top Ten. Keepers make great saves; he did that, and we’re pleased. I thought he managed the game quite well.”

Dadone, an Italian native, transferred to Hofstra last season but sat behind starting goalkeeper Wessel Speel. Following Speel’s transfer to Duke University, Dadone is the new number-one keeper for the Pride.

Speel was just one of over a dozen departures for the program over the offseason, reflected by the new starting lineup: three newcomers came off the bench, including Ireland native Lennon Gill.

“[Gill’s] been out for 22 months with an ACL injury,” Nuttall said. “He’s made greater progress than we thought. I’m going to be brutally honest, we want more from him. I thought there were a couple of occasions where he should’ve pressed a bit harder and better, but he got in some good positions. He’s got a future, we just got to get him more energetic in certain areas.”

While the result was not ideal for the Pride, Coach Nuttall acknowledged that they are only just beginning a new season that includes many new players and have yet to mesh as a team.

“There’s a long way to go,” Nuttall said. “The good news is we’ve got a lot of talented players out there. How we work together, it’s a difficult proposition. You can’t just suddenly get it. Going forward in the first half, I thought we were great and that’s pleasing. Defensively, a few woes. How we press the ball is what we really have to work on, because we didn’t press well.”

Hofstra played their first away game of the season against American University in the nation’s capital on Sunday, Aug. 25. Kickoff was at 6 p.m.

 Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Matteo Bracco