By Chris Detwiler
With only five Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) regular season games, every single one counts.
The Hofstra Pride men’s lacrosse team made the most of their matchup against No. 17 University of Massachusetts Minutemen, edging them out 10-9 in overtime on Saturday, April 6 at James M. Shuart Stadium.
Sophomore Dylan McIntosh scored the game-winning goal in his second game back after missing six games due to a broken jaw.
“It was just a release of pressure that has been going on maybe for two months,” said Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney.
“For us to believe that you can win in overtime after taking [losses] in the last six of seven – they dug down deep and they believed,” Coach Tierney said.
Junior Ryan Tierney scored a career-high six goals in the victory, his seventh hat trick of the season and third in a row. He also recorded two assists.
“That’s a game,” Coach Tierney said. “Six and two against… the defenseman of the year in our league. This guy lights it up for eight points and we needed every one.”
Redshirt-sophomore goalie Bobby Casey came up with 16 saves, some of which at point blank range, to set his career high.
“16 saves and we needed every one of them,” Coach Tierney said in awe.
Casey’s saves did more than help on the defensive end.
“The more time we have on offense the better,” Ryan said. “[Casey] was giving us more seconds every time. Those saves allowed us to get the ball and get opportunities to score.”
Hofstra (4-7, 1-1) scored first to take an early 1-0 lead, but UMass (7-4, 1-1) rebounded to tie the game about four minutes later.
Neither team got into a real rhythm, and the Minutemen held on to a slim 6-4 lead at the half.
The Pride came out of the locker room roaring and scored two quick goals to tie the game up at six.
UMass scored two of the next three to take a 9-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.
With less than four minutes on the clock, Jimmy Yanes scored on a diving shot to bring the Pride within one and give them a sliver of hope.
Hofstra used that sliver of hope as motivation and with 1:48 on the board, Tierney scored on an impossible angle to tie the game at nine and send the teams to overtime.
In the overtime period, UMass won the opening faceoff, but Hofstra’s defense clamped down, which gave their offense an opportunity to win the game.
McIntosh took care of business off a feed from Tierney.
“It feels pretty good,” McIntosh said of his game-winning goal. “When I was out, it made me hungry to get back.”
Coach Tierney recognizes the connection that McIntosh and Tierney have on and off the field.
“They’re talking without speaking. Their chemistry has been in lockstep,” he said.
With the win, Hofstra jumps to the fourth spot in the CAA standings with three more games on the schedule.
“It means an awful lot,” Coach Tierney said. “We’ve been playing and practicing without the belief that we can do this for the last couple of weeks. What today gives us is that belief.”
“We also have to keep things in perspective,” he added. “We won a lacrosse game today against a really good team. We’re going to play another really good team next week. This is the CAA.”
Hofstra will face off against the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens, who currently sit atop of the CAA standings, on Saturday April 13 in Delaware at 2 p.m.
