by Michelle Rabinovich
After a 10-7 loss at the hands of Merrimack last weekend and up against Navy, an opponent ranked No. 19 in the Nike Poll, it was easy for the Hofstra Pride to give up without even stepping foot on the pitch. That’s not at all what transpired at James M. Shuart Stadium as the Pride held their own despite the close 13-12 loss on Saturday, Feb. 11.
“I’m awfully proud of the guys,” said Hofstra men’s lacrosse head coach Seth Tierney. “Unlike last week [where] we struggled in the first three quarters, today we showed up.”
Navy was first to make it to the scoreboard and then one, putting up a 2-0 lead in the blink of an eye, before John Veit cut the deficit to one with five minutes left in the first half. After that, it was all Navy, who went on a 3-0 run to end the first 15 minute segment of the matinee matchup.
The second quarter saw a completely different Hofstra team though, starting with sophomore Griffin Turner’s cutting shot past Navy goalie Pat Ryan in the opening 30 seconds. That was the start of Hofstra’s own 3-0 run, showing the spectators at Shuart stadium that the Pride isn’t a team that can be simply walked over. Before more damage could be done, Navy tightened up their defense and in turn, reinforced their offense with two more goals of their own, going to the locker rooms in front of the home team 7-4.
The key takeaway from the second frame was that when Chase Patterson was on draw control, it had a direct correlation with Hofstra’s ability to score. The third period saw the Midshipmen score two more points, but what they couldn’t anticipate was Hofstra finding the net four times, finishing the third stanza down just 9-8.
Just past the 30 second mark into the fourth quarter, Hofstra’s Rory Jones netted the equalizer, proving that the Pride is on equal footing with the ranked visiting team. In the remaining minutes, the two teams traded shots, all culminating in the Pride landing within a goal with just under 70 seconds left to play.
With all that said and done, Coach Tierney showed no indication of disappointment in his players despite the outcome of the game.
“Let’s take that as a little bit of momentum, even though it’s a [loss],” Coach Tierney said. “We’re moving in the right direction.”
Hofstra’s next appearance will be on the road once again against the University of Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 18, with initial face off at noon.
