The Hofstra Men's Soccer team had four players named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-New York Region team, it was announced today.
Senior forward Michael Todd (Cleveland, England - pictured) and sophomore midfielder Chris Cox (Nottingham, England) were named to the first team, while junior defender Gary Flood (Hauppauge, NY) and junior midfielder Constantinos Christoudias (Nicosia, Cyrpus) was named to the second team.
Hofstra finished the 2005 season with a 14-5-3 record, tying the school record for wins in a season at the Division I level while earning its second consecutive Colonial Athletic Association championship and NCAA Division I Tournament berth. The Pride finished second in the CAA regular season standings before defeating James Madison 3-2 in overtime in the CAA semifinals and earning the championship with a 1-0 win over #7 Old Dominion in the championship game on a goal from sophomore midfielder Adrian Papaluca (Winston Hills, Australia) with only eight seconds left in the contest. Old Dominion was the highest-ranked team that the Pride has ever defeated, edging the #10 ranking by Boston University in the 1997 season.
Todd led the way for the Pride offensively with 12 goals and five assists, making him the first 12-goal scorer at Hofstra since Stuart Duffin tallied 12 in the 1998 season. Todd also raised his career total to 27 goals in three seasons, tying him for fourth on the Pride's all-time career list. He has one season of eligibility remaining and is expected to return next fall.
Cox converted into a full-time central midfielder this season after playing a number of different positions as a freshman last fall. He finished the year with six goals and three assists, including a key goal to force overtime in the CAA semifinals against James Madison. He was also named first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association for his efforts.
Flood was named the Most Outstanding Player of the CAA Tournament after leading the Pride to the championship. He also was a key part of a defensive unit that shut out its final five opponents of the regular season, the longest shutout streak for the program since the final seven games of the 1969 season and the opener in 1970. He was also a second-team All-CAA selection this fall.
Christoudias had a strong season offensively, finishing with eight goals and a CAA-leading nine assists from his midfield position. He became the first Hofstra player in five years to record a hat trick when he tallied three goals in a win over Delaware on Oct. 2. He also had two assists in the Pride's win over James Madison in the CAA semifinals, setting up both the tying goal in the closing minutes of regulation and the winning goal in overtime.
Hofstra's 14 wins tied the 1997 team for the most in the school's 32 years at the Division I level. The 1968 team holds the overall school record with 15.
