Norfolk, VA - Sophomore goalkeeper Greg Cumpstone (Haddam, CT) had six saves as the Hofstra Men's Soccer team played to a 0-0 tie against Old Dominion on Saturday afternoon in Norfolk.
The tie moves Hofstra's record to 6-5-1 on the year and 4-1-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association, guaranteeing the Pride at least a tie for first place after this weekend. George Mason (3-1-1) plays tonight and UNC Wilmington (3-0-1) plays tomorrow, giving those two teams a chance to pull even for first place with a win. Old Dominion moves to 7-3-2 overall and 2-2-2 in the CAA.
The Pride had the best chance to score in the first overtime, as junior midfielder Steven Ehrichs (Brentwood, NY) had his shot saved off the line by an Old Dominion defender in the 99th minute.
Hofstra had the better of the play statistically in a scoreless first half. After Old Dominion's Nane Joseph missed wide on the first shot of the game at the 4:15 mark off a corner kick, the Pride held the Monarchs without another shot until Nick Foglesong's bid with a minute to play was saved by Cumpstone. Hofstra held a 5-2 edge in shots in the first half, as senior defender Richard Martinez (Highland, NY) had two shots off-target, while sophomore forward Brett Carrington (St. George, Barbados) had a shot saved by Old Dominion goalkeeper Evan Newton one minute after he checked into the game.
The Monarchs seized momentum in the 65th minute with three shots in a two-minute span, but Cumpstone was able to make the save on a shot from Shane Howard, and Foglesong's shot off a rebound went wide. Cumpstone then followed with saves off Ambane Emmanuel in the 74th minute and Foglesong in the 80th minute to keep the game scoreless.
Hofstra turned things around in the first overtime, tallying a 4-0 shot advantage. Freshman defender A.J. Laza (Coram, NY) made a quick bid for a golden goal in the first minute of the extra session, but had his shot saved by Newton. Senior midfielder Rory McCrea (Sherburn-In-Elmet, England) followed in the 96th minute with another shot that Newton was able to stop, and Ehrichs had his bid for a game-winner saved off the line by a Monarch defender in the 99th minute. Senior defender Jamal Neptune (East Windsor, NJ) took a shot off the ensuing corner kick that Newton stopped for his third save of the first extra session.
Senior midfielder Rob Youhill (Harrogate, England) got free for a shot in the first 30 seconds of the second overtime, but Newton again was up to the task for the save. Momentum then went back the Monarchs way, as Old Dominion took the final five shots of the game. Thomas Webb put a ball over the crossbar a minute later for the Monarchs' first shot of the overtime periods, and Cumpstone stopped shots from Emmanuel at the 103-minute mark and the 106-minute mark. Foglesong then missed the target twice in the final minutes as the game ended in a scoreless draw.
Each team finished with 14 shot attempts and six saves. Cumpstone had six saves (five after halftime) to pick up his fourth shutout of the season. Newton finished with five saves for Old Dominion, while the Monarchs picked up the one key team save as well.
The Pride will next be in action when it returns home to face defending CAA champion George Mason on Wednesday at 7 p.m. That game will be televised on tape delay by the Verizon FiOS1 Network.
