Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra Men's Lacrosse team ends its "Fall-Ball" season tonight (October 17) when the Pride host the touring Team England in a scrimmage at James M. Shuart Stadium at 7 p.m. It will be the last time for Pride Head Lacrosse Coach Seth Tierney to see his young squad in game situations before the 2010 preseason contests in February. Admission is free for the scrimmage.
Team England is concluding a multi-contest tour of NCAA teams in preparation for the ILF World Championships in Manchester, England next summer.
While the Pride conclude their practice season, Hofstra has announced the 2010 schedule that features an eight-game home schedule and four opponents who competed in the 2009 NCAA Championship Tournament.
Hofstra, which begins its 2010 season on the road at NCAA quarterfinalist Princeton University on Saturday, February 27, opens its home schedule a week later against another Ivy League and NCAA Tournament team, Brown University on March 6 at 1 p.m. It will be the start of three consecutive home games that will see NCAA Tournament semifinalist Johns Hopkins University on March 13 and Sacred Heart University on March 20 come to James M. Shuart Stadium.
The Pride will travel 15 miles west to face the Red Storm of St. John's for the first time since 1995 on March 23, and will head north to the Bay State to face new CAA-member and 2009 NCAA Tournament qualifier, the University of Massachusetts on March 27. Hofstra closes the month with the renewal of the longest-standing rivalry in school history when Army comes to Long Island for the 54th meeting between the two programs in a series that began in 1955.
The month of April brings the Pride two new opponents, two old conference rivals and a new conference foe that they haven't faced since 1990. Drexel will host the Pride in a CAA battle on April 3 in Philadelphia before Hofstra returns home on the April 6 to host the Jaspers of Manhattan College for the first time. The second annual Inside Lacrosse-Konica-Minolta Big City Classic at the Meadowlands' new stadium will be held on Saturday, April 10 with Hofstra "hosting" Delaware in a CAA contest. The Nittany Lions of Penn State, a new member of the CAA in 2010, will square off against the Pride for the 13th time on April 17 in State College. The two teams have not met since a 17-6 Hofstra victory in 1990. Jacksonville, a first-year program in 2010, will travel to Long Island for an April 24th game at Shuart Stadium.
CAA-rival Towson will close out the Pride's regular season schedule on the evening of May 1 at Shuart Stadium before the top four teams in the conference battle for the NCAA automatic bid in the CAA Championship Tournament on Wednesday, May 5 in the semifinals and Saturday, May 8 in the title game. The first round of the NCAA Championships will be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 15-16.
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