Hempstead, NY (Oct. 3) - Senior midfielder Rob Youhill (Harrogate, England) had a goal and an assist as the Hofstra Men's Soccer team captured a 3-2 win over VCU in its 2009 home opener on Saturday evening at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.

With the win, the Pride improves to 4-4 overall after playing its first seven games of the year away from home, and remains perfect in the CAA at 2-0. VCU falls to 3-4-1 overall and 0-2 in the CAA.

Youhill scored what turned out to be the game-winner with 23:58 to play, when he stepped in and stole a pass just over midfield and broke in alone. A VCU defender tried to close fast, and goalkeeper Gabriel Rodriguez came off his line, but Youhill sent a low shot into the left side of the net before the two players converged for his first goal since the CAA championship game in 2006 against George Mason (he moved into a tie for fourth on the Pride's career assist list earlier in the game with his 18th, but he had 16 assists since his last goal).

After taking a 1-0 lead into halftime, the Pride struck quickly to stretch its lead to 2-0 as Youhill helped set up a goal with a corner kick. He bent a long ball past the far post, and freshman midfielder Stephan Barea (Levittown, NY) headed it back into the field of play. VCU tried to clear the ball, but senior midfielder Rory McCrea (Sherburn-In-Elmet, England) stepped in and drilled a shot from 12 yards out that was heading towards goal. A VCU defender cleared it off the line, but sophomore forward Brett Carrington (St. George, Barbados) cleaned up in front to push the lead to 2-0 just 3:29 into the second stanza.

VCU answered, though, as Romario Blandon scored his sixth goal of the season in front of the net. Alberto Fonseca sent a low cross inside the six-yard box, that sophomore goalkeeper Greg Cumpstone (Haddam, CT) dove to block. The ball squirted loose, though, and Blandon pounced on the loose ball and hit a five-yard shot into the empty net at the 56:04 mark.

After Youhill's goal gave the Pride a 3-1 lead, VCU struck back with 14:50 left as Phillip Daldrop scored form the top of the 18-yard box off a pass from Owusu Sekyere. After junior forward Demont Mitchell (Delray Beach, FL) had a goal called back off a cross from Youhill due to offsides, the Pride had to dodge two late bullets, as Daldrop redirected a header over the crossbar from the top of the six-yard box with four minutes to play, and Carlos Picado missed wide from eight yards out after being sent in alone by Sekyere with just over a minute to play.

The lone goal in the first half came when Barea scored 4:22 into the game for his third goal of the season, all of which have come in the first five minutes. He had a goal 1:02 into the season opener (and his collegiate career) at Stony Brook on Sept. 1 and then scored 2:22 into the contest in the Pride's 3-1 win over Jacksonville on Sept. 18.

The goal was set up on a long run up the right sideline from Youhill, who beat two defenders and turned the corner before sending a hard cross into the middle. Barea crashed in from the weak side and sent a sharp header inside the left post to give Hofstra the early 1-0 lead. Youhill's assist was his 18th of his career, moving him into a tie for fourth on the Pride's career list.

VCU finished with a 15-11 edge in shots. Cumpstone had four saves for the Pride and Rodriguez had three for the Rams in the losing cause.

Hofstra will next be in action when it hosts Northeastern on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest.