Hempstead, N.Y. - The Hofstra Men's Soccer team will host a pair of home games to start off the 2011 season, including Iona on Friday (7 p.m.) and Albany on Monday (7 p.m.).
The Iona game on Friday will be the second half of a doubleheader with the Hofstra Women's team, which faces Fairfield at 4:30 p.m. Both games will be televised on tape delay on the Verizon FiOS1 Network.
Hofstra will be looking to build off a spectacular finish to the 2010 season, when it surged from 11th place to third in the second half of the conference schedule. The Pride was 5-1-2 during an eight-game span, including a 2-1 comeback win over VCU in the CAA semifinals, when Hofstra trailed 1-0 with five minutes to go and won on a penalty kick with five seconds left.
The Pride returns most of its key players from last year's team, led by sophomore defender Shaun Foster (Southport, England). Foster was recently named the Preseason CAA Player of the Year and was one of 42 players named to the preseason Hermann Trophy Watch List by the Missouri Athletic Club. A year ago, he became the first person in CAA history to win two of the league's major awards in the same season as he won both the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and the CAA Rookie of the Year honors.
In addition, sophomore midfielder Chris Griebsch (Dessau-Rosslau, Germany) is returning after leading Hofstra in scoring last season with three goals and three assists. Junior Long Island natives Stephan Barea (Levittown, N.Y.), Thomas Bekas (Bay Shore, N.Y.), A.J. Laza (Coram, N.Y.), and Mike Annarumma (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) are back to their starting positions, while goalkeepers Greg Cumpstone (Killingworth, Conn.) and Roberto Pellegrini (Monte Porzio Catone, Italy) both have extensive starting experience in net.
Last year, Hofstra defeated Iona 2-1 in New Rochelle on a late rally, as Annarumma and current senior Brett Carrington (St. George, Barbados) scored goals in the final 15 minutes.
For ticket information for Hofstra Men's Soccer games for this weekend and all season long, contact the Hofstra Box Office at (516) HOF-TIXX (463-8499).
