Hempstead, N.Y. - Hofstra sophomore forward Maid Memic scored the tying goal in the 76th
minute, but Drexel's Robert Liberatore found the net off a free kick with 7:09
left in regulation as the Pride fell to the Dragons, 2-1, in a Colonial
Athletic Association matchup on Wednesday night at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.
Memic (Kozarac, Bosnia) netted his team-leading eighth goal
when he headed in a shot late in the second half. But Hofstra still fell to
10-5-1 overall and 4-4 in CAA play. Drexel, which entered the week tied with
Northeastern for first place in the CAA, improved to 11-3-2 and 7-1-1 against
the league.
Drexel opened the scoring 1:45 in when Nathan Page scored
off his own rebound from nearly 9 yards out, picking up his ninth goal to give
the Dragons the early momentum.
Hofstra senior goalkeeper Adam Janowski made a career-high
seven saves with all of them coming in the first half. His efforts allowed
Hofstra to stay in the game, eventually paying off when Memic headed in a shot
over a crowd at 75:26.
Senior A.J. Laza (Coram, N.Y.) and junior Chris Griebsch
(Dessau-Rosslau) picked up the assist on the play, allowing Hofstra to knot the
score at 1. For Memic, the goal was sweet revenge after the striker bashed a
shot off the crossbar in the 65th minute. On that play, Memic had an open net
in front of him but placed it just a bit too high. But he capitalized on the
second chance nearly 10 minutes later when he scored for the second consecutive
game.
But Drexel drew a foul and then scored off a long free kick
when Liberatore's shot bounced in front of the Hofstra net, side-spinning into
the top right-hand corner. The set-piece
goal put the Dragons ahead for good.
Hofstra generated quality chances and held Drexel to just
one shot-on-goal after halftime. The Pride drew four of its nine total corner
kicks after the break, testing goalkeeper Tim Washam, who finished with six
saves.
Entering the week, Drexel and Northeastern were tied with
the most points in the CAA. The Pride has played both opponents to within a
single goal with the Huskies winning at home in double overtime before Drexel
also scored late. Hofstra saw its scoreless streak in regulation end at 393:34
after Hofstra allowed a non-overtime goal for the first time in five games.
Hofstra will host No. 15 Old Dominion on Saturday at 7 p.m.
in the second of a regular season-ending three-game homestand.
