Hempstead, N.Y. - Junior Shaun Foster scored off a header in
the 77th minute and senior Adam Janowski made a career-high six saves in his
first collegiate shutout to lift Hofstra to a 1-0 victory over Georgia State in a
Colonial Athletic Association matchup on Saturday afternoon.
Janowski (Coram, N.Y.) registered the best outing of his
collegiate career, turning aside four shots in the first half and two in the
second-including a diving stop in the 88th minute-to help Hofstra improve to
8-3-1 overall and 2-2 in conference play. Georgia State dropped to 3-7 and 0-3.
Hofstra has won two straight and four of the last five games
to move back to .500 against the CAA.
The Pride also improved to 4-1 at Hofstra Soccer Stadium this season.
The Pride finally broke through late in the second half
thanks to Foster's (Southport, England) second goal of the season when he
scored off a free kick at 76:08. Hofstra drew a foul on the Panthers, allowing
junior Chris Griebsch (Dessau-Rosslau,
Germany) to take the kick off the set piece. Griebsch lofted a
high-arching cross into the box,
allowing Foster to out-jump GSU defenders near the right post for the scoring
strike.
Both of Foster's goals this season have been game-winners.
His first goal proved to be the difference in a 2-1 win at Albany on Sept. 9.
Griebsch assist marked his team-leading sixth helper. The
midfielder is tied with sophomore Maid Memic (Kozarac, Bosnia) for the squad
lead in points with 14.
Hofstra and Georgia State were evenly matched throughout.
The teams finished tied in shots with 13 with both schools notching six in the
opening half and seven attempts in the second. The Pride posted a slight 7-5
edge in corners, though neither team could generate quality chances coming off
the edges.
In a tight game, Janowski was the difference. The fifth-year
senior, who has started the last six games in place of the injured Roberto Pellegrini, improved to 5-2 this season in giving Hofstra a huge lift.
Janowski made four saves in the opening half and showed
great athleticism in the second half. After Hofstra took the lead, Georgia
State mounted multiple threats to try and get the equalizer. But Janowski made
the play of the day by diving to his left to stop Caleb Kernan's shot inside
the box with just 2:08 left in the match.
In the final minute, the Panthers fired two shots, including
one on target that Janowski stopped with eight seconds left to preserve the
victory and the first clean sheet of his NCAA career.
Defenders Foster, junior Tyler Botte (North Babylon, N.Y.)
and seniors A.J. Laza (Coram, N.Y.) and
Thomas Bekas (Bay Shore, N.Y.) played tight defense in front of Janowski has
Hofstra held an opponent to one goal or fewer for the fourth time in five games.
Senior captain Stephan Barea (Levittown, N.Y.) complemented
the defense with his speed on the edge while fellow senior Mike Annarumma
(Massapequa Park, N.Y.) came off the bench to fire two shots.
Hofstra will play Towson on Wednesday at home with a 7 p.m.
start.