Harrisonburg, Va. - Chris Griebsch scored an unassisted
first half goal for Hofstra, but Josh Grant scored in the 73rd minute to propel
James Madison to a 2-1 victory in the Colonial Athletic Association opener for
both teams on Saturday night at University Park.
Hofstra, which was off to its best start since 1985, fell
to 4-1-1 overall and 0-1 in conference play. JMU improved to 3-2-1 and 1-0.
The Dukes were coming off a 1-0 victory over defending
national-champion and top-ranked North Carolina. JMU, which won the CAA's
regular season championship in 2011 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round
of 16, took the early lead when Tom Fouhy scored from about 10 yards out on the
left side at 32:35.
Paul Wyatt sent a centering pass that Fouhy shot past
junior goalkeeper Roberto Pellegrini (Rome, Italy) for his second goal of the
season.
But Hofstra stormed right back when Griebsch, a junior
forward, scored off a set piece almost four minutes later, sending the game to
halftime tied at 1.
Griebsch (Dessau-Rosslau,
German) became the second Hofstra player to register three goals this
season when he scored of a free kick from 28 yards out that beat JMU goalkeeper
Colin Newcity to the far post in the 37th minute. Griebsch is now tied with
Tyler Botte (North Babylon, N.Y.) for the team lead in goals.
The teams remained even
until Grant registered the game-winning strike at 72:25. Tim Whitebread fed
Grant with a pass from the left side that the sophomore forward shot into the
cage from six yards out for the 2-1 lead.
Both defenses limited shots
on goal with Pellegrini making two saves and Newcity also making a pair of
stops.
After JMU scored, Hofstra
generated two attempts to get the equalizer. Sophomore Maid Memic (Kozarac,
Bosina) fired a shot that sailed wide to the right in the 83rd minute and
missed wide in the 86th minute. In all, Memic and senior Mike Annarumma
(Massapequa Park, N.Y.) combined for five of Hofstra's seven total shots.
Hofstra will start a
three-game homestand on Wednesday with a non-conference matchup against
Vermont. Kickoff at Hofstra Soccer Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.
