Hempstead, N.Y. – Hofstra will look to ride the momentum of beating a nationally ranked opponent when the Pride takes on Vermont in a non-conference road match Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. from Virtue Field.
The Pride improved to 2-2-1 after upending No. 25 Brown, 2-1, in double overtime of the previous game. Head coach Richard Nuttall's team will now plays its fourth road game in five contests when the Pride takes on a 4-1 Vermont squad that is 2-0-1 in home games.
Following the trek to the Green Mountain State, Hofstra will return home to host Monmouth on Sunday at 1 p.m.
A young team has helped Hofstra climb back to .500. Freshman forward Ignacio Gorrono scored his first two career goals in helping Hofstra outlast Brown. The victory gave Hofstra a win over a ranked opponent for the third consecutive season. Gorrono earned the Colonial Athletic Association's Co-Rookie of the Week honors by accounting for both Hofstra goals.
In all, eight freshmen logged action for the Pride with five in the starting lineup. Defensively, Marius Flateboe and Tyler Botte led a unit that held Brown to just one shot after halftime. Senior Chris Griebsch complemented a young core on offense with eight shots, which equaled Brown's entire team output.
Vermont will represent another strong challenge. The Catamounts have allowed just four goals through seven games with Conor Leland posting a 0.55 goals-against-average in logging every second in net. Hofstra counterpart Roberto Pellegrini has been playing well, making three saves in earning the win against the Bears. The senior from Rome, Italy has started every game for Hofstra.
Hofstra is 4-4-1 in the all-time series against Vermont and will continue a series that dates to 1995 when both schools were members of the North Atlantic Conference and later in the America East. Vermont has won three of the last four meetings, including a 4-1 victory against the Pride at Hofstra Soccer Stadium in 2012. Current junior Maid Memic scored Hofstra's only goal in the game.
Brian Wright (three goals) and Salvatore Borea (two) represent the pair of Vermont players with multiple scoring strikes. Hofstra also has two players who fir that criteria with Griebsch and Gorrono each have two goals. Griebsch leads the CAA in total shots with 30.
Hofstra will face Monmouth for a second consecutive year. The Pride played the Hawks to a 1-1 draw in West Long Brach, N.J. last season. Monmouth entered that game receiving votes in the NSCAA national poll. Griebsch scored the tying goal for Hofstra in the contest. Hofstra is 2-0-1 against Monmouth all time.
Monmouth is off to a 1-3-1 start and has scored just three goals. But goalkeeper Stephen Graziani has kept the Hawks in games, posting a .625 save percentage and a 1.68 goals-against-average.
After moving past Brown, Hofstra is now 40-18-15 in its last 73 home games. All-time at Hofstra Soccer Stadium, which opened in 2003, the Pride has compiled a 46-26-13 record. Hofstra is 2-0 at home in 2013 with both wins coming in double overtime.
