Hempstead, N.Y. – After playing four of the last five games on the road, Hofstra will start the stretch run of the Colonial Athletic Association postseason race starting on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. home game versus Drexel. The Pride will then travel to UNCW on Saturday for a 7 p.m. matchup against a Seahawks team that was ranked 23rd nationally in the latest NSCAA top-25 poll.
UNCW will also offer free live video for Saturday night's contest. The Pride is 8-4-2 and 3-1 in CAA play and entered the week tied for third with Delaware with nine points. The top-six of the nine-team league will qualify for the conference tournament, with Hofstra having four regular season games remaining (three at home).
Drexel is 5-7-3 and 1-3-1 in conference play. The defending-CAA champions are 1-3-1 in the last five games after losing to Elon, 2-0, in the team's previous game. Hofstra is 14-22-9 in the all-time series. The Pride tied the Dragons, 1-1, in the only meeting last season with Elliott Firth scoring Hofstra's goal. The series dates to 1962, making Drexel the most frequently played opponent in Hofstra's history.
John Grosh leads Drexel's offense with a goal and five assists. The Dragons have two players with multiple goals as Michele Pataia and Jameson Detweiler each have two goals.
Senior Maid Memic will look to continue his hot streak, as the senior has scored a goal in five straight games, including four-game winners in helping the Pride win six of the last seven games. Memic has scored a team-high seven goals and moved into a tie for fifth place on the program's all-time goals list with 27.
Freshman Danny Elliott has helped provide complementary scoring, with all three of his goals coming in CAA play. Sophomore Joseph Holland leads the CAA with eight assists in facilitating the Hofstra offense, placing him in the top-10 of NCAA Division I leaders.
Hofstra's defense has been the key, even with senior tri-captain Daniel Grundei missing the last two games. Sophomores Rory Murphy and Harri Hawkins, junior Marius Flateboe and freshman Jon Fraser have supported junior goalkeeper Patric Pray with the Pride holding opponents to one goal or fewer in six of the last seven games.
Hofstra has enjoyed success in the conference matchup, going 8-3-2 against the Seahawks in the all-time series. Hofstra blanked UNCW, 2-0, in the team's 2013 meeting in Hempstead. Memic and Chris Griebsch scored in the game and Pray registered the shutout. It was the Pride's first win in the series since 2008.
UNCW is off to a 10-3-2 start overall and is 3-2-1 in CAA play, which is tied with Elon for first place with 10 points entering Oct. 20. The Seahawks were ranked No. 23 in the latest NSCAA national poll released on Oct. 24. UNCW was the only CAA team ranked in the poll, with Delaware receiving votes when the Pride played the Blue Hens last week.
Jamie Dell is averaging more than a point-per-game, with 16 points through the team's first 15 games. Dell has compiled seven goals with a team-high 40 shots with five game-winning goals. Colin Bonner and Mateo Cardona have provided complementary scoring with each notching four goals. All of Cardona's scoring strikes have come off the bench.
Both of UNCW's goalkeepers entered the week with a goals-against-average of less than one. Sean Melvin (9-2-1) has a .738 save percentage and a 0.86 GAA in earning the majority of time in net. Backup Sam Williams (1-1-1) has a 0.93 GAA.
Game Notes
