Hempstead, N.Y. – Hofstra senior forward Maid Memic scored both Hofstra goals – including a penalty kick marker with 2:04 remaining in the second half – to lift the Pride to a 2-1 win over Drexel in a driving rain storm at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.
Freshman Danny Elliott notched six shots and junior goalkeeper Patric Pray made two saves to help Hofstra improve to 9-4-2 overall. The Pride surged to first place in the Colonial Athletic Association with 12 points thanks to a 4-1 league record. Drexel's John Grosh scored off a penalty kick for the only goal for the visitors as the defending-CAA champion Dragons fell to 5-8-3 and 1-4-1.
Memic extended his goal-scoring streak to six games with a 36th-minute goal and the Pride tri-captain added his team-leading ninth goal after Drexel was whistled for a hand ball in the 18-yard box in the wanning minutes.
In damp conditions, Memic elevated his shot to beat Drexel goalkeeper Tyler Afflerbach on the spot kick. Memic is 3-for-3 on penalty kicks this season. He scored off a PK for the second consecutive game after also finding the net in a one-on-one situation at James Madison on Saturday. The Kozarac, Bosnia native is just one away from tying a career-high with 10 goals, which he did last season. He also scored his 29th career goal, which tied Alan Bodenstein for the fifth-most in program history.
Sophomore Joseph Holland added to his CAA-leading assist total on Memic's opening goal. Holland collected his ninth assist by sending a pass down the middle. Memic finished strong for the game-opening goal at 35:13.
Drexel tied the score just before halftime when Hofstra was whistled for a hand ball in the box, which was the same call that set up the Pride's game-winner. John Grosh scored his second goal of the season with 2:31 remaining in the first half to send the team's into halftime knotted at 1.
That score would hold until Memic's late goal. The Pride moved past Elon and UNCW for the most points in the league (both teams have 10). The top-six of the nine team league will qualify for the CAA Tournament with the top-two seeds earning a quarterfinal bye and the regular-season champion hosting both the league's semifinal and title game.
Hofstra, which has three regular season games remaining, will play its final regular season road game on Saturday against UNCW in a game that has major playoff implications. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
