Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Hofstra University Athletics

THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
Group Photo
1
Lehigh LEHIGH (13-6-3)
2
Winner Hofstra HOFSTRA (14-7-0)
Lehigh LEHIGH
(13-6-3)
1
Final
2
Hofstra HOFSTRA
(14-7-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
Lehigh LEHIGH 1 0 0 1
Hofstra HOFSTRA 0 1 1 2

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | By Brian Bohl

MSOC: Hofstra Pushes Past Lehigh In Overtime To Advance To NCAA Tournament Second Round

Hempstead, N.Y. – Daniel Massey headed in a cross with just 54 seconds left in the first overtime to complete a dramatic comeback in Hofstra's 2-1 win over Lehigh in the NCAA Tournament first round in a driving rainstorm Thursday evening at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.

The Pride erased a second-half deficit when junior  midfielder Mario Ruiz scored his first career goal in the 77th minute to tie the score and Massey netted his second of the year to put the Pride in the second round for the first time since 2006. Hofstra improved to 14-7 and will face Georgetown at Shaw Field on Sunday at 1 p.m. Lehigh, the Patriot League champions, ended the season at 13-6-3.

Hofstra won its third straight game. After building on two wins to capture the Colonial Athletic Association championship and the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, the Pride battled the conditions but fell behind, 1-0, when Lehigh's Mark Forrest scored the first half's only goal by finishing Alex Greene's centering pass that went off a defender in the 21st minute.

A steady, hard rain and windy conditions led to a low-scoring game, but the Pride battled back to double up Lehigh in second half shots (10-5) and Hofstra earned a possession advantage.

The Pride broke through from an unlikely source at 76:05 when Ruiz scored by rocketing a shot that skimmed a defender and went into the net. The midfielder was playing in his 50th career game but scored his first career goal in the NCAA Tournament as his teammates rushed to congratulate him on the opposite side of the bench.

Massey scored his first goal since Sept. 30 at Drexel and provided a huge lift coming off the bench. Iosifides sent in a cross that Massey headed in near the six-yard box to beat Lehigh goalkeeper Joe Bogan.

Hofstra senior goalkeeper Patric Pray made five saves and the Hofstra defense tightened after halftime. The Mountain Hawks had four shots-on-goal in the opening half but just one after halftime.

Senior Marius Flateboe, juniors Harri Hawkins and Rory Murphy and freshman Sean Nealis provided the stellar backline. Hofstra's bench accounted for eight of the team's total 20 shots.

Hofstra is making its fifth-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth under Head Coach Richard Nuttall. The 2015 CAA Coach of the Year is now 3-3 all-time in NCAA Tournament action. The Pride has advanced to the second round for the third time under Nuttall, including 2004 and 2006. The Pride has never been past the second round under the current format. The 1968 team made a field that consisted of 16 teams (and lost in the first round).

Georgetown is the No. 3 national seed after going 15-2-2. The Hoyas won the Big East Tournament with a 2-1 double-overtime win over Creighton last week. It will mark the second time this season as Hofstra soccer team will play Georgetown at Shaw Field in the NCAA Tournament as the Hofstra Women's Soccer team advanced on penalty kicks on the same field last week in the first round.
 
Print Friendly Version