Harrisonburg, VA – Hofstra sophomore
Matthew Vowinkel tied the game at 1-1 with a goal in the 81st minute but the top-seed Dukes of James Madison outscored the third-seed Pride, 4-2 in the penalty kicks session to give JMU the 2018 CAA Championship at Sentara Park Sunday afternoon.
JMU, 12-4-3 on the year, will advance to the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship later this week and will find out their opponent on Monday at 1 p.m. when the NCAA Championship field is revealed. While JMU advances with their sixth CAA title, the game goes down officially as a 1-1 tie. Manuel Ferriol, who tallied the game's first goal and then the game-deciding penalty kick, was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament.
Hofstra concludes its season with a 10-6-5 record after making their seventh CAA Championship game appearance. Three Hofstra players earned CAA Championship All-Tournament honors with senior
Sean Nealis, junior
Luke Brown and sophomore
George O'Malley receiving the accolades.
The chilly conditions did not stymie a spirited and intense first half for both teams. While Hofstra goalie
Alex Ashton made both saves of the half, it was the Dukes of JMU who jumped on the scoreboard first in the tenth minute. Junior Manuel Ferriol took a low cross from Petur Thorsteinsson on the right side of the box and slid the ball past Ashton for a 1-0 lead.
The Pride had two good chances off corner kicks in the first 45 minutes but the JMU defense thwarted their attack. The Dukes outshot Hofstra, 5-4 while the Pride held the corner kick advantage at the break, 3-2.
Like in their semifinal contest, the Pride came roaring back in the second half and outshot the Dukes, 6-4. Their hard-work paid off at the 80:15 mark when junior
Luke Brown sent a cross across the crease to Vowinkel who knocked it past JMU goalie TJ Bush for his eighth goal of the year to knot the game at 1-1.
The two, 10-minute overtimes failed to decide the contest as each team took three shots in the two periods, sending the game to penalty kicks. The Dukes, shooting first, converted all four of their penalty kicks while the Pride missed their first and fourth kick to decide the contest.
Notes
- Hofstra closes out the season with a 4-1-2 in their last seven games.
- The Pride is now 12-9-3 against the Dukes of James Madison
- Hofstra was vying for their fifth CAA Championship.
- The Pride was also looking for their sixth NCAA Championship bid after appearances in 1968, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2015
