Hempstead, NY – Senior Ryan Tierney posted an astounding 11 points on eight goals and three assists, but the Hofstra men's lacrosse team suffered a season-opening 19-18 overtime defeat to St. John's Saturday afternoon at James M. Shuart Stadium.

The high-scoring senior finished with the second-most goals in a single game in program history, tying him with Dave Donatello (1993) and Owen Walsh (1949). His 11 points today entered him into a five-way tie for the second-most points scored in a single game in Hofstra history. Tierney also became the first Hofstra player to score 10 or more points in a game since Adrian Sorichetti finished with 10 points on seven goals and three assists against St. John's on March 20, 2012.

St. John's (1-0) scored the first goal of the contest 20 seconds into the first period, but graduate student Alex Concannon responded with the first goal of his Hofstra (0-1) career at 10:57. Tierney found the back of the net for the first time just second later to give the Pride a 2-1 lead early in the first quarter. Concannon scored his second of the day late in the quarter to put Hofstra briefly ahead, but St. John's tied the score to put the score at 3-3.

A pair of consecutive St. John's goals put Hofstra behind by two early in the second quarter, but two goals from Tierney and a tally from sophomore Sam Lutfi put the Pride back in front by one. However, the Red Storm refused to go away as they scored two goals to tie the game at 7-7 with 20 seconds left in the quarter. After a Hofstra timeout with 12 seconds on the clock, Hofstra ran a play that saw Lutfi find the back of the net just before the horn sounded, putting the Pride up 8-7 at the half.

A seven-goal third quarter for the Red Storm put the visitors ahead 14-11 going into the final 15 minutes of play. Senior Riley Forte scored two goals for Hofstra in the third frame, while Tierney and Concannon each found the back of the net once in the quarter.

Graduate student Justin Lynskey opened the fourth quarter with a pair of goals to put the score at 14-14 and, following a goal by St. John's to put the visitors in front, the Pride took the lead thanks to strikes from Tierney and Forte. However, two straight goals inside the five-minute mark put the Red Storm ahead by one. Tierney scored the final two goals of the quarter for Hofstra, including the game-tying goal with 16 seconds left, to force the game to overtime. In the extra frame, following a Hofstra turnover, Mike Madsen scored from the top of the Hofstra box to give the visitors the win.

Lynskey and graduate student Michael Altmann each finished with two assists, while Concannon, Lutfi, and senior Joe Elarde each dished out one assist. Redshirt sophomore Mac Gates tallied 12 saves and added three ground balls for the Pride in his first collegiate start. Senior Brian Herber went 14-23 from the face-off circle today and picked up nine ground balls, and Sophomore Chase Patterson also made an impact for Hofstra on face-offs by going 14-17 with nine loose ball pick-ups. Hofstra caused six Red Storm turnovers, with Gates, Altmann, graduate student Logan Danenza, juniors Dylan McDermott and Tom Ford, and sophomore Justin Sykes all causing one each.

Joe Madsen finished as the leading scorer for St. John's, with four goals and one assist for five points. His brother, Mike Madsen, also finished with five points on two goals and three assists. Brody Agres earned the win for the Red Storm with four saves in 19:52 minutes of action. He entered the game in relief for starter Cameron Bieler, who made two saves in 41:37 on the field.

The Pride will regroup before they travel to face Sacred Heart on Saturday, February 20. The opening face-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Fairfield, Connecticut. Hofstra is 12-0 all-time against Sacred Heart, and last played the Pioneers in 2013.

NOTES:
-Hofstra is now 17-6 all-time vs St. John's.
-Tierney moved into second place all-time for goals scored in a career at Hofstra with 129. He moved past Jay Card (122 from 2008-11).
-Tierney now has 197 points, moving into fourth place all-time in program history, passing Kevin Jacobs (192 from 1992-95).
-Hofstra scooped up 43 ground balls to 38 for St. John's.
-Hofstra won 28 of 40 face-offs with Brian Herber and Chase Patterson each winning 14.