Fairfield, CT - Powered by nine unanswered goals in the second half, the Hofstra men's lacrosse team picked up a 13-6 decision over Sacred Heart on Saturday from Campus Field in Fairfield, Connecticut for the first win of the season.

Hofstra moves to 1-1 on the year while the loss drops Sacred Heart to 0-2.

After falling behind 6-4 at the 9:29 point of the third quarter, graduate student Alex Concannon found the back of the net four straight times to give the Pride a lead they would not relinquish. They were the first of a nine-goal run that would span a quarter-and-a-half of play, keeping the game well out of reach for the host Pioneers. In addition to Concannon's five goals during the run, senior James Philbin, graduate student Justin Lynskey, and junior Sterlyn Ardrey all scored goals for the Pride.

Sophomore Justin Sykes notched his first point of the year on a goal in the first five minutes, but Sacred Heart responded a minute later to even the game at 1-1. An extra-man goal from senior Riley Forte and an even-strength score by Lynskey put Hofstra ahead by two halfway through the first quarter, but Sacred Heart scored two straight inside the final four minutes to bring the score to 3-3 entering the second quarter.

Consecutive man-up goals put Sacred Heart ahead, 5-4, at the half after senior Ryan Tierney finished off a pass from graduate student Michael Altmann to give Hofstra a 4-3 advantage over the Pioneers. The hosts made it 6-4 in the third quarter before Concannon kick-started the 9-0 Hofstra run to secure the first win of 2021 for the Pride.

Senior Brian Herber was in control at the face-off circle today, winning 19-23 draws and scooping up seven ground balls. Lynskey led the team with two of the Pride's seven caused turnovers. Making his second straight start between the pipes, redshirt sophomore Mac Gates picked up the win with 11 saves and one ground ball pick-up.

Drew Edwards had two goals for Sacred Heart, while Logan Liljeberg and Trevor Johnson had a goal and an assist each for the Pioneers.

The Pride now shifts their focus to Stony Brook on Saturday, February 27, at 1 p.m. for the 12th installment of The Long Island Rivalry presented by The Green Turtle from inside James M. Shuart Stadium. The game is closed to the public.

NOTES
-Hofstra is now 13-0 all-time against Sacred Heart.
-Alex Concannon set a new career-high with five goals today and tied a career-high in points. His previous high of four goals and six points came against Ohio State in 2019.
-Ryan Tierney posted his 23rd straight game with at least one goal and his 23rd straight game with at least one point.
-Michael Altmann had his second straight game with two assists.
-Mac Gates earned the first win of his Hofstra career.
-The Pride outshot its opponent, 44-32, and picked up 30 ground balls to 19 for Sacred Heart.
-Hofstra went 3-5 in extra-man opportunities, and limited Sacred Heart to just 2-9 with a player advantage.