Hempstead, NY - A seven-goal fourth quarter for visiting LIU spelled trouble for the Hofstra men's lacrosse team, as the Pride suffered a 14-11 defeat to the Sharks in the first game of the Long Island Cup from James M. Shuart Stadium.
Hofstra slips to 2-2 with the loss, while LIU improves to 3-1 with its third straight win.
James Philbin scored four goals and tallied one assist in his first start of the 2022 season, while
Rory Jones scored the first hat-trick of his college career, and
Gerard Kane dished out four assists.
Mac Gates made 14 saves between the pipes for the Pride, and
Bryan McIntosh led all players in today's game with four caused turnovers.
The Sharks scored the first two goals of the day and led, 2-0, after one quarter before Philbin scored twice to tie the score and Jones gave Hofstra a lead with 7:29 left in the second quarter. LIU evened the score a minute later, but the Pride ended the quarter on a 3-0 run with goals by Jones,
Charlie Ragault, and
Corey Kale right at the buzzer, putting the score at 6-3 at halftime in favor of the Pride.
The Sharks opened the third quarter with a pair of goals three minutes apart to make it a one-score game, but Philbin and
Ryan Sheridan responded with goals of their own to re-establish the three goal lead for Hofstra. Jones' third goal was sandwiched between two Shark goals, and the Pride carried a 9-7 lead into the fourth quarter.
Colton Rudd added a goal to make it a 10-7 lead two minutes into the fourth, but four-straight LIU goals gave the visitors an 11-10 lead with 6:17 left on the clock. Philbin tied the score at 3:53, but LIU retook the lead 50 seconds later and added two more down the stretch to take the game from Hofstra.
Marcin Maleski led LIU with four goals, while Blake Behlen finished with five points on three assists and a pair of goals. Joseph Justin went 17-28 at the face-off circle and scooped up 12 ground balls for the Sharks, and Will Mark made four saves in the win.
Hofstra will see the field again in the consolation game of the Long Island Cup on Sunday at 3 p.m., where they will face St. John's, who suffered a 17-10 defeat to Stony Brook. Stony Brook and LIU will square off in the Championship Game at noon. For ticket information, visit HofstraTickets.com, call (516) HOF-TIXX or stop by the Hofstra Athletics Ticket Office in the lobby of the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex during normal business hours.
NOTES:
-Hofstra's all-time record against LIU falls to 16-9.
-With 14 saves in today's game,
Mac Gates finished with double-digit saves for the sixth time in his career and third time this season.
-Of Hofstra's 30 total shots, 15 were on goal.
