Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra men's lacrosse team will begin the 2025 season this Saturday when the Pride travels to Iona. 

Opening face-off from Mazzella Field is scheduled for 12 p.m.

The February 1 season start date marks the earliest in program history. Last season, the Pride began the year on February 3. The first time Hofstra opened a season in the month of February was in 1998 when the Pride took on Loyola on February 28. 

The broadcast will be available on ESPN+. Links to the broadcast and the live statistics are available on this page and on the men's lacrosse page on GoHofstra.com. 

Hofstra is coming off a six-win season in 2024 that concluded with victories in each of its final two games. The Pride returns two of its top three scorers from a season ago in John Madsen (51 points on 42 goals and nine assists) and Rory Jones (39 points on 21 goals and 18 assists). Multiple members of a strong defensive unit are back for Hofstra as well including Blake Cooling (24 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers), Will Delaney (30 ground balls and nine caused turnovers), and Henry Troy (12 ground balls and eight caused turnovers).

Iona is a first-year program as the University announced back on August 29, 2022 that they would add a men's lacrosse program. Saturday is the first-ever official game in program history. 

The Gaels have a major Hofstra connection on the sidelines as former Pride standout Brendan Kavanagh is an assistant coach for Iona. Kavanagh graduated from Hofstra in 2018 and totaled 75 points (48 goals and 27 assists) during his career. He earned All-CAA first team honors as a junior. 

This marks the first-ever meeting between Hofstra and Iona.