Hofstra University Athletics

Hempstead, NY - The second-seeded Hofstra men's soccer team picked up a 3-2 victory over No. 3 Drexel Thursday night in a Coastal Athletic Association Championship Quarterfinal matchup at Captains Field. The Pride scored three times in the first half and held off a late Dragons rally to secure the win.

With the victory, Hofstra improved to 10-4-4 overall, while Drexel fell to 7-8-2. The Pride advanced to face North Division top seed Stony Brook in the semifinals on Sunday at 2 p.m.

The Pride wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as fifth-year defender Joel Bona opened the scoring in the 11th minute. Bona finished a pass from Anthony Grodzki for his first goal of the season to give Hofstra a 1-0 advantage.

Hofstra doubled its lead in the 18th minute when Pietro Santi found the back of the net off an assist from Jack Benham. Benham's corner kick to the near post was headed in by Santi as the defender notched his second of the season. The Pride added a third goal just before halftime, as Lewis Johnson scored his first of the season on a header in the 40th minute off a beautiful cross from Axel Ruben. Hofstra took the 3-0 lead into the break, outshooting Drexel, 8-3, in the opening 45 minutes. The Dragons were also reduced to 10 players in the 33rd minute following a red card to Daniel Frye.

Drexel made things interesting in the second half, scoring twice in a four-minute span to cut the deficit to one. Sharif Mohammed scored in the 77th minute off assists from Ben Weller and Gustavo Santana before Victor Moerck added his fifth goal of the season in the 81st minute as he sent in his own rebound of a blocked shot. The Pride defense held firm over the final 10 minutes, with goalkeeper Milo Risenhoover making a save on a Weller attempt in the 87th minute to preserve the victory.

Hofstra finished with a 16-12 advantage in shots and a 7-5 edge in shots on goal. Risenhoover made three saves in goal for the Pride, while Drexel goalkeeper Raphael Bartell recorded three stops. 

Notes: 
-Hofstra is making its 15th consecutive appearance in the CAA Championship.
-The Pride is 24-8-6 all-time in CAA Championship play.
-Hofstra is 27-29-13 all-time against Drexel and went 2-0-1 in three games this season.