Newcomer Serling Leads Hofstra Over Sacred Heart
from press release
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Midfielder Steve
Serling tallied three goals and four assists and attackman Stephen
Bentz added three goals and one assist to lead No. 9 Hofstra to a
10-6 non-conference victory over Sacred Heart at Campus Field
Saturday afternoon. The Pride improve to 2-0 on the season while
the Pioneers dropped their 2011 opener.
Serling, a graduate student transfer from Lafayette College,
scored two of his goals and three of his assists in the second half
to lead the Pride’s second half charge after a 3-3 first
half. Bentz, a senior, also tallied two goals and one assist in the
second half for Hofstra. Junior Matt King led the Pioneers with two
goals while sophomore Bryan Badolato added two assists.
The Pride battled back from a 3-1 at the end of one quarter to tie
the game with goals in the final 1:39 of the half as Serling scored
his first as a member of the Pride, off a pass from Kevin Ford,
with 1:39 to play in the second, and Bentz tied the game at 3-3 on
a charge to the goal around two defenders for his second of the
season.
The Pioneers took the lead 2:57 into the third quarter as junior
Parker Wilson scored off a pass from Badolato. But Serling helped
give the Pride a 5-4 lead by assisting on senior Jay Card’s
second goal of the year, from 10 yards out, almost two minutes
later, and sophomore Michael Burke’s first of the season,
from just off the crease on the man-up with 2:52 to play in the
third quarter.
King tied the game up at 5-5 with his second of the contest, from
Mike Mawdsley, just 2:34 into the fourth, But the Pride responded
with five unanswered goals in a span of 7:11 to blow the game open.
Serling scored his second of the game from junior Brad Loizeaux
just 2:10 after the Pioneer goal for a 6-5 lead. Sophomore Aaron
Jones notched his first of the year on a bullet from 10 yards out,
off a pass from Bentz, at the 6:58 mark. Just 18 seconds later and
directly off the face-off, long-stick middie Adam Mojica fed Bentz,
on the right side of the crease, for his second of the contest and
an 8-5 lead. Serling followed with his third of the game 1:35 later
on a charge to the goal from the left of Sacred Heart goalie Zach
Frank (eight saves). Bentz then notched his third of the game and
fourth of the year two minutes later, coming around the cage after
a perfect pass from Serling for a 10-5 advantage.
Pioneer sophomore Tim Sanders closed out the scoring with 55
seconds to play on a bullet from 15 yards out, off a pass from
senior Billy Skelos, that beat Pride junior goalie Andrew Gvozden
(seven saves).
Hofstra outshot Sacred Heart 28-25 and picked up 31 ground balls
to the Pioneers 26. Pride sophomore John Antoniades won 11 of 14
faceoffs as Hofstra captured 14 of the 18 in the contest.
The Pride return to action next Saturday, February 26 when they
host the Tigers of Princeton University at James M. Shuart Stadium.
Game time is 11:30 a.m.
