Still No Serling, Hofstra Beats Air Force to Match Best Start Since 1997
from staff reports
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Injured star midfielder Steve Serling did not play Sunday, but it did not matter for the fourth-ranked Hofstra men's lacrose team.
Senior Jay Card tallied three goals and two assists, junior Brad
Loizeaux added one goal and two assists, and goalie Andrew Gvozden
stopped eight shots to lead the Pride over Air Force, 11-6 at James
M. Shuart Stadium Sunday afternoon. The Pride, who equaled their
best start to a season since 1997, improve to 5-0 on the season
while the Falcons slip to 1-5.
Card, who became the eighth player in school history to record 100
career goals with his first goal of the game Sunday, recorded his
second consecutive five-point game after posting six against
Harvard on March 5. Loizeaux, who assisted on Card's final goal of
the game, notched a season-high three points after posting a point
in each of his first four games. Senior Jamie Lincoln added two
assists. Gvozden, who posted his fifth victory of the season, made
eight saves in 51:18 before being relieved by sophomore Rob
Bellairs .
The Falcons of Air Force were led by senior Zach Carroll with two
goals while senior Vinny Sandtorv and junior Adam Paranka
each chipped in with one goal and one assist.
Hofstra jumped on Air Force early building a 6-1 lead midway
through the second quarter. Junior Mike DeNapoli opened the scoring
8:48 into the contest on a bounce shot from 10 yards for a 1-0
lead. Loizeaux boosted the lead less than a minute later on a
shot from eight yards after a short pass from Kevin Ford. The
Falcons got on the board with 2:09 to play in the first quarter as
Paranka capitalized on a Hofstra turnover near midfield to score
his third of the year off a pass from Tristan Newkirk.
But the Pride scored the next four as Card assisted on the next
two goals by senior Stephen Bentz (2 goals) and a man-up tally by
sophomore Michael Burke before scoring the 100th of his career, on
a jump shot from 10 yards, and sophomore Drew Coholan notching his
second of the year from Loizeaux for a 6-1 lead with 8:35 to play
in the half.
Air Force rallied with three unanswered goals as freshman Kyle
Cassady tallied his second of the year from 12 yards out, and
classmate Tommy McKee added his seventh of the year, in transition,
50 seconds later and Carroll posted his sixth of the season with
1:59 to play in the half to cut the deficit to 6-4.
But Hofstra went on a 5-1 run, including two goals in the final
minute of the second quarter by sophomore Ian Braddish , and third
quarter goals by Card and Bentz to boost the lead to 10-5. Card and
Carroll exchanged fourth quarter goals to post the final 11-6
score.
The Pride outshot Air Force, 32-27 and picked up 32 ground balls
to the Falcons' 26. Hofstra was also dominant in face-offs,
capturing 16 of 20 with sophomore John Antoniades winning 15 of
19.
Hofstra returns to action and begins Colonial Athletic Association
play next Saturday, March 19 when they travel to Newark, Delaware
to face the Delaware Blue Hens at 1 p.m.
