Hofstra men's soccer set to host NCAA Tournament second-round game for first time
Hofstra’s leading scorer Ryan Carmichael during a match against Delaware. Credit: Evan Bernstein
It is all very nice.
Being nationally seeded for the first time.
Playing host to a second round NCAA Tournament game for the first time.
The recognition from alumni, classmates, professors, even complete strangers.
Yes, it is a great time to be a member of Hofstra’s men’s soccer team. And yet, there is still so much more to do, to experience, before this remarkable season comes to an end.
“We want to go as far as we can,” senior forward Ryan Carmichael said in a wide-ranging interview with Newsday following practice Friday afternoon.
The first chance to extend the season comes Sunday night at Hofstra Soccer Stadium when the three-time CAA champion Pride (13-3-4 overall and 5-1-2 in conference) host Yale (11-5-3 overall and 3-1-3 in the Ivy League) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Hofstra won the CAA Championship for the third consecutive season in 2023 Credit: Evan Bernstein
Along with being the home team, the Pride are nationally seeded for the first time. Hofstra enters the sixth all-time matchup between the schools as the 14th seed.
The Pride have two wins and two losses and a tie in the previous five matchups against the Bulldogs.
So, what are they most looking forward to experiencing?
The answer was as straightforward as it was unsurprising.
“A win and a clean sheet would be really nice,” said goalkeeper Wessel Speel, who joined Carmichael and coach Richard Nuttall for the interview.
It would not be at all shocking if the Pride defeat Yale. Hofstra has won four straight, with its last loss being a 2-1 decision on Oct. 17 at New Hampshire.
Following last Sunday’s 2-1 overtime win over Monmouth in the CAA championship, the Pride earned a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament. Whereas Yale had to shut out Bryant, 1-0, Thursday night to advance to the second round. Max Rodgers scored the game’s only goal in the 88th minute, and goalkeeper Chris Edwards stopped all five shots he faced.
While not an exact replica, Nuttall believes the teams are remarkably similar.
“Very well-organized in a defensive unit,” Nuttall said. “The goalkeeper had a great game and I thought in midfield they worked hard, somewhat similar to what we are and what we do. And they got a special goalkeeper performance.
“I would say that they somewhat match who we are and what we do, maybe a little bit more [of a] passing team than we are. From [our] point of view their recipe is very, very tough to break.”
To wit: The Bulldogs are averaging 10.5 shots per game, and have outscored opponents 26-18. Senior forward Eric Lagos leads Yale with eight goals and as a collective, the Bulldogs are averaging 1.37 goals per game.
Although the Bulldogs are yielding 9.5 shots per game, Edwards has been stellar. The senior goalkeeper has eight shutouts this season and a 0.95 goals against average.
The numbers are impressive.
So, too, are Hofstra’s.
Like the Bulldogs, the Pride employ a shot-generating attack. Hofstra outscored opponents 34-16 and had a 271-224 advantage in shots this season. Defensively, the Pride is limiting opponents to 0.80 goals per game and Speel (13-3-4) has recorded eight shutouts.
“We’ve got special players in special places,” Nuttall said. “Like in the back [with] Wessel and the center backs, and up front we’ve got a very good front three … Most teams find us difficult to shut down, which is nice.”
Nice. There's that word again.
