(Photo Credit: Hofstra Athletics)
by Chris Detwiler
The Hofstra Pride men’s lacrosse team dropped a Saturday night showdown against No. 20 Georgetown University by a score of 14-6 at James M. Shuart Stadium on March 2.
Georgetown had eight different goal scorers, led by senior Robert Clark who scored four in the victory.
Hofstra was led by junior Ryan Tierney who scored three goals in the loss.
“We’re certainly disappointed in the outcome,” said Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney. “It was tough for us to get any momentum going. We need to find the formula to win. Back to the drawing board.”
Georgetown (4-1) got off to a hot start, when Clark found an open lane and put the ball into the back of the net.
“That’s not the way you want to start the game,” Coach Tierney said. “Georgetown was all over us from the get-go. They got to us.”
Hofstra (2-3) responded with a goal of their own, knotting the game at one about halfway through the first quarter.
The Hoyas then went on a 5-0 run that bled into the second quarter, putting them ahead 6-1 before Tierney scored two of his goals within the span of about three minutes.
Hofstra went on a short run in the second quarter, pulling themselves within three goals of Georgetown, but the Hoyas got the last laugh of the half as senior Daniel Bucaro scored with two seconds on the clock, giving his team the 9-4 lead at the half.
The story of the second half was the same, as Georgetown scored the first two goals of the third quarter to take an 11-4 lead.
“Maybe there comes a point in the game where… a lead is insurmountable,” Coach Tierney said. “Then you’re just playing to play for that next possession so that you can take that into the next game.”
Georgetown scored three of the final five goals of the game, but Hofstra scored the final goal with a little over two minutes remaining in regulation.
“That was a really good possession late in the game,” Coach Tierney said.
In the loss, Ryan Tierney recorded his third hat trick of the season.
“[It means] nothing. Absolutely nothing,” Ryan said. “We need to have double-digit goals in every game as an offense.”
Hofstra redshirt sophomore goalie Bobby Casey recorded seven saves, including a few from point-blank range, but it was not enough for the Pride.
“We’re going to need double-digit saves… at this point in time,” Coach Tierney said. “We’re going to go back to the drawing board… and figure out a new formula.”
As a team, Georgetown outshot Hofstra 34-32, including a 22-13 shot differential in the first half.
“We had no flow, no spacing,” Ryan said of the Pride’s offense. “Each week we try to take a step. We need to start playing as a unit.”
Through five games of the season, Hofstra has faced off against three ranked opponents, including two in the top 15.
“We’ve got Ohio State coming to town – the schedule doesn’t get any easier,” Coach Tierney said.
The Pride face off against No. 9 Ohio State University on Saturday March 9 at James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead at 12 p.m.
