By Max Sass, Sports Editor
The Hofstra men's soccer moved into a tie for fifth place in the Colonial Athletic Association after defeating Old Dominion 1-0 on Saturday, Oct. 23. The Pride defeated George Mason 2-1 in overtime to vault to second place in the table.
Hofstra avoided early danger against Old Dominion, parrying away one shot inside the six yard box and stopping many pressuring runs from Old Dominioin into Hofstra territory in the first half.
Senior forward Johannes Grahn scored his first goal of the season and the twenty-first of his career in the sixty-second minute of regulation which would prove to be the game winner.
Freshman Tyler Botte, traditionally a defender but playing forward because of his height, tapped a ball back to Grahn who, after a pair of dribbles, slipped the ball past ODU's goalkeeper.
"Somehow he [Botte] managed to just flick it on to me, so I just took a touch and looked at the goalie and put it past him," Grahn said.
Hofstra's defense, playing in front of freshman Roberto Pelligrini for the fourth straight game, allowed zero goals for the seventh time this season. The defense was also playing without freshman centerback Shaun Foster, who was suspended after his fifth yellow card the previous game.
"I have got to give that back four credit," Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall said. "We were giving them a bit of a rousting at half time, shall we say, and they responded magnificently."
Sophomore defender AJ Laza moved from his regualr position of left back to centerback to fill Foster's position.
"I thought my role was really important because Fozzy [Foster] is the voice of the team," Laza said. "He talks throughout the whole game, so I had to step up and speak throughout the whole game."
At one point in the second half, with Hofstra leading 1-0, and Old Dominion forward moved across the Hofstra box to his left, with just Laza to beat for a clear shot on goal. Laza sacrificed his body, taking a ball to the groin, to conserve the lead for the Pride.
"The whole time I was thinking ‘he's about to take a shot, we're up one – nil, I'm not trying to go to overtime for another game' so I had to step around and take it like a man," Laza said.
The overtime victory over George Mason came on a regular time goal by freshman midfielder Chris Griebsch and an overtime sudden-death winner by sophomore midfielder Mike Annaruma.
Annaruma scored off a free kick in the first overtime to give the Pride hope as it continues trying to secure a CAA playoff berth.
"Without this win we would have been struggling," Nuttall said, "but now with this win we have a shot to make the playoffs."
The Pride had struggled to score goals, but have come up with just enough in the last three games, all wins in conference.
"I felt something was going to come," Nuttall said, which was a stark contrast to his worries earlier in the year.
The vicotry was attributed to the whole team, Nuttall said, who played 16 players in the game. "It wasn't 11 players who won the game, it was the whole squad," Nuttall said.
The next game for the Pride is Saturday, Oct. 30 against William & Mary, who is currently in first place in the CAA.
"We can't see many chinks in their armor, but we've got to believe in ourselves," Nuttall said.
Sophomore midfielder Mike Annarumma scored chases down a loose ball against Old Dominion. (Sean M. Gates/The Chronicle)