By Robert Pelaez - SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE On Saturday, the Hofstra Men’s Soccer Team traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia to take on the Tribe of William and Mary. Seeking their eighth win of the season, and third in conference play, the Pride’s endurance and persistence was heavily tested, as they were able to squeeze out a 1-0 victory in double overtime.
Thanks to the foot of sophomore midfielder Mani Walcott netting the game-winning goal in the 102nd minute of the marathon match, Hofstra moved to 3-0 in CAA play.
A game where defense was certainly the focal point for both teams, the Pride were able to establish a consistent and determined offensive game plan, that had an 11-5 shot advantage and held William and Mary to only a pair of on-target shots.
The Pride was ranked #23 nationally going into Saturday, dropping five spots from an earlier loss at Dartmouth. However, a quick rebound against Drexel in their last game, and the double OT thriller against the Tribe should help Hofstra move up at least a spot or two in the next poll.
Junior midfielder Joseph Holland also contributed to the win, recording his team-leading fifth assist of the year, setting up Walcott used to beat Tribe goalkeeper Mac Phillips one-on-one to the right.
Hofstra's stymied defense, led by seniors Daniel Grundei and Marius Flateboe, along with junior Rory Murphy and freshman Sean Nealis, made sure the opposition had no room to breathe the whole night, swarming to the ball every chance they could get.
While Walcott was the hero on Saturday night, his goal came from one of only two shots from Hofstra’s bench, but it was clear to the team that his 20 minutes changed the course of the game.
Hofstra has won four of their last five games and will cap a four-game road swing on Monday at 7 p.m. at Duke.