By PJ Potter -- SPORTS EDITOR Two halves and two overtimes could not decide a victor between the Hofstra men’s soccer team and St. John’s Tuesday night in Queens in a scoreless matchup.
“I hope the crowd was entertained…I think either team could’ve won the game,” Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall said.
The match continues the Pride’s scoreless streak to three, rounding out its record to 1-2-1 in the early season.
Hofstra’s goalkeeper Alex Ashton tabbed a career-high night, saving eight shots from the Red Storm.
“He’s an excellent keeper and he does a wonderful job. I’m so very pleased he’s in the sticks and doing well,” Nuttall said.
Hofstra controlled the pitch in the opening half on both sides of the ball. The Pride outshot St. John’s 8-1 in the first 45 minutes, but possession completely switched in the second half.
St. John’s fired 17 shots in the latter half, opposing Hofstra’s five. For the match, the Red Storm finished with 21 total shots and eight on net and Hofstra battled for 14 shots, finding five on goal.
“I think in the second half we died a little bit with our energy and purpose. We lost our way a little bit,” Nuttall said.
Despite no goals, it was a physical bout on the pitch. Five yellow cards were issued between both squads to go along with 16 fouls each. For the Pride, Danny Elliott, Oscar Ramsay and Luke Brown each received a yellow card.
Logging eight shots combined, Elliott and Brown led the way offensively for Hofstra. With five shots, Elliott’s season total has risen to a team-leading ten for the season, while Brown is not far behind with eight.
On St. John’s end, Alistair Johnston, Matt Forster and Harry Cooksley all ended the night with four shots each.
The Pride returns to action Saturday night in a cross-Island rivalry against Stony Brook beginning at 7 p.m. at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.