The road just got a little more challenging for the Pride. The men’s lacrosse team came to Towson with a mission: knock off the 19th-ranked Tigers and win the Colonial Athletic Association regular season title for the right to host the conference’s tournament. The 10th-ranked Pride fell just short, losing at the hands of the Tigers 10-8 on Saturday.
Hofstra got away from the lacrosse-friendly weather on Long Island just in time to arrive at a boiling Johnny Unitas Stadium with the game time temperature at 80 degrees and steadily rising.
Hofstra got out to a good start in the game as Dylan Alderman -- off the heels of a season-high four-goal outing against UMass -- knocked in the first score of the contest to put the Pride up 1-0.
The lead didn’t last for long. Less than a minute later, Tigers midfielder Mike Lynch put one past Hofstra goalie and Tewaaraton Watch List finalist Jack Concannon for the neutralizer. The Towson offense was relentless in the first quarter, taking 11 shots in the frame.
The Pride attack woke up in the second as Brendan Kavanaugh and Ryan Tierney each cranked one to give Hofstra a 3-1 lead. Towson scored three more in the period, including one with just five seconds remaining. The two squads headed to the locker rooms tied 4-4.
Things fell apart for the Pride in the third quarter. Hofstra began losing faceoffs, the defense broke down, and Concannon had a hard time stopping the onslaught from the Tigers. Towson scored four unanswered goals in the third frame.
Trailing 8-4 at the beginning of the fourth, Hofstra came out strong with Alderman scoring two quick goals. But Towson was able to match goal-for-goal down the line, holding the Pride at arms length for the remainder of the game.
Hofstra had contributions from a number of players offensively. Six different players got themselves on the board, but Pride stars Josh Byrne and Tierney each only had one goal.
Concannon had an uncharacteristic performance as well. Towson’s attackers found their way past him for 10 scores while the goalie recorded eight saves. It was just the third time this season that Concannon allowed more goals than he saved.
Tyler Young and Joe Seider led Towson on offense. The two combined for seven goals, five of which came in the second half. Tigers’ leading scorer Ryan Drenner had a pair of goals and three assists in the game.
Hofstra’s next game will come in the CAA tourney, which will be hosted at Towson. The second-seeded Pride will have to knock off UMass for a second time before playing either Drexel or Towson in the title game, should they get that far. The first game will come on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
With just two losses on the season, Hofstra could be in line for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. But at least one win in the conference tournament will immensely help the team’s case.