By Alexandra Licata -- STAFF WRITER
Currently midway through the season, Hofstra men’s soccer has played to a 1-3-6 record and is struggling to put the ball in the net, but head coach Richard Nuttall is hoping they have finally found the offensive spark the Pride has been looking for.
Six draws this season is the most for Hofstra since the 1988 team, when the program played to six stalemates for a 3-9-6 record.
Overall performance has been mixed from the Pride, according to Nuttall.
“We’ve had some excellent performances without getting the results. We’ve had some average performances and gotten a couple of great ties after it,” Nuttall said.
However for Nuttall, the worst performance of the season so far came in the first half of a conference game against Northeastern University on Sept. 27 at home.
Nuttall was pleased to see the team play a much better game in the second half.
The Pride was down 1-0 before freshman Matthew Vowinkel one-touched in a cross from senior Danny Elliott with just under 15 minutes to play. The Pride outshot the Huskies 18-8 after halftime in the overtime match.
Nuttall hopes that strong offensive presence in the second half will be used as a major turning point for the team.
“We’ve still got time to turn the season around. We’ve got a good spirit in the club,” Nuttall said.
“We’ve got a set of lads who are probably becoming more appreciative of what they’ve got to do and understanding the game. So I think we’ve got a good base to move forward on.”
The lack of scoring has been an all-around issue for the Pride, who haven’t been able to put the ball in the net as much as they would like.
The team has scored only five goals this season, two from Elliott, two from Vowinkel and one from last season’s CAA Rookie of the Year Luke Brown.
Brown led the team in goals scored last season with eight, but he hasn’t been able to be as offensively dominant so far this season.
Having been such an unexpected prominent force last season as a rookie, teams are now more aware of what he is capable of and therefore are tougher on their defense of him.
“He’s got to adapt his game and I think he’s struggling to adapt his game at the moment, but he’s such a good player that he will eventually come out of this sort of mini-slump and he’ll score goals for this program because he learned how; because he’s smart,” Nuttall said.
“He’s got a great soccer IQ and he’s got great technical skills.”
Hofstra’s schedule hasn’t been easy with games against strong, nationally-ranked opposing programs early in the season, especially for the nine new faces on the team as they still adapt to the game of Division I soccer.
Nuttall hopes that playing in these challenging games will give them the opportunity to grow and develop into stronger players for the future of the program.
Two players this season, goalkeeper Alex Ashton and junior transfer Marcus Lindqvist, have been the Pride’s most consistent performers, according to Nuttall.
While Ashton has received a great deal of praise from his coach in postgame interviews, Lindqvist’s name hasn’t been heard too often, but his coach recognizes what he’s doing for this team.
“[Lindqvist is] rock steady, does his job and defends well one-on-one. Lindq’s played well coming forward,” Nuttall said. “Great left foot. Little bit understated … Another one I want to have more presence.”
Ashton is playing in his third season with the Pride, but didn’t see time his freshman year due to an injury. He has made 37 saves this season and played every minute of every game for the team.
“He’s growing game by game,” Nuttall said.
“I still want to see a lot more presence from him in the games; more commanding of his area and commanding of the six yard box. But from a growth point of view, he’s really coming along and I think it helps that Leo [Arkhanhelskyi] and Tom [Germano] are great guys to train with – the other two goalies. And I think they’re pushing each other in practice, so I think they deserve some credit too.”
Nuttall believes that it is a mental game for his team at this point, as the Pride currently sits at 0-0-4 in CAA play with four conference games to go.
He is looking for his team to play with a quicker tempo, more toughness and more mental alertness.
One word Nuttall continued to mention in speaking about ways to improve going forward was courage.
“When things are not going well, this is about being determined and understanding your own capabilities and believing in your own capabilities,” Nuttall said.
“And you’ve got to have courage and I think we’ll get there. We’re hard working.”
As the Pride’s schedule moves forward, they will travel to face Dartmouth College in New Hampshire tonight.
After this match the Pride will return home to begin their final stretch of CAA games, which begins with the University of Delaware Blue Hens on Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hofstra Soccer Stadium.
Nuttall has high expectations for his team going forward, but is overall looking for them to evolve and come together, playing strong games not only defensively, but offensively as well.
“I want to see all of the above that we mentioned before and that we showed in the second half [against Northeastern],” Nuttall said. “Courage, energy, conviction, tackling, desire, strength of will, endeavor, energy, enthusiasm – all that.”