Lone goal saves the day for Hofstra's men's soccer

The Hofstra men's soccer team shut out Binghamton University by a final score of 1-0 on Tuesday, Sept. 21, at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Binghamton, New York. The win extends the Pride’s win streak to four and raises their record to 5-2 while the Bearcats remain winless on the season with a record of 0-5-2.

Ryan Carmichael scored the lone goal for Hofstra, with assists from Nico Oberrauch and Eliot Goldthorp at the 54:08 mark in the second half. Carmichael dove headfirst into a pass from Goldthorp in the middle box that fooled the goalkeeper and made enough contact to get the ball across the line for the first and only goal of the game.

Hofstra’s defense was strong, allowing six total shots and only four being on goal. The defense dominated the first half, as they did not allow a single shot until the 36:41 mark, and only let up one more before the end of the half. Goalkeeper Wessel Speel was all but perfect, as he stopped all four shots on goal to pick up his second shutout of the season.

The key play of the game came at  78:24, when Speel came out of his net to break up a cross, leaving Oberrauch and Francesco Perinelli to defend the net. The first shot came in and was stopped by the left foot of Oberrauch, but it deflected right to defender Will Noecker. Perinelli was equal to the task, as he dove to his left and blocked the shot with his head, maintaining the 1-0 lead for the Pride.

Binghamton’s defense kept themselves in the game, as they only let up nine total shots with five being on goal. Goalkeeper Mats Roorda saved all but one of those five, including a penalty kick save on Goldthorp, but it still was not enough. The nine shots from Hofstra are a season low, with 11 being the previous.

The Pride stayed disciplined throughout the night, as they had just seven total fouls, with only one being in the second half. Roc Carles was responsible for the one yellow card that Hofstra received, while Matthew Cozetti picked up one for Binghamton as well. The Bearcats nearly doubled that amount, as they had 13 total fouls, eight of which were in the first half alone.

The lone goal was Carmichael’s fourth of the season, which ties him with Goldthorp for the team lead. That duo of players is responsible for eight of the Pride’s 10 total goals with Oliver Svalander and Mason Tatafu each having one of their own. Goldthorp’s assist was his third of the year, which gives him 11 points and the team lead.

Hofstra will be back in action Sunday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival, College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, before heading back home to play another CAA team, University of Delaware, a week later. The Pride currently hold a 2-1 conference record and sit in fourth place in the CAA standings with six points.

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics