Hofstra men's lacrosse with strong start to season
On Saturday, Feb. 17, the Hofstra University men’s lacrosse team edged out the Siena College Saints 14-12 on a snowy day at James M. Shuart Stadium. Hofstra improves to 3-1 on the season for the first time since 2021.
Hofstra’s offense got the job done, with John Madsen leading the offense with five goals, good to tie for second in the nation in goals entering the day’s matchup.
“John Madsen is the competitor's competitor,” said Hofstra men’s lacrosse head coach Seth Tierney. “If I asked him to play ping-pong with me, he would be diving all over the place just to beat me. He competes harder than anyone. It’s no surprise that he put the ball away when we needed it. He competes at a very high level, and we need everyone to compete at his level.”
Defense was just as strong, with starting goalie Sean Henderson stopping all five of Siena’s shots in the fourth quarter to help the Pride earn a gutsy win over their in-state rivals.
Just a minute into the game, the Saints got on the board with a goal by Pratt Reynolds. Reynolds' goal at 13:56 of the first quarter marked the third time the Pride have allowed a goal in the opening two minutes of the season. Rory Jones tied the game at 3 soon after as both teams responded quickly.
The game remained tight in the second quarter with Hofstra maintaining the lead by a goal before Siena managed to respond.
“There was passion in this game,” Tierney said. “Some parents were getting into it with other parents. It’s a local game for them. I know our guys felt the energy in this one.”
That passion led Hofstra to break off a 4-0 scoring run to end the second quarter. Ryan Woodland, Justin Sykes and Jones padded Hofstra’s lead heading into halftime. The Pride failed to extend their lead in the third quarter when Patrick Radomski got Siena back in the game early. Over the next 15 minutes, Siena crawled their way back, cutting the Pride’s lead to one point by the end of the quarter.
“I wasn’t happy with how we let Siena back into the game in the third quarter,” Tierney said. “We had our chances to put this game out of reach, but they had the jump. They got a few in a row on us because we didn’t come ready to play. If we played that way in the fourth, I think the result would have been different.”
The final frame was a game of chances and missed opportunities for both sides. Griffin Turner had a beautiful behind the back pass to John Madsen that hit the crossbar for Hofstra. Meanwhile, the Saints got some golden opportunities that Sean Henderson denied. The score remained 13-12 with time dwindling down on the clock. With just under two minutes to play, Madsen ripped a shot past Siena’s goalie to give Hofstra a crucial two-goal lead.
The Pride play next on Saturday, Feb. 24, welcoming Marist College to Hempstead, New York. That game will be live from the James M. Shuart Stadium at 3 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Matteo Bracco
