Sam Lutfi saves his best for last

Hofstra University men’s lacrosse player Sam Lutfi owns the game-winning goal against Monmouth that ended the Pride’s five-game losing streak and improved their Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) record to 1-2.

Before Lutfi could cement his place in school history, he first had to pick up a stick.

“When I was younger my dad put a stick in my hand,” Lutfi said. “I had to be only four or five years old.”

Growing up in Massapequa, New York, lacrosse culture was a huge part of Lutfi’s life. And even when he wasn’t practicing on the field, he was on the ice.

“I played hockey up until I was in middle school. Hockey is a fast-paced environment, and I feel like the skills translate over,” Lutfi said. “I learned teamwork and communication from playing hockey that I use now in lacrosse.”

In high school, Lutfi dropped hockey to focus solely on playing lacrosse. Ever since then, he only had one school he really wanted to play for.

“In high school I got recruited from other schools, but I knew deep down that I wanted to be here [at Hofstra] the whole time,” said Lutfi. “When Coach [Seth] Tierney called, it was absolutely a no-brainer for me to come here.”

Lutfi made an immediate impact as soon as he arrived at Hofstra. He scored a goal and made three assists in his collegiate debut against Wagner College on Feb. 8, 2020.

“That day was surreal and unbelievable,” Lutfi said. “I grew up watching Hofstra lacrosse my whole life. So being on the field and not in the stands was a big deal.”

Lutfi cites Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney as being responsible for taking his game to the next level in college.

“Sam’s always been a guy who’s lived in extremes,” Tierney said. “I know I was like that. He’s had to learn how to mature his game to be a great player at this level.”

Lutfi’s freshman year in 2020 saw him start in two of the Pride’s seven games and earn 10 points. After a 19-9 win at St. John’s University on March 10, the team’s season came to an unexpected stop as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“It was hard to wrap your mind around,” Lutfi said. “One minute you're on the bus home from St. John’s, then the next you’re on a Zoom meeting with the whole team. We didn’t know what was going on.”

When the team came back and put together a campaign to the CAA tournament in his sophomore season, Lutfi himself took a step back with just four points in 11 games.

“When everything opened up again, our team mentality was to enjoy the moment,” Lutfi said. “Don’t take these days for granted.” 

Part of that gratitude comes from personal experience with injuries, and Lutfi’s career has been rife with them. He’s torn his labrum three times in his athletic career, twice in his time at Hofstra, which limited his time on the field to just 10 total games between his junior and senior seasons. In short, he has not played a full season since his freshman year, and he is now a graduate student.

It was that same torn labrum that affected Lutfi this season, postponing his debut until Feb. 24 against Marist College, which saw him net two goals in his return to action. But that wasn’t even the full scope of the battle he faced to get there.

“This injury was tougher mentally than physically,” Lutfi said. “Going through it once is tough. Going through it again was even worse. Having my teammates and the medical team here made my recovery journey easier.”

At the beginning of the season Tierney mentioned his optimism about the team this year due to their improved health. A big part of that was having Lutfi at 100 percent.

“We had to change the game plan the last two years without him,” Tierney said. “It’s hard to get into a fight without your best fighters.”

There’s no sugarcoating it: this season hasn’t been easy for the Pride. They’ve experienced a losing streak of five consecutive games, their longest of Tierney’s 18-year-long tenure. Lutfi’s return to form has been part of the upswing lately in the program. Now in his fifth year here, he’s scored a career-high 14 goals and three assists within six games.

“Sam had to learn that when you get hurt, it’s not the end of the world, even if it feels like it,” Tierney said. “Thankfully, he’s been healthy so far, and he’s been contributing two or three points a game. We’re certainly happy he’s back playing with us again.”

Lutfi admits the season has gotten away from Hofstra at some points. Starting 0-2 in conference play was not the way Tierney envisioned the season going, especially when their comeback effort fell short by one goal to Fairfield University on March 16.

“There’s been a lot of ups and downs. We went on a little drought after a hot four-game start,” Lutfi said. “But the guys have rallied together. I know we are all confident in each other. We trust each other to pull through this as a team.”

And pull through they did in the biggest way on March 30. The Pride played their most complete game of the season and defeated Monmouth in overtime. Lutfi capitalized on a great pass from John Madsen to sneak the ball between the Hawks’ goalie’s legs to win the game for Hofstra.

“I didn’t know it went in until I saw Madsen jump on me,” Lutfi said. “Credit to my teammates for working the ball around on that possession. I just got into the right place and was fortunate enough to be the one to finish.”

As a graduate student, Lutfi’s career at Hofstra has come full circle, starting from sitting in the stands of James M. Shuart Stadium as a prospective student to being a captain on the field. Lutfi is one of the few current team members left from Hofstra’s 2021 conference championship run and is looking to win one more before the clock strikes midnight.

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Vincent Carchietta