Return of Jay Card aids Hofstra men's lacrosse blowout win over Army

One week after suffering an ankle injury during a 13-4 win at St. John’s, Hofstra junior attackman Jay Card had a triumphant return to the lacrosse field against Army. Card scored five goals and dished out eight assists to lead eighth ranked Hofstra to a 17-2 blowout over Army before a rain soaked crowd of 1,073 at Shuart Stadium.

“It’s a little sore but I give all the credit to our trainer Robert Sullivan,” said Card in the post game press conference of his recovery from last week’s injury. “He did a great job getting me back on the field in less than a week.”

Card’s return to the Hofstra offense came after missing last Saturday’s 11-9 loss at Massachusetts in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opener. Having Card back into the offensive mix is critical for Hofstra (5-2) as it next faces a crucial CAA road game at 11th ranked Drexel on Saturday.

Hofstra women's lacrosse team staying focused after 6-2 start

The Hofstra women’s lacrosse is heading into its final non-conference game at Stanford this Wednesday 6-2 but despite the solid start which has included wins at Cornell and a triumph over then 19th ranked Rutgers, head coach Abby Morgan is not allowing herself to be satisfied.

“I do feel like we’re continuing to improve and we’re moving upwards… but you can’t get to a point where you’re OK, you can’t get to a point where you’re satisfied,” said Morgan. “As soon as you rest on your laurels a little bit you’re going to get beat.”

Hofstra’s two early season losses came by one goal to then eighth ranked Notre Dame 13-12 and fourth ranked Penn 7-6. Had Hofstra pulled off one of those games the Pride would be in prime position for an at large berth to the NCAA playoffs. If Hofstra can win at Stanford this Wednesday the Pride would be back in position for an at-large should it not be able to capture the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title, but Morgan is not allowing her team to think about playoff possibilities as conference season nears.

Pecora leaves behind proud era of Hofstra basketball

 Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

The Tom Pecora era at Hofstra drew to a close today when the longtime men's basketball coach accepted the head coaching position at Fordham. While this day is filled with much sadness from many Pride fans it is important to reflect on what Pecora has meant to Hofstra men's basketball and the university as a whole since first arriving in Hempstead 16 years ago.

When Pecora's stint began before the 1994/95 season as Jay Wright's top assistant the then Flying Dutchmen were ranked one of the lowest teams in Division I. Five years later thanks to tireless recruiting by Pecora to land future NBA players Craig "Speedy" Claxton and Norman Richardson, Hofstra made the national spotlight with back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament after capturing America East titles held before packed home crowds on ESPN in 2000 and 2001.

After the Pride's 2001 NCAA run that included a near upset of UCLA in the first round, Wright landed at Big East power Villanova and Pecora was handed the keys to the program that only returned one starter and was about to enter a more challenging conference in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Hofstra was under .500 the first three years of the Pecora era but by the 2004/2005 season the Pride were CAA contenders and made its first of three straight NIT appearances.   

Hofstra softball continues hot play in first home games of 2010

After playing its first 13 games on the road the Hofstra softball team was excited for some home cooking this weekend, especially freshman pitcher Olivia Galati, who attended many Pride games growing up in West Babylon. Galati did not disappoint her many friends and family who flocked to Hofstra Softball Stadium Saturday and Sunday as the St. John the Baptist product tossed 23 strikeouts in victories over Connecticut and Boston University to help the Pride improve to 13-4.

 “It is seriously like a dream come true" said Galati of her Hofstra Softball Stadium debut as a college player. "I’ve been looking to come here and I’ve been coming to games my whole life here and to actually step on the field and say this is my home field is really, really cool."

Galati’s efforts helped the Pride win three of four games in the Hofstra Invitational and remain hot in non-conference play. She earned Sunday’s 2-1 win over BU thanks to a walk-off home run from junior third baseman Sarah Michalowski in the bottom of the seventh after Michele DePasquale tied it in the sixth with an RBI double. Coming into the Hofstra Invitational the Pride were ranked 23rd in the Ultimate College Softball  top 25 poll after achieving several impressive wins at tournaments in Tampa, Fla, Columbus, Ga. and Louisville, Ky.

Hofstra men's lacrosse continues winning ways over Sacred Heart

Coming off an impressive 14-6 win over seventh-ranked Johns Hopkins last week the Hofstra men’s lacrosse came into Saturday afternoon’s home game with Sacred Heart focused on not looking past the Pioneers, who were 1-4 after a 17-7 loss to a first year Jacksonville program. Last year in similar circumstances Hofstra defeated third-ranked Princeton 9-7 but the following week squeaked by Sacred Heart 6-5 and head coach Seth Tierney tried to implore to his players how tough a game the Pioneers would bring to Shuart Stadium. 

Despite Coach Tierney’s message to take Sacred Heart seriously the Pride found themselves trailing 4-3 early in the second quarter before waking up with a 6-0 run to pull away for a 14-6 win. Sixth ranked Hofstra (3-1) has now won three in a row at home after dropping its season opener at Princeton 17-14.

“This is Division I lacrosse and if you don’t bring it everyday it is just not going to work for you,” said Tierney in the post game press conference of how strong of a team Sacred Heart is despite its 1-5 record. “They are a very well coached team.”

The win before 1,502 fans on a beautiful first day of spring at Shuart Stadium keeps Hofstra’s perfect record (9-0) intact against Sacred Heart but not before some barn burners over the years including a 10-9 overtime triumph in 2003 two days after the Pride had defeated seventh- ranked Syracuse.

Hofstra men's basketball season ends with first round CBI loss to IUPUI

Hofstra’s hot end to the 2009/2010 regular season that included winning 10 of 11 games before dropping a double overtime heartbreaker to Northeastern in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) quarterfinals fizzled Wednesday night in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) against IUPUI. The Pride were never able to recover from falling into an early 21-2 hole and saw its season end with a 74-60 loss in its first ever CBI game held before a tiny crowd of 952 fans at the Mack Sports Complex.

“I don’t know if we’ve ever come out that flat in all my time here,” said ninth year Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Tom Pecora. “Once the momentum is going in the other direction it’s hard to get it to stop.”

IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) held momentum for nearly the entire game with Hofstra (19-15) never getting any closer than six while shooting 36-percent including 2-19 from three-point range. The Pride were without the services of junior power forward Greg Washington due to an ankle injury.

IUPUI’s win over Hofstra moves the Jaguars onto the CBI quarterfinals to face Princeton on Monday March 22.

Hofstra baseball has positive outlook heading into home opener despite slow start

Despite an 0-9 start that has featured some close losses against stiff competition, the Hofstra baseball team has a positive mindset heading into its home opener against New York Tech at 3 p.m. tomorrow.

"We've been going through practice paying attention to detail with every little thing we have done," said second year Hofstra baseball head coach Patrick Anderson. "These kids are really hungry."

Hofstra's early schedule featured three game sweeps at second-ranked Florida State, Maryland and Troy University. Hofstra held leads in the fourth inning in three of those nine losses.

The New York Tech game was added to the schedule after the Pride had a three games in the Philadelphia area rained out last weekend against Villanova, Temple and St. Joseph's. "When we lose games we want to be able to pick up some games and prepare ourselves and play as much as possible," said Anderson.

Fans who attend Thursday afternoon's home opener at University Field will notice construction of a new grandstand that is expected to be completed in the next month. The new grandstand is scheduled to be officially dedicated on Sunday April 18 just prior to Hofstra's game against Virginia Commonwealth.

"The upgrade and the facelift is just going to help all the way around with the atmosphere," said Anderson. "It is going to look really nice."

Hofstra will continue its stretch of home games this weekend with a pair of doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday against Fairfield starting at Noon both days. The Pride's Colonial Athletic Association opener is scheduled for April 2 at Northeastern.

Hofstra men's lacrosse wins convincingly over seventh ranked Johns Hopkins

In the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team's first two games against Princeton and Brown the Pride gave up a combined 29 goals leaving an unhappy taste in the mouth of head coach Seth Tierney.  Saturday night against seventh-ranked Johns Hopkins however saw a major defensive turnaround with the Pride holding the Blue Jays to only two goals in the first half in route to a dominant 14-6 victory at a rain-soaked Shuart Stadium.

“Sometimes you’ve got to skin your knee to know that it hurts when you fall and the first two games weren’t happy,” said Tierney in the post game press conference in reference to his team’s first two games that featured a 17-14 loss at Princeton and 15-12 home win over Brown. “[Against Johns Hopkins] we were locked in.”

Tenth ranked Hofstra (2-1) outshot Johns Hopkins (4-2)  34-19, forced 16 turnovers and five failed clears in the game played during tropical storm force winds and heavy rain before 1,245 fans. The winds were so heavy at the beginning of the game that it caused a power failure with the Shuart Stadium lights and a 14 minute delay in the first quarter with Hofstra leading 3-1. It was the third Hofstra-Johns Hopkins meeting at Shuart Stadium in the last 10 years where inclement weather impacted the game with the others coming in 2000 and 2008.

Hofstra to host 2011 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinals

The NCAA announced today that Hofstra University's Shuart Stadium has been selected as one of two sites that will be hosting the 2011 Division I Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinals on Saturday May 21, 2011. This is outstanding news for Hofstra as well as the men's lacrosse program, which will have a team loaded with talent next year that will have a solid chance at playing on its home field for a shot to advance to the Final Four. On May 16, 2009 Hofstra hosted the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002 after the administration was able to work out a logistical plan to hold the Spring graduation later in the afternoon the next day that same weekend. Hofstra previously hosted the quarterfinals from 1997-1999 and 2001-2002 and three times has drawn over 10,000 fans for  the event. Hofstra athletic director Jack Hayes and president Stuart Rabinowitz should be applauded for their commitment to returning this great college lacrosse event back to Hempstead on a regular basis.

Hofstra women's basketball team's upcoming CAA Tourney has special meaning for Nicole Capurso

Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

The Hofstra women’s basketball team is preparing for its first round Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament game against William & Mary this Thursday, an event that will have a particular special meaning to sophomore guard Nicole Capurso, who was forced to miss last year’s postseason with a torn meniscus.

Last year Hofstra also matched up against William & Mary in its opening CAA tourney game and Capurso could only watch from the bench as the Pride let a lead 10 point lead slip away in a 63-62 loss in which the Tribe scored the game’s final 11 points. 

"It’s a do-over for our team so we’re going to take full advantage of that,” said Capurso of the Pride being matched against William & Mary for the second year in a row in the CAA Tournament first round. “We feel last year we didn’t give our best in the CAA Tournament and this year we can come back and do what we know we can do against William & Mary.”

Hofstra (18-12, 11-7 in the CAA) enters the postseason winners of eight of 10 but is coming off a 59-41 loss at Delaware that denied the Pride a chance of a first round bye and instead set them up as the number six seed.  “This is just one more hurdle we have to jump,” said Capurso of the Pride having to win four games rather than three to obtain the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament. 

New starting goalie helps Hofstra men's lacrosse beat Brown in home opener

One of the major uncertainties coming into the 2010 Hofstra men’s lacrosse season was who would start in goal and that question may have been answered in the Pride’s second game on Saturday afternoon against 19th-ranked Brown. In his first career start freshman Rob Bellairs posted seven saves to help 12th ranked Hofstra (1-1) to a 15-12 win over Brown (0-1) and head coach Seth Tierney is planning to start the Plainedge High School product in next week’s big matchup against Johns Hopkins.

“He earned the starting job in our coaching staff’s eyes,” said Tierney in the post game press conference following Hofstra’s home opener win over Brown before 2,234 fans at Shuart Stadium. “Barring anything crazy that happens this week Rob Bellairs will start against Hopkins.”

Bellairs, who earned All American honors his senior year of high school, has won the right to start in net early in the 2010 season over sophomore Andrew Gvozden, who as a freshman posted an 8.38 goals against average in 13 games. Against Brown Bellairs made some key early saves to help hold the Bears to only three goals in the first half.

Hofstra softball's hot start getting national attention

In its opening two weekends of the 2010 season the Hofstra softball program has made quite a splash on a national level. Against top-level competition at two tournaments in Florida and Georgia the Pride are off to 9-1 start that has catapulted them to 25th in the latest Ultimate College Softball top 25 poll.

Hofstra's hot start featured wins over North Dakota State, North Carolina State, Michigan State, Wright State, South Florida, Virginia Tech, Kent State and Mississippi State. The only loss came to 22nd ranked Florida State. The 9-1 start matches program's best since 1994, when Hofstra finished the season ranked 20th in the nation after going 39-16 but were snubbed of an NCAA Tournament bid.

Hofstra's nine wins have featured several close games with six of its nine victories coming by one run. "The big thing is that we are playing clutch," said Hofstra softball head coach Bill Edwards of his team's 9-1 start. "We're on a roll."