Hofstra men's lacrosse looks for bigger accomplishments in 2011

The 2010 Hofstra men’s lacrosse season was filled with many twists and turns culminating in a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance and head coach Seth Tierney already has his mind on accomplishing more in 2011.

With Shuart Stadium being the site of one of the NCAA Quarterfinal doubleheaders in May 2011 Hofstra will have a chance to make a post season splash on its home field but  this opportunity also presents some pressure, according to Tierney. “We know the pressure of having the quarterfinals here,” said Tierney. “It is such a positive to have the quarterfinals at your site because if you can make it you’re guaranteed to play home.”

In addition to trying to make the NCAAs for a fourth straight season, another major goal is to have a strong enough regular season to earn a first round home game. This would present the Pride with an opportunity to earn its first Final Four appearance by winning two games at Shuart Stadium, a place Hofstra was 7-0 in 2010.

Future Hofstra softball player Nicole Hagerty ready for bright lights

The Hofstra's softball team's 2010 season ended with an epic 12 inning loss to third ranked Arizona on Sunday in the NCAA Regional Finals but with the addition this fall of Nicole Hagerty, a star for Gloucester Catholic in South Jersey, the future should continue to be bright for the program. Hagerty, who was named to the Newark-Star-Ledger All-South Jersey team last year, was featured in a q & a with the Philadelphia Inquirer about her decision to attend Hofstra with one of the attractions being the school's proximity to Manhattan. Hagerty could fill the gap at first base being left by graduating senior Michele DePasquale.

Prokopwicz aims to end Hofstra baseball career as a winner

Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

The heralded Hofstra baseball career of Matt Prokopwicz will come to a close tomorrow and the Massapequa, N.Y. native is doing his best to end his college playing days on a high note. In a heartbreaking 15-14 10 inning loss to Old Dominion Saturday Prokopwicz showed why he has been one of Hofstra’s all-time great hitters and why professional baseball is likely in his future going 5-for-6 with three RBIs and home run.

“I want to go out with a bang,” said Prokopwicz, who enters his final game as a senior hitting .429 with six home runs. “Today coming out and getting five hits, that is how I want people to remember me as.”

Hofstra softball glad to hit the road for NCAAs

After hosting NCAA Tournament regionals from 2006-2008 the Hofstra softball team will be hitting the road in the post season for the first time in five years and that suits head coach Bill Edwards just fine. After winning the Colonial Athletic Association and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAAs (Hofstra (43-10) was slotted to play in the Tucson, Ariz. region starting against Oklahoma State (43-14) on Friday.

“I would much rather be on the road,” said Edwards whose teams reached the regional finals in 2004 and 2005 at Stanford and Alabama but did not fare as well the next three years when the NCAAs were held on its home field. “Whenever we hosted we played some of our poorest ball.”

Hofsta softball tradition on display during 2010 CAA championship

Moments after capturing the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title Friday afternoon on the strength of a no-hitter from freshman pitching phenom Olivia Galati the Hofstra softball team transported from its gold uniforms sported during the 3-0 win over Georgia State into old school white jerseys worn underneath. Accepting the CAA championship trophy in the same uniforms worn by past great Hofstra teams was a way of paying homage to past great players who have laid the groundwork for what has become one of the top college softball programs in the northeast.

Hofstra’s 2010 CAA championship was the program’s 12th conference crown in 13 seasons and for every one of those the old school white jerseys have been worn for the title game. “We keep them and break them out once a year,” said Hofstra head softball coach Bill Edwards of the tradition of sporting the white jerseys in conference title games. “The significance is that we’re sending a message to our alumni that everybody is apart of the program.”

“Every time we have worn them in a championship game we have never lost and that tradition continues,” said Galati, whose no-hitter was the first in CAA Tournament history.

Hofstra men's lacrosse begins new season in NCAA Tournament

After a crushing 11-10 overtime loss at Penn State on April 17 the Hofstra men's lacrosse team' lost control of its own destiny to try and reach the NCAA Tournament but thanks to some key results that went their way the Pride has a second life to make 2010 a special season. Despite not making the Colonial Athletic Association post season Hofstra (9-4) received an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night and will travel to third seeded Maryland on Saturday afternoon at Noon in hopes of reaching its first quarterfinals since 2006. 

While Hofstra will have a tall order facing Maryland (11-3) head coach Seth Tierney is just happy that his team gets a fresh start to what has been a season of ups and downs. "Everybody is 0 and 0 now," said Tierney, who has led Hofstra to three NCAA Tournament appearances in a row. "We're cutting the regular season lose."

Breaking down Hofstra men's lacrosse's NCAA at-large chances

Despite not qualifying for the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team is very much in the mix to receive an NCAA Tournament at-large bid when the 16-team field is announced Sunday night.

In the latest NCAA RPI rankings released Monday Hofstra (9-4) was 13th, the highest in the CAA.  More importantly Hofstra has four wins over teams ranked in the RPI top 20 in Johns Hopkins (12), Towson (14), Army (17) and Brown (19), a major criteria considered by the selection committee. Hofstra should also receive help by the fact that the CAA is the second highest ranked automatic bid conference (six teams or more), behind only the Ivy League.

Hofstra Athletic Director Jack Hayes, a member of the NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament selection committee from 2006-2008, said the fact that Hofstra did not make the CAA Tournament will have little bearing on whether the Pride receive a bid. “There is nothing in the criteria that mentions anything about going to a conference tourney,” said Hayes. “I don’t think not making the conference tournament will impact us very much.”

Hofstra softball gearing up to host CAA Tournament

The Hofstra softball team clinched the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) regular season title last weekend by winning two of three at second place Georgia State but head coach Bill Edwards has no plans to take this weekend’s series against Drexel lightly.

“We’re not going to do anything different then we have done all year round,” said Edwards, whose team enters its final three regular season games against Drexel starting with a doubleheader Friday at 37-10 and 15-2 in the CAA. “We’re going to play every game to win.”

While Saturday’s regular season finale will be senior day for Pride seniors Michele DePasquale,  Kris Root, Stefanie Feinstein and Christie Novatin, it will not be the final time the foursome takes the field at Hofstra University Softball Stadium. By winning the CAA regular season title Hofstra earned the right to host the conference tournament from May 12-14.

“It is a privilege to host and they have earned it,” said Edwards. “It is a very good thing for us.”

Hofstra women's lacrosse gearing up for CAA Tournament

One of Hofstra women’s lacrosse head coach Abby Morgan’s chief goals for the 2010 season was to qualify her team for the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament, something the Pride just missed out on the last two years after winning the conference title in 2007. That mission has been accomplished and now attention has turned to making the NCAA Tournament by winning the CAAs next week.

Sixteen ranked Hofstra (11-5, 5-2 in CAA) will be the three seed and be matched up against eighth ranked Towson on Thursday May 6 at 7:30 p.m. on the campus of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. A win by Hofstra Thursday would send the Pride to the CAA title game  on Saturday May 8 against either seventh ranked James Madison or William & Mary with an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament at stake.

Hofstra men's lacrosse still alive for NCAA bid after win over Towson

“We aren’t ready to say goodbye just yet,” said Hofstra men’s lacrosse head coach Seth Tierney in Saturday night’s post game press conference following his team’s 12-10  home win over 11th ranked Towson.

Tierney hopes it was not the final time his team took the field in 2010 as Hofstra will now have a week to pray that despite missing out on its conference playoffs their 9-4 record will be enough to receive an invite to the NCAA Tournament. Hofstra’s season has included several impressive wins but it was three critical close Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) losses to Massachusetts, Drexel and Penn State that prevented the Pride from making the  four-team conference playoffs next week despite Saturday’s  huge win over Towson. Had Hofstra reached the CAA playoffs it could have captured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with two wins, but instead it will be a wait and see to determine if its resume with victories over the likes of Johns Hopkins, Brown and Army will be enough to see its season extended.