Hofstra Men's Lacrosse Has High Hopes For 5th Straight NCAA Appearance and More Next Year

Hofstra men’s lacrosse head coach Seth Tierney will be taking in the Final Four in Baltimore Saturday and after guiding the Pride to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances he hopes to soon to be coaching on Memorial Day weekend. 

This season Tierney became the first Hofstra men’s lacrosse coach to lead the program to the NCAAs four straight years. Like the previous three attempts Hofstra, fell in the first round to a tough opponent on the road and Tierney is hopeful that going forward the Pride can continue its tourney streak and position themselves with a better opening draw perhaps in the comforts of Shuart Stadium. 

“With one milestone becomes another goal that we would like to start to reach but one thing that has been a little bit difficult at times is the draw when we get in the tournament,” said Tierney. “Part of the formula to see if you can get to the next round is to get the highest possible seed going into the tournament itself.”

Hofstra’s four straight opening round tournament loss this year was a 12-5 setback at Johns Hopkins on May 14. The previous three NCAA Tournament losses were on the road to Maryland, Cornell and Johns Hopkins, all storied programs. 

Plenty of Optimism for Another Successful Lacrosse Quarterfinals at Hofstra

 Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

Shuart Stadium during the 2009 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinals.

While there is disappointment that Hofstra will not be taking part in this Saturday’s NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Quarterfinals at Shuart Stadium after dropping its first round game at third-seeded Johns Hopkins, there is still great optimism for the event and the exposure it will bring the university. 

“We certainly wanted to play in it but once that wasn’t the case we  continued to put every effort into making sure it is a great event,” said Hofstra Director of Athletics Jack Hayes. “We want to get it back as often as we can so we have done everything we can to promote it and we certainly have quality teams coming in with two great matchups.”

Both games of Saturday’s quarterfinal doubleheader featuring Cornell against Virginia and Johns Hopkins versus Denver will be televised nationally on ESPN2. As of the end of Thursday nearly 10,000 tickets had been sold and Hayes is hopeful that attendance will exceed two years ago when 11,259 packed Shuart Stadium to see a quarterfinal doubleheader featuring Syracuse against Maryland and Cornell versus Princeton.

Hofstra Men's Lacrosse Looks To Make History at Johns Hopkins

For the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team to reach its first Final Four in program history the Pride will need to start by doing something it has never done before; win at Homewood Field.

After a stressful few days following Hofstra’s 10-9 Colonial Athletic Association semifinal loss to Delaware last Wednesday finding out if they would receive an at-large bid to the 16-team NCAA Tournament, the Pride (13-2) drew third-seed Johns Hopkins when the selections were announced Sunday night. Hofstra has had some recent success with Johns Hopkins winning three of its last six meetings but has never won at the Blue Jays' home field in Baltimore. One of those losses at Johns Hopkins was a 10-4 setback in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament when key Hofstra seniors such as Jay Card, Mike Skudin and Steven DeNapoli were freshmen.

“It’s less about the field and more about the tradition and what Hopkins has done in the past,” said Hofstra men’s lacrosse head coach Seth Tierney of the challenge opposing teams face at Homewood Field. “They have a lot of great traditions there.”

Hofstra Men's Lacrosse Has NCAA Fate Out Of Its Hands

After falling to Delaware 10-9 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) semifinals Wednesday evening, the Hofstra men’ lacrosse team has left its NCAA Tournament hopes in the hands of others and will be crossing fingers for results in some key games this weekend to break their way leading into Selection Sunday.

Despite being 13-2, the Pride will be on the bubble in its bid to be apart of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year. On the positive side Hofstra is ranked 12th in the current RPI rankings compiled by laxpower.com, ahead of potential competing bubble teams such as North Carolina (13), Penn (14) and Loyola (15). Hofstra also currently has four wins over the RPI top 20 including UMass (16), Colgate  (17), Princeton (18) and Penn State (20), according to laxpower. However one negative that could hurt Hofstra’s chances is having being rated 38th in  strength of schedule, which one of the criteria the Selection Committee uses when determining who receives bids.

Hofstra men's lacrosse vs. Delaware in-game blog

The eighth-ranked Hofstra men’s lacrosse team will try and move a step closer to a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title when it battles Delaware in the conference semifinals Wednesday evening.

Hofstra (13-1) suffered its only loss of the regular season at Delaware on March 19 7-6. The Pride are coming off a 9-4 win over Penn State Saturday night that clinched the top seed in the CAA Tournament. If Hofstra wins Wednesday it will host the winner of the other CAA semifinal between Penn State and UMass on Saturday.

Hofstra is looking for its first CAA title since 2008 when the Pride rallied from a two-goal deficit in the final two minutes to beat Drexel in double overtime. Delaware is the defending CAA champions as the Blue Hens upset top-seeded Towson 12-9 in last year’s league title game.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of Hofstra’s quest to reach the CAA title game 15 minutes before faceoff Wednesay at 6:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

Hofstra men's lacrosse vs. UMass in-game blog

The eighth-ranked Hofstra men’s lacrosse team faces a critical test in its quest to make the NCAA Tournament for a fourth straight year when it faces 15th-ranked UMass Saturday as part of the ESPNU Warrior Classic at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn.

Hofstra (11-1) and UMass (8-3) are in a three way tie for second place in the Colonial Athletic Association at 3-1 and the winner of Saturday’s game will take a key step toward potentially having at least one home game in next month’s conference tournament. A victory over the Minutemen would also keep very much alive Hofstra’s chances at receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament should the Pride not capture the CAA’s automatic qualifier.

Hofstra and UMass have had an intense rivalry over the years with the Minutemen leading the all-time series 19-16. The most important game in the series that dates back to 1974 was UMass handing Hofstra a heartbreaking 11-10 overtime defeat in the 2006 NCAA Quarterfinals with the Minutemen rallying from a five goal deficit in the final eight minutes.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of the Hofstra-UMass game 15 minutes before faceoff Saturday at 2:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

A Q & A With ESPN Lacrosse analyst Quint Kessenich on upcoming Hofstra-UMass men's lacrosse game

The eighth-ranked Hofstra men’s lacrosse team has a crucial game against 15th-ranked UMass (8-3) Saturday at 3 p.m. in the ESPNU Warrior Classic at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn. that could decide he Pride’s postseason fate. ESPN lacrosse analyst Quint Kessenich, who will be providing color commentary for the game on ESPNU, spent some time with “Inside the Pride” to break down what to expect in this key Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) matchup and what it will mean in the bigger picture as the Pride (11-1) aim for its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Kessenich was a standout goalie at Johns Hopkins University in the late 80’s and was a teammate of Hofstra men’s lacrosse head coach Seth Tierney while playing for the Blue Jays.

Inside the Pride: With Rentschler Field being so close to the UMass campus do you expect Hofstra to be facing a hostile environment Saturday?

Quint Kessenich: Not really. What I find in these big stadiums is because they are so big it tends to kind of mute out the fans who are there. It makes 5,000 fans look small and it’s just not as overwhelming as when you are on a campus and there is maybe 2,000 fans there but it feels like you are at a college basketball game.

Inside the Pride: What stands out to you when looking at this Hofstra-UMass matchup?

Quint Kessenich: Faceoffs are big because both teams are really good in that department….. UMass is a terrific team with faceoffs and groundballs. They generate a lot of shots but if you look at their shooting percentage in their three losses that’s where they lost. They shot the ball horrifically. They have a pretty low shooting percentage in comparison to Hofstra. When I look at Hofstra I see a team that has great numbers across the board, good shooting percentage, good special teams, excellent goals against average, high faceoff percentage. I don’t know how much of that comes from playing against some lesser-tiered schools.

Steven DeNapoli Honored To Play Senior Season For Nick Colleluori

Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications 

The determination displayed by Steven DeNapoli throughout his Pride men’s lacrosse career earned him a jersey number for his senior season that gives him a constant reminder of someone who showed major relentlessness in and out of his Hofstra uniform.

DeNapoli wore number 7 for the first three years of his Pride career and was honored when this past summer he was asked by the Hofstra coaching staff to change to number 27 for his senior year. Twenty seven was the number worn by former Hofstra men’s lacrosse defenseman Nick Colleluori, whose life was cut short at the young age of 21 when he died after a courageous 14-month battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on Nov. 28, 2006.

Hofstra men's lacrosse vs. Manhattan College live in-game blog

The seventh-ranked Hofstra men’s lacrosse team is aiming to keep its momentum following a crucial Colonial Athletic Association  (CAA) win at Towson this past Saturday when the Pride battle local opponent Manhattan College Tuesday night.

Since suffering its only loss of the season in its CAA opener at Delaware, Hofstra (8-1) has put together a three-game winning steak with victories over St. John’s, Drexel and Towson. Manhattan (3-8) is coming off a 10-8 win over Jacksonville Saturday.

Last year in the first meeting between the schools, Hofstra crushed the Jaspers 18-2 with attackman Jaime Lincoln leading the Pride with four goals. Just 30 miles separate the two schools.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of the Hofstra-Manhattan game 15 minutes before faceoff Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

Hofstra Men's Lacrosse Inspired By Youngest Member of Team

 Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

In the midst of the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team’s successful 8-1 season, the Pride are finding inspiration from the newest and youngest members of the program.

Hofstra formerly adopted four-year old Dylan Beach as part of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation (FOJ) prior to its March 26 game against Drexel. Beach battled a brain tumor and is currently in remission. The Pride sticklers decided to get involved with trying to add some joy into his life through the FOJ, an organization based in Quincy, Mass. that matches children in need of love, support and friendship with a college or high school sports team.

“He’s tougher than any guy we’ve got in the locker room,” said Hofstra men’s lacrosse head coach Seth Tierney.

Hofstra men's lacrosse vs. Drexel in-game blog

The Hofstra men’s lacrosse team hosts Drexel Saturday afternoon in a critical Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) game for both teams.

Hofstra (6-1, 0-1 in CAA)  will look to even up its conference record after falling at Delaware 7-6 in the league opener last Saturday. Last year Hofstra fell at Drexel in a game that dropped it to 0-2 in the CAA and eventually led to the Pride missing the conference playoffs. Hofstra rebounded from its loss at Delaware with an 8-5 home win over St. John’s Tuesday night.

 Drexel  (5-3, 1-0 in CAA) arrives at Shuart Stadium  winners of four straight including  a 18-5 romp over Lafayette on Tuesday. Early in the season Drexel lost close games to nationally-ranked Virginia, Notre Dame and Villanova., The Dragons boast one of the top goalies in the nation in Mark Manos.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of the Hofstra-Drexel game 15 minutes before faceoff Saturday at 12:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

Hofstra men's lacrosse vs. St. John's in-game blog

The eighth-ranked Hofstra men’s lacrosse team will try and rebound from its first loss of the season this past Saturday against local Big East foe St. John’s Tuesday night.

The Pride (5-1) lost a narrow 7-6 game at Delaware in its Colonial Athletic Association opener. It will be only the second meeting between Hofstra and St. John’s, which are located just 20 miles from each other, since the Red Storm reinstated their program in 2004 and the first at Shuart Stadium. St. John's has lost five in a row since a season-opening 16-7 win at Holy Cross.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of the Hofstra-St. John’s game 15 minutes before faceoff Tuesday evening at 6:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

Hofstra men's lacrosse vs. Air Force live in-game blog

The Hofstra men’s lacrosse team will look to stay high atop the national rankings when it takes the field against Air Force Sunday afternoon.

The fourth-ranked Pride enter Sunday’s game at 4-0 with a chance to match its best start since 1997. Hofstra is coming off two wins against Ivy League opponents Princeton and Harvard.

Hofstra has a 7-0 record against Air Force but the programs have not met since 2000. Air Force lands on Long Island at 1-4 and coming off a 6-4 loss at Fairfield Friday night.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of the Hofstra-Air Force men’s lacrosse game 15 minutes before faceoff Sunday at 11:45 a.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

UNC Transfer Ian Braddish Finding Role in Hofstra Lacrosse Offense

 Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

Four games into his Hofstra lacrosse career after transferring from the University of North Carolina (UNC), midfielder Ian Braddish is starting to find his role in the fourth-ranked Pride’s explosive offense.

Braddish had a breakout game during a 15-9 win against Harvard last Saturday scoring two goals in his only two shots of the contest. The 6’2 185 pound sophomore lefty midfielder said after his performance against Harvard that he feels very comfortable with his new scenery at Hofstra just 22 miles from his West Islip, N.Y. home.

“It has just been great since I got here,” said Braddish, who was a standout player at Long Island power West Islip High School prior to his collegiate career. “Everyone has welcomed me with open arms.”

Hofstra men's lacrosse vs. Harvard in-game blog

The fifth-ranked Hofstra men’s lacrosse team is off to its first 3-0 start in 14 years and will look to continue the early-season momentum at home against Harvard Saturday afternoon.

Hofstra is coning off a 11-9 win over then eighth-ranked Princeton last Saturday. The Pride had five different goal scorers led by four tallies from senior attackman Jaime Lincoln, who garnered Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week honors. Harvard (1-0) enters Saturday’s game with Hofstra coming off a 9-7 home win over Canisius last week and is in the receiving votes section of the top 20 rankings.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of the Hofstra-Harvard men’s lacrosse game 15 minutes before faceoff Saturday at 12:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

Hofstra faceoff specialist a major "X factor" to Pride men's lacrosse 3-0 start

Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

Faceoffs are a crucial part of the sport of lacrosse and the dominance displayed in the X early this season by sophomore John Antoniades is a major reason why Hofstra is off to a 3-0 start and on the cusp of being ranked among the top five teams in the nation.

Antoniades has won 69 percent (31-45) of his face-offs in the Pride’s first three games including going 16-22 during an 11-9 win over eighth-ranked Princeton yesterday afternoon. The 5’9 165 pound sophomore midfielder was especially clutch in the first quarter against Princeton game when he won 8 of 9 faceoffs to keep the Pride in the game after falling behind 5-2.

“John is a warrior,” said Hofstra men’s lacrosse head coach Seth Tierney in the post game press conference following the seventh-ranked Pride's huge victory over Princeton. “He will do whatever it takes to get the ball.”

Antoniades has become a formidable faceoff specialist early in his sophomore campaign despite missing the entire pre-season with an injury. As a freshman last year he was thrust into the spotlight in the Pride’s season opening game at Princeton when senior Mike Vaccaro tore his ACL, and he proceeded to win 55 percent (180-329) in the faceoff X and was second on the team in ground balls with 47. The Hauppauge, N.Y. native won 83 percent of his faceoffs as a senior at St. Anthony’s High School and then spent one year playing at Loomis Chaffee Prep School in Windsor, Conn. before arriving at Hofstra.

Antoniades, who made the Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie team as a freshman, said the competition he faces everyday in practice from other capable faceoff specialists has made a huge difference in his sophomore progression. Other faceoff specialists Hofstra can deploy in addition to Antoniades include Quinnipiac transfer Zachary Pall, who was 58 percent from the X last year, Cullen Cassidy and Vaccaro.

“We have four or five guys that can all come in everyday, every game and do a great job,” said Antoniades, who was also recruited by Army, Navy and Virginia. “Going at it everyday with all the faceoff guys on the team just really helps me be prepared for games.”

Antoniades will try and continue his hot play to the season this Saturday when Hofstra hosts Harvard with a 1 p.m. first faceoff.

Hofstra men's lacrosse vs. Princeton in-game blog

The seventh-ranked Hofstra men’s lacrosse team will take on eighth-ranked Princeton Saturday in a game that could have major postseason implications come May.

Princeton is the highest pre-season ranked team on the Pride’s schedule and a win over the Tigers Saturday would create a solid resume for Hofstra when NCAA Tournament selections and seedings are determined in May. Hofstra (2-0) enters Saturday’s game coming off wins over Colgate and Sacred Heart. It will be the opening game for Princeton, who returns six starters from last year’s Ivy League title team that fell to Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Hofstra leads the all-time series with Princeton 12-11. In last year’s meeting the Tigers won an offensive shootout 17-14. The last time Hofstra and Princeton met at Shuart Stadium the Pride came away with a 9-7 upset of the then third-ranked Tigers.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team’s quest to earn a key signature win early in the season 15 minutes before faceoff Saturday at 11:15 a.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

Hofstra men's lacrosse vs. Colgate in-game blog

The ninth-ranked Hofstra men’s lacrosse team opens its 2011 campaign late Tuesday afternoon against Colgate in what will be the earliest start to a season in program history.

The Pride return 31 players, including eight starters, from last year's 9-5 team that reached the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year. Among the returning starters are all three starting attackman in the Canadian duo of Jay Card and Jaime Lincoln along with Stephen Bentz, who all earned All-Colonial Athletic Association accolade in 2010. The Pride also boast a very deep midfield led by graduate student Steve Serling, who comes to Hofstra after a standout career at Lafayette College where he was Patriot League's Offensive Player of the Year last season. Hofstra also boasts a veteran defensive unit led by senior captains Steven DeNapoli and Mike Skudin that should provide plenty of support for junior goalie Andrew Gvozden.

Colgate, which is coming off a 3-10 season last year, was picked to finish fourth in the Patriot League behind Army, Navy and Bucknell. Tuesday's matinee against the Red Raiders will be just the third overall between Hofstra and Colgate and the first in 50 years.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of the Hofstra men’s lacrosse season opener 15 minutes before faceoff Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

Hofstra men's lacrosse gearing up for Spring success in height of winter

In the two weeks since the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team began preseason practice on Jan. 20, the Shuart Stadium turf has been ice cold amidst the frigid winter temperatures that have hit the northeast. The Pride are hard at work preparing for the 2011 season that head coach Seth Tierney hopes will see Hofstra playing in a much warmer climate on May 21 at Shuart Stadium in the NCAA Quarterfinals.

While the long term goal is to see Hofstra men’s lacrosse playing in front of the home fans for a chance to reach the program’s first Final Four, Coach Tierney is not looking that far ahead as his team gears up for the 2011 season in the height of winter. “What takes place in April and May are way back of the burner of the stove deep in the kitchen,” said Tierney. “We can’t just say we want to play in the quarterfinal game. We would sign up for that right now if that was the case but you’ve got to go out and you’ve got to earn it.”

Hofstra lacrosse teams continue to honor Nick Colleluori through fall events

 Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

The Hofstra women's lacrosse team with the Colleluori family.

The Hofstra men’s and women’s lacrosse teams continued their efforts of keeping the memory of the late Nick Colleluori alive in two separate fall events that raised more than a quarter million dollars for blood cancer research.

The fourth annual Nick Colleluori Classic at Ridley High School in suburban Philadelphia, which featured 20 men’s lacrosse teams including Hofstra, is estimated to have raised around $250,000. The second annual Nick Colleluori Women’s Lacrosse Classic held on Sept. 25 at Hofstra raised over $42,000. Both of these charity events are aimed at raising money for blood cancer research and to keep alive the memory alive of Colleluori, a former Hofstra men’s lacrosse defenseman who passed away from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on Nov. 28, 2006 at the age of 21 after a courageous 14-month battle with the disease.

“It is great for our players to see what they can do and how lacrosse can change things outside of just the lacrosse world,” said Hofstra women’s lacrosse head coach Abby Morgan.