Lofty goals for Hofstra lacrosse

While a school-record fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships is high on Hofstra’s to-do list, head coach Seth Tierney has bigger goals in mind for the most experienced group he’s had in five years on campus.

“We had a spirited offseason and brought back 31 players,” Tierney said. “Everyone is working hard and focused on team goals. We want to be healthy and playing our best come May.”

With the national quarterfinals returning to James M. Shuart Stadium May 21, the Pride has even more inspiration for a successful season. Hofstra went 9-5 in 2010, including 2-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association, and lost to Maryland in the first round of the NCAA Championships.

“We’ve talked about winning the CAA, winning an NCAA playoff game, and getting to the quarterfinals,” Tierney said. “We still need to build more chemistry and trust, but there’s a lot to like about this team.”  

The Pride is off to a 4-0 start, with victories over Colgate, Sacred Heart, Princeton, and Harvard, and has one more tune-up—at home against Air Force this Sunday at noon—before a rugged CAA slate begins at defending conference champion Delaware on March 19. “The CAA got stronger with the additions of UMass and Penn State,” Tierney said. “We’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Hofstra got an early signature win over Princeton on Feb. 26, coming from four goals down to beat the Tigers 11-9. The teams were ranked seventh and eighth in the nation, respectively. Senior attacks Jamie Lincoln (four), Stephen Bentz (three) and Jay Card combined for eight goals and sophomore midfielder John Antoniades won 16 of 22 face-offs.

Offensively, the Pride returned all but one of its 11 top scorers from 2010. Lincoln, who led the way last spring with 33 goals, Card, who had 31, and Bentz, who found the net 29 times, comprise one of the most prolific starting attacks in the country. They combined for 147 points a year ago. Freshman Torin Varn is fourth on the depth chart up front.

“It’s rare when you return three seniors who started on attack as juniors,” Tierney said. “I’m looking for big things from them. Stephen’s our quarterback behind the cage and Jay and Jamie are big-time finishers.”

The midfield was bolstered by the additions of Steve Serling, a graduate student who was the Patriot League’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2010 for Lafayette, and Ian Braddish, a transfer from North Carolina. Serling and juniors Brad Loizeaux and Kevin Ford comprise the first offensive midfield, while seniors Adam Mojica, Steven DeNapoli and Tim Holman form a talented and athletic defensive midfield. DeNapoli, a Hewlett product, led Hofstra in 2010 with 49 ground balls.

Senior Mike Skudin, out of Long Beach, is being counted on to anchor a young in-close defense. Sophomores Cody Solaja and Mark Mullen, redshirt freshman Corey Caputo, and true freshmen Jack Moorehead and Kyle Pratte will all be part of the rotation.

In goal, junior Andrew Gvozden is entrenched as the starter after appearing in 10 games last season. He is backed by sophomore Rob Bellairs and freshman Nate Roy.