No limits for Hofstra lacrosse

With the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team returning 21 players in 2010 coming off its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance last year, fourth-year head coach Seth Tierney said there is no limit as to how far the Pride can go in the start of a new decade.

The Pride was ranked 10th in the preseason national rankings and picked to win the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title. Despite the lofty expectations Tierney is doing his best to keep his players grounded and focused. “We need to stay humble, we need to stay hungry and we need to go into every game with an edge,” Tierney said.

A major reason for the high optimism is the Pride’s Canadian attack tandem of junior Jay Card and University of Denver transfer Jamie Lincoln. Card was a 2009 All-American honorable mention and CAA Player of the Year after scoring 35 goals last season, while Lincoln tallied 48 goals during his freshman season at Denver in 2008.

Several local players from the South Shore are key contributors, including junior tri-captain Steven DeNapoli, a Hewlett High School product who was named preseason All-American honorable mention at short-stick defensive midfield after leading the Pride with 63 ground balls last season. Tierney said he is looking for DeNapoli, who scored two goals in a 15-12 win over Brown on March 6, to take on more of a leadership role as a junior.

“Steven is a guy that leads by example and has led by example his first two years, but his mouth has to open up and he has to bring some people with him,” Tierney said.

DeNapoli’s cousin Mike, a Lynbrook High School graduate, has stepped into a starting midfield role as a sophomore and scored three goals in a season-opening 17-14 loss at Princeton on Feb. 27. Other local players include starting junior defenseman Mike Skudin, a Long Beach High School graduate, and Merrick native Dan Stein, who is starting at midfield as a senior after playing his first three seasons primarily at attack.

The goaltending position remained a question mark after last season when starter Danny Orlando, a South Side High School graduate, left the team for personal reasons after two games and was replaced by freshman Andrew Gvozden. Gvozden had a stellar rookie campaign with an impressive 8.38 goals against average but has been challenged for his starting job by freshman Rob Bellairs, who earned All-American honors at Plainedge High School last season.

Once again Tierney has put together a rigorous non-conference slate that included opening the season at ninth-ranked Princeton and home games against Johns Hopkins and Army (March 30 at 7 p.m.) “If you want to be the best you’ve got to play the best,” said Tierney. “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Hofstra has the unique opportunity to play the first sporting event at the New Meadowlands Stadium on April 10 against Delaware at 1 p.m. as part of the Konica Minolta Big City Classic. “We’ll be the first ones to make history there and I think that is wonderful,” Tierney said. “I have a feeling the crowd pending the weather is going to be record breaking so that will be a lot of fun.”

Women push for CAA playoffs

The last two years ended eerily similar for Hofstra women’s lacrosse program as it missed out on the four-team CAA playoffs by just one game after winning the conference title in 2007.

With a veteran-laden group returning that includes last season’s top five scorers, head coach Abby Morgan has high hopes that 2010 will include a CAA postseason appearance. 

“In the past we’ve talked about where we want to be at the end, this year we have talked a lot more about what it takes everyday to get to where we want to be,” said Morgan of her team’s mindset.

  Hofstra’s offense is led by senior midfielder Corrine Gandolfi, who was named to the 2010 preseason All-CAA Team after scoring 45 goals last year. Another major offensive weapon for the Pride (10-6 last season) is senior attacker Liz Falco, who scored 29 goals last year after transferring from Marist.

  The defense is anchored by junior Katie Hertsch, who also earned preseason All-CAA accolades after scooping up 36 ground balls last season.

Hofstra nearly pulled off an upset of eighth-ranked Notre Dame on Feb. 23, falling 13-12. Morgan crafted a grueling non-conference schedule that includes a visit to Stanford on March 31.