By Andrew Coen
The 2007 schedule is no different from previous years, with both the Hofstra men¹s and women¹s lacrosse teams hosting several home games at the university¹s James S. Shuart Stadium against some of the country¹s best Division 1 college lacrosse programs.
Men¹s lacrosse
The Hofstra men¹s lacrosse team coming off its best year in its history ‹ going 17-2 before losing a heartbreaker in overtime to the University of Massachusetts (UMass) in the NCAA quarterfinals ‹ has a new leader in 2007 with longtime Johns Hopkins associate head coach Seth Tierney taking the reigns. Tierney, who served as an assistant coach at Hofstra from 1994 to 2000, became just the program¹s fifth head coach, replacing John Danowski, who left after 21 years to take over as head coach at Duke.
While Tierney inherited a Hofstra team coming off a season that included eight victories over top-ranked opponents and a NCAA record-tying 17 consecutive victories, he will begin a rebuilding process in 2007 because only attackman Tommy Dooley is returning as a starter from a year ago. Despite coaching a young team Hofstra started the new season with an 8-6 upset win over then ninth-ranked UMass,which handed Hofstra its only two defeats a year ago. The Pride leapfrogged to a ranking of 14th in the country following the win.
The season-opening win over UMass was filled with plenty of emotion, since it was against the team that ended the Pride¹s playoff run last season and it marked the first time the Hofstra squad had taken the field since the tragic loss of teammate Nick Colleluori, who died in late November of non-Hodgkin¹s lymphoma. The win was extra special for Coach Tierney because Nick¹s younger brother, sophomore Michael Colleluori, scored the game-winning goal with 4:26 left, creating a frenzy among his teammates who have dedicated the season to their beloved fallen teammate.
³It was just fitting,² said Tierney of Michael Colleluori winning the game for his brother. ³I¹m sure Nick was in his helmet somewhere.²
A major reason for Hofstra¹s emotional win over the Minutemen was the play of freshman goalie Danny Orlando, who recorded 13 saves in his first college start after having a standout career at South Side High School in Rockville Centre. Orlando earned Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) player of the week honors for his successful debut. He followed that up with 10 saves in a 7-6 loss at Brown on March 2 and 13 stops in a 9-8 loss at fifth-ranked Johns Hopkins this past Saturday.
In addition to Orlando, a good chunk of Hofstra¹s young roster consists of local South Shore players including freshman attackman Dan Stein of Merrick, who scored three goals in the 9-8 loss at Johns Hopkins, Hewlett High School graduate Max Cohen, freshman defenseman Chris O¹Donnell, an All-Nassau County pick from Baldwin High School, and freshman Sean Lucas, an All-American out of Oceanside High School.
³We¹re trying to take it one game at a time,² said Tierney. ³It¹s going to be an exciting ride.²
Women¹s lacrosse
Coming off two straight years during which the Hofstra women¹s lacrosse team fell in the CAA title game, the Pride will look to take the next step in 2007 and qualify for its first NCAA tournament since 2001 with an experienced group of players returning to the field.
First-year Head Coach Abby Morgan, who was promoted in August after three years as an assistant coach when Shelly Klaes-Bawcomb left to lead her alma mater James Madison, has the luxury of a very experienced and deep senior class determined to win a championship. The 18th ranked Pride are 2-2 on the young season, which has included games against some of the country¹s top-ranked teams with the latest being a 13-8 triumph over 17th ranked Cornell on March 11.
³The girls have a lot of drive, a lot of determination,² said Coach Morgan.
Seven starters are returning from last year¹s 17th-ranked 11-7 squad, including three of the top five scorers from 2006 ‹ Kimberly Hillier, Casey McGrath and Lauren Whitcomb ‹ as well as Becky Thorn, who missed most of last season due to injury. Junior keeper Maisie Osteen, a two-year starter, also returns, as do key defenders Alysse Ruszkowski and senior captain Kim Kozlowski, a graduate of Calhoun High School in Merrick.
Another Hofstra player familiar to fans on the South Shore is Meghan Radonis of East Meadow, a product of Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale. The Hofstra women¹s lacrosse team excels both on and off the field with Radonis and Kozlowski among many Pride players who have garnered CAA academic accolades helping the squad achieve a combined 3.2 grade-point average.
Home schedule highlights
Both Hofstra men¹s and women¹s lacrosse teams will compete against the top teams in the country with many of those contests scheduled for Shuart Stadium.
The men¹s signature remaining home game is on St. Patrick¹s Day, Saturday, March 17, at 4 p.m., when the Pride take on fifth-ranked Princeton, which is coached by Tierney¹s uncle, Bill Tierney. The St. Patrick¹s Day family affair will be STX Day with the sponsor setting up a fan zone inside the stadium at 3 p.m. with inflatable games and shooting contests going on throughout the game. Hofstra¹s March 30 contest against CAA rival Villanova at 7 p.m. will be high school and middle school day with all the young players admitted for free. Hofstra will also host Stony Brook in a ³Battle of Long Island² on April 24 at 7 p.m.
The women¹s home schedule was tweaked in 2007 to include more Friday evening and Sunday afternoon games to allow fans a better chance to attend. The 2007 home slate is highlighted by key conference games against William and Mary on April 6 at 7 p.m. and George Mason on April 13 at 7 p.m. It also includes a Sunday afternoon, April 15 tilt versus James Madison featuring the return of Klaes-Bawcomb to the Hofstra campus leading her new team.
All Hofstra regular season women¹s lacrosse games are free.
For further information or to order tickets call (516) 463-TIXX or log onto www.hofstra.edu/athletics.
Comments about this story? Acoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210
