Pride sophomore Brier Davis scored three goals but Golden Eagle junior Blaine Fleming scored his second goal of the game with just 1:18 remaining to give Marquette an 11-10 come-from-behind victory over 17th-ranked Hofstra at James M. Shuart Stadium Saturday afternoon.
In addition to Davis, Hofstra received two goals and one assist from Sam Llinares and two goals from senior Mike Malave. Freshman Brendan Kavanagh recorded two assists in his collegiate debut. Marquette was led by junior Kyle Whitlow with four goals, classmate Conor Gately with two goals and two assists and two goals by Fleming. Graduate-student Jordan Greenfield added a goal and three assists.
The Golden Eagles improved to 2-0 on the season while Hofstra dropped its season opener to Marquette for the second consecutive season.
Marquette, led by former Hofstra associate head coach Joe Amplo, battled back from an 8-4 deficit in the third quarter to post their second consecutive win of the season over a ranked opponent. The Golden Eagles topped 18th-ranked Lehigh, 10-9 in Bethlehem, PA last Saturday.
Hofstra jumped on Marquette early, scoring the first four goals to take a 4-0 lead after the first quarter. Davis opened the scoring just 2:39 into the contest off a pass from freshman Brendan Kavanagh. Junior Sam Llinares, the CAA Preseason Player of the Year, scored his first of the season almost five minutes later and classmate Korey Hendrickson notched his first just three minutes later. Senior long-stick midfielder Ryan Rielly ended the run less than 20 seconds later with his first of the season. The Pride outshot Marquette, 19-2 in the first quarter as sophomore goalie Jimmy Danaher made six saves in the first 15 minutes for the Golden Eagles.
Marquette cut the deficit in half early in the second as Jordan Greenfield and Fleming tallied goals for the Golden Eagles in the first five minutes. Hofstra senior Mike Malave tallied a man-up goal but junior Conor Gately got the goal right back 21 seconds later. Pride freshman Dylan Alderman tallied his first collegiate goal at the 4:12 mark but junior Liam Byrnes matched the goal for Marquette as the half ended with the Pride holding a 6-4 advantage.
The Pride boosted the lead to 8-4 midway through the third quarter as Malave and Davis each scored their second of the contest before the Golden Eagles rallied. Marquette tallied three consecutive goals, two goals by junior Kyle Whitlow including a man-up score, and one by sophomore Ryan McNamara, to close to 8-7 at the 5:55 mark of the third.
Davis and Llinares sandwiched Hofstra goals around a Gately tally for Marquette as the Pride boosted the lead to 10-8. But the Golden Eagles came roaring back as Whitlow scored consecutive goals 71 seconds apart to tie the game at 10 with 2:46to play in regulation. Fleming became the hero with a low bullet from 13-yards out that beat Pride senior goalie Chris Selva, who made 12 saves in the contest.
Hofstra, which was outshot in the final three periods, was held to just two shots in the fourth quarter and committed six of their 16 turnovers in the final 15 minutes. But Hofstra held a slim 39-37 advantage in shots while the Golden Eagles held a 36-35 advantage in ground balls.
Hofstra returns to action on Friday, February 20 when they travel to Princeton for an ESPN-televised contest at 3 p.m.
