Hofstra returns home Saturday to take on the Towson Tigers for its second consecutive Colonial Athletic Association matchup.
Hofstra (5-3, 2-0 CAA) is ranked 19 in the Warrior Division I Men’s Media Poll with 9.40 GPG and a .511 face-off percentage. Towson (7-2, 1-0 CAA) is receiving votes in the media poll with a 9.67 GPG average. The Tigers are .449 at the face-off X through nine games.
Hofstra coming off of an 11-9 win over Drexel will look to take their momentum into an important conference game. The Dragons managed to tie the score up twice but the Pride answered back both times never allowing Drexel to have a lead.
Senior Drew Coholan led Hofstra with a career-high five goals against the Dragons. Coholan was named CAA player of the week after tallying eight goals in two games. Torin Varn and Lance Yapor (2 assists) both added two goals along with sophomore Sam Llinares (1G, 3A), Mike Malave (1G) and Korey Henrickson (1A). Goalkeeper Chris Selva had 13 saves for the Pride.
Eight different Towson players scored in the Tigers 11-8 comeback victory over conference foe Delaware. Towson was down 5-1 after the first quarter and Delaware increased that lead to 8-4 with 1:18 left in the first half. Towson went on to outscore Delaware 7-0 in the second half to earn the win.
Junior co-captain Greg Cuccinello, freshman Ryan Drenner and sophomore Ben McCarty tallied two goals each while junior Justin Mabus had career-high five points on one goal and four assists. Goalkeeper Tyler White had just three saves on the day for the Tigers.
Other players to watch for the Tigers include senior Thomas DeNapoli, Tigers leading scorer (14G, 13A), Joe Seider (13G, 3A) and Max Siskind (10G, 1A).
The last time Hofstra and Towson met, the Pride fell 7-6 despite a late two-goal rally in the final 1:01 of regulation. Towson senior goalie Andrew Wescavage had a 19-save performance while Selva had his sixth consecutive contest with double-digit saves, 11 for Hofstra.
On Saturday, Hofstra has the opportunity to clinch a post-season berth. With a victory this weekend or a Delaware loss to Drexel, the Pride will return to the CAA Tournament for the first time in two seasons.
Both teams will face-off at James M. Shuart stadium at 7pm.
