For the better part of four months, many of us watched some exciting college lacrosse, whether it was on TV, online, or in person. There were good games, which included all of Championship Weekend, and there were bad games, such as low scoring affairs and of course, the horrendous winter weather. I take a look back at all 69 Division I teams and how they fared this season and what to look forward to in 2016.
Check out previous recaps: NJIT Highlanders, UMass Lowell River Hawks, VMI Keydets, Manhattan Jaspers, Canisius Golden Griffins, Robert Morris Colonials, St. John’s Red Storm, Wagner Seahawks, Binghamton Bearcats, Bellarmine Knights, Jacksonville Dolphins, Furman Paladins, Lafayette Leopards, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers, Siena Saints, Delaware Blue Hens, UMBC Retrievers, Dartmouth Big Green, Providence Friars, Mercer Bears, Penn State Nittany Lions
COMPARING 2014 AND 2015 IN NUMBERS
| 2014 Record | 11-5 |
| 2014 Conference Record | 4-1 (1st in CAA) |
| 2014 Scoring Offense | 9.56 Goals Per Game (37th in DI) |
| 2014 Scoring Defense | 8.44 Goals Against Per Game (T8th in DI) |
| 2014 Goals Leader | #17 Torin Varn – Senior (32 Gs) |
| 2014 Assists Leader | #5 Sam Llinares – Sophomore (32 As) |
| 2014 Points Leader | #5 Sam Llinares – Sophomore (53 Pts) |
| 2014 Goaltending Leader | #33 Chris Selva – Junior (.498 SV %) |
| 2014 Face-Off Leader | #42 Kris Clarke – Freshman (.556 FO %) |
| 2014 Ground Balls Leader | #42 Kris Clarke – Freshman (86 GBs) |
| 2014 Caused Turnovers Leader | #6 Ryan Rielly – Junior (23 CTs) |
| 2014 Quality Wins | Drexel (11-9), Cornell (10-9) |
| 2014 Bad Losses | Marquette (11-9), Drexel (11-10 3OT) |
| 2015 Record | 5-9 |
| 2015 Conference Record | 2-3 (5th in CAA) |
| 2015 Scoring Offense | 9.50 Goals Per Game (T43rd in DI) |
| 2015 Scoring Defense | 8.00 Goals Against Per Game (T7th in DI) |
| 2015 Goals Leader | #5 Sam Llinares – Junior (33 Gs) |
| 2015 Assists Leader | #5 Sam Llinares – Junior (24 As) |
| 2015 Points Leader | #5 Sam Llinares – Junior (57 Pts) |
| 2015 Goaltending Leader | #33 Chris Selva – Senior (.515 SV %) |
| 2015 Face-Off Leader | #16 Kris Clarke – Sophomore (.609 FO %) |
| 2015 Ground Balls Leader | #16 Kris Clarke – Sophomore (82 GBs) |
| 2015 Caused Turnovers Leader | #27 Ryan Rielly – Senior (18 CTs) |
| 2015 Quality Wins | Manhattan (18-0), Towson (9-2) |
| 2015 Bad Losses | Ohio State (9-8), Fairfield (5-4) |
YEAR IN REVIEW
Statistically speaking, Hofstra improved nearly every aspect in 2015, except the key stat, which was their record. Many of their key contributors returned in 2015, and many of them will return yet again in 2016 before the Pride will have to rebuild. It seemed like the Pride could build upon the success from 2014, but that was not the case.
The season began with two straight losses to Marquette and against Princeton in a huge snowfest, before shutting out Manhattan 18-0. The Pride had another two game losing streak to Georgetown and Ohio State before defeating Big East foes Providence and St. John’s as they entered CAA play against UMass. The Minutemen took care of the Pride 9-7 in their CAA openers. After a 9-5 win over Delaware, Hofstra went on a three-game losing streak to Drexel, Marist, and Cornell before beating Towson 5-4. Their final game against Fairfield was a must-win, and if they did win, they’d be in the CAA Tournament. Five first quarter goals by the Stags was all Fairfield needed, as they would hang on to win 5-4 and gain the top seed in the CAA Tournament and end Hofstra’s season.
Sam Llinares had led the team in points in the past two seasons. The offense has been in the middle-of-the-pack for those two seasons, while the defense has been in the top ten in 2014 and 2015. The Pride will look to breakthrough in 2016, and they have the parts to do just that.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016
| NAME | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL |
| Jace Liszka | Midfield/FO | St. Joe’s Prep (PA) |
| Alex Gipe | Defense | Century (MD) |
| James Kitchen | Attack | St. Augustine Prep (NJ) |
| Jon Warg | Defense/LSM | Parkland (PA) |
| John Lyman | Defense/LSM | Ridley (PA) |
| Brian Cameron | Midfield | Plainview JFK (NY) |
| Josh Byrne | Attack | New West Secondary (BC)/Nassau CC (NY) |
| Scott Wilden | Midfield | Pine Richland (PA) |
| Jimmy Yanes | Attack | JSerra Catholic (CA) |
| Tyler Liotta | Midfield/FO | IMG Academy (FL) |
| Chaz Dotson | Defense/LSM | Trinity-Pawling (NY) |
Hofstra will replace 8 departing seniors with 11 new recruits, many of which come from the Eastern PA/Western NJ area. The Pride recruited only three players from the state of New York. No goaltenders, so look for either junior Matthew Boyer or freshman Jack Concannon to start in the cage next season.
