SPORTS NEWS HOFSTRA MEN S SOCCER WEEKLY NOTES (3-6-2, 2-2 CAA) Oct (at James Madison, at Virginia Commonwealth)

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1 SPORTS NEWS HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY HEMPSTEAD, NEW YORK ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS PHYSICAL FITNESS CENTER (516) FAX: (516) HOFSTRA MEN S SOCCER WEEKLY NOTES (3-6-2, 2-2 CAA) Oct (at James Madison, at Virginia Commonwealth) Streaks, Stats, and Storylines: Freshman forward Johannes Grahn was named the CAA Player of the Week after scoring four goals in the Pride s weekend sweep of Georgia State (2-0) and UNC Wilmington (3-0). Grahn is currently tied for the CAA lead with eight goals this season. Hofstra has 10 straight wins in CAA home games after winning both games last weekend, and is also unbeaten in its 13 CAA games at home (12-0-1). George Mason was the last team to avoid defeat at Hofstra (a 0-0 tie in 2005) and was also the last team to win at Hofstra (2-1 in 2004). The Pride dropped a narrow 2-0 decision to #4 UConn on Sept. 12 (the Huskies sealed the win with a breakaway in the 89 th minute). Hofstra, though, is still in its last 16 games against ranked teams, dating back to The four losses have all been road games against teams in the top seven, including NCAA Tournament defeats to Maryland (2004) and Wake Forest (2006). Hofstra had a dramatic come-from-behind win over San Diego on Sept. 14, when it came back from a 3-1 deficit with 10 minutes to play to win 4-3 in overtime. Chris Cox and Ray Hassett scored goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation, and John Alberda converted his first collegiate goal in overtime to give Hofstra the win. Hofstra has won the last three Colonial Athletic Association championships. The Pride is one of only three men s soccer teams in the nation that have won their last three conference titles, along with New Mexico (Mountain Pacific) and Western Illinois (Summit League). Hofstra has still never lost a CAA Tournament game since joining the league in 2002 (compiling a record with a penalty kick victory over George Mason in last year s title game in the only tie). Hofstra was picked to finish second in the CAA in a preseason vote of the conference s coaches. Senior midfielder Chris Cox and junior defender Corey Gudmundson were named to the Preseason All-CAA team. Senior midfielder Chris Cox and senior goalkeeper Tom Johansen have a chance to conclude their Hofstra careers this year with four conference championships. Senior midfielder Charalambos Rossides can also win the fourth conference title in his career, including one at New Mexico in 2004 before transferring to Hofstra. Hofstra s Tentative Starters Stats Pos. No. Name Cl. G-A-P F 3 Ray Hassett Sr F 20 Johannes Grahn Fr M 7 Chris Cox Sr M 17 Rob Youhill So M 18 Rory McCrea So M 21 Justin Flood Jr B 4 Jamal Neptune So B 6 Corey Gudmundson Jr B 9 Richard Martinez So B 23 Joseph Amendolare Fr G 1 Tom Johansen Sr GAA Off The Bench F 12 Demont Mitchell Fr F 19 John Alberda Fr M 14 Adrian Papaluca Sr B/M 5 Kevin Mira Fr B/M 8 Charalambos Rossides Sr B/M 11 Paul Alexander Fr B/M 10 Bill Pinto So B/M 15 Evan Jaep Fr B/M 24 Steven Ehrichs Fr G 00 Mike Arnold Fr GAA 2007 SCHEDULE/RESULTS (3-6-2, 2-2 CAA) August 25 at Oakland T 1-1 (OT) September 2 at Michigan L at Stony Brook L at Connecticut L SAN DIEGO W 4-3 (OT) 16 LOYOLA L FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON T 1-1 (OT) October 5 at William & Mary* L at Old Dominion* L GEORGIA STATE* W UNC WILMINGTON* W at James Madison* 7 p.m. 21 at VCU* 2 p.m. 26 at Drexel* 7 p.m. 28 Delaware* 2 p.m. November 2 TOWSON* 7 p.m. 4 GEORGE MASON* 4 p.m. 8 NORTHEASTERN* 7 p.m. 13 CAA Opening Round TBA CAA Semis and Finals TBA *CAA Game

2 Last Weekend: Hofstra got back on track with a pair of key CAA home wins, defeating Georgia State 2-0 on Friday and UNC Wilmington 3-0 on Sunday. Freshman forward Johannes Grahn (Tibro, Sweden) was the story of the weekend, tallying a pair of two-goal games. Grahn scored both Pride goals in its 2-0 win over Georgia State, and had two other shots cleared off the line by Panther defenders. He then scored the first and the third goals in the win over UNC Wilmington. Senior forward Ray Hassett (Bay Shore, NY) had a big second half against UNC Wilmington, scoring the Pride s second goal off a direct kick and then setting up the third goal from Grahn when he beat a Seahawk defender one-on-one, turned the corner along the end line, and slotted a pass through the box to Grahn. Sophomore midfielder Rob Youhill (Harrogate, England) set up both game-winning goals with crosses, finding junior midfielder Justin Flood (Hauppauge, NY) for a flick header to Grahn against Georgia State and then finding Grahn directly against UNC Wilmington. Tom Johansen (Northport, NY) had one save against Georgia State and two against UNC Wilmington. A Dramatic Comeback: Hofstra had one of the most dramatic wins in its history as it came back from a 3-1 deficit with 10 minutes to play to defeat San Diego 4-3 in overtime on Friday, Sept. 14. The Pride started its comeback when senior midfielder Chris Cox (Nottingham, England) shook free in the box and got on the back end of a cross from sophomore back Bill Pinto (Audobon, NJ). Cox settled the ball from 12 yards out and tucked a shot into the upper left corner for his first goal of the year with 8:28 to play. Senior forward Ray Hassett (Bay Shore, NY) then provided plenty of heroics as he saved a ball off the goal line and then tied the score in a span of less than one minute. San Diego s Ryan Peterman had a breakaway in the 85 th minute that freshman goalkeeper Mike Arnold (Newtown, PA) came out to challenge. Arnold was able to block the shot, but it still had enough momentum to get through towards the goal. Hassett, though, came sprinting back and managed to head the ball off the goal line just before it crossed over. With 3:47 to play, Hassett used his head at the other end of the field, flicking a long service from sophomore back Richard Martinez (Highland, NY) under the crossbar to knot the score up at 3-3. The Pride took advantage of the second life as freshman John Alberda (East Northport, NY) converted the winner in overtime. Hofstra Takes #1 UConn To Final Minutes: The Hofstra Men s Soccer team took UConn down to the final minutes of regulation before eventually falling 2-0 on Wednesday, Sept. 12. UConn was ranked fourth at the time, and is the current #1 in all four major polls. The game was in doubt until the Huskies converted on a breakaway in the 89 th minute to pick up the second goal. UConn held a narrow edge in shots, while Husky goalkeeper Josh Ford needed to make nine saves to get the shutout. He also got help from his proverbial best friend as senior midfielder Chris Cox (Nottingham, England) cranked a shot off the post in the opening minute of the second half. Ford also stopped Cox twice with diving saves on direct kicks in the first half. Ford had two more diving saves in the final seven minutes, denying senior forward Ray Hassett (Bay Shore, NY) and sophomore midfielder Rory McCrea (Sherburn- In-Elmet, England). UConn is currently on the season. Grahn Named Player Of The Week: Freshman forward Johannes Grahn (Tibro, Sweden) was named the Colonial Athletic Association Men s Soccer Player of the Week on Monday after tallying four goals in the Pride s two wins. Grahn is now tied for the CAA lead with eight goals, matching Georgia State s Floreal Pedrazo. Grahn showed his scoring prowess right from the get-go this year, scoring three times in the Pride s two exhibition wins and then finding the net in the regular season opener at Oakland. Pride In Rare Company: The Hofstra Men s Soccer team earned its third straight conference championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2006, capturing the CAA title on penalty kicks over George Mason. The Pride had never appeared in the Division I Tournament prior to 2004, when it when on a Cinderella run as the fifth seed in the six-team CAA Tournament to capture the title, defeating three nationally ranked teams in a span of five days (UNC Wilmington, VCU, Old Dominion). In 2005, Hofstra was the second seed and defeated seventh-ranked Old Dominion 1-0 in the championship game for the second year in a row, scoring the game-winning goal with only eight seconds left in regulation. Only three teams in the entire country have won three straight conference titles from (see chart below). School Hofstra Western Illinois New Mexico NCAA Division I Men s Soccer Conference Champions Conference CAA Summit League Mountain Pacific Striving For Four-For-Four: Senior midfielder Chris Cox (Nottingham, England) and senior goalkeeper Tom Johansen (Northport, NY) have a chance to accomplish something rather remarkable this fall. If Cox and Johansen are able to lead Hofstra to the CAA title, they will conclude their careers by participating on four conference championship teams. The Pride s other three seniors (Ray Hassett, Adrian Papaluca, Charalambos Rossides) all transferred to Hofstra, although Rossides won a conference title with New Mexico as a freshman in Pride Picked Second: Hofstra was picked to finish second in the Colonial Athletic Association in a preseason vote of the conference s coaches, it was announced on August 14. Old Dominion was picked to finish first, earning nine of 11 first-place votes (Hofstra and Towson received the other two) after winning the CAA regular season title in 2006 and advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Home, Sweet Home: Hofstra finished the 2006 season with an 8-1 home record, capturing its eighth straight win with a 2-0 victory over Providence. In 2005, the Pride was undefeated at home in the regular season, tallying a record, before falling to Providence in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Pride dropped its 2006 home opener to Columbia 1-0, its first regular season home loss since a 2-1 defeat to George Mason in 2004, but won nine straight before Loyola ended the streak with a 1-0 win on Sept. 16. Hofstra is in its last 23 home games, and has won 10 straight CAA home games.

3 Alberda Honored After First Goal: Freshman forward John Alberda (East Northport, NY) was named the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week on Monday, Sept. 17 after scoring his first collegiate goal with 4:04 left in the first overtime session to give Hofstra a 4-3 win over San Diego on Sept. 14. The game-winner was set up when senior midfielder Chris Cox (Nottingham, England) had his back to goal, shielding a Torero defender. Alberda then made a run towards the right post and Cox laid the ball off to his left. Alberda one-timed a strike that tucked inside the right post for his first collegiate goal. Using His Head: Senior forward Ray Hassett (Bay Shore, NY) had a key role in the Pride s dramatic 4-3 comeback win over San Diego on Sept. 14. Hassett had key headers at both ends of the field less that a minute apart at the end of regulation. With the score 3-2 in favor of San Diego, Hassett raced back to head a ball off the goal line after freshman goalkeeper Mike Arnold (Newtown, PA) deflected a breakaway attempt. Less than a minute later, Hassett tied the score 3-3 when he flicked a 12-yard header under the crossbar after a midfield service from sophomore defender Richard Martinez (Highland, NY). It was Hassett s tenth collegiate goal, including his second as a member of the Pride. Arnold Makes First Appearance: Freshman goalkeeper Mike Arnold (Newtown, PA) made his first appearance in his collegiate career when he came on in relief in the Pride s 4-3 win over San Diego on Sept. 14. Arnold came on with the score 3-1 and had two saves to get the win. He also made a key play when he came off his line to stop a breakaway attempt in the 85 th minute, slowing the ball down enough that senior forward Ray Hassett (Bay Shore, NY) could get back into the play and head the ball off the goal line. Arnold earned the start in the Pride s next game against Loyola, and fell on the short end of a 1-0 score, although he helped coordinate a defense that allowed only one shot in the first 79 minutes of regulation. The Greyhounds lone goal came on a set piece on a perfectly placed volley from 10-yards out. Cox, Gudmundson Honored By CAA: Senior midfielder Chris Cox (Nottingham, England) and junior defender Corey Gudmundson (Dallas, TX) were named to the 2007 Preseason All-CAA team in a vote of the league s coaches. Cox is a two-time first-team All-CAA selection, while Gudmundson has started every game in his Hofstra career and was a CAA All-Tournament team selection last fall. Injury Bug Bites At Strange Times: Remarkably, Hofstra lost two starters to separate injuries during pre-game warmups prior to its game at Stony Brook on Friday, Sept. 7. Joseph Amendolare (Greenlawn, NY) and Jamal Neptune (East Windsor, NJ) went down with non-contact injuries 20 minutes apart, leaving the Pride without both of its outside backs for the game (which Stony Brook went on to win 3-1). Sophomore Bill Pinto (Audobon, NJ) stepped in and made his first career start, while senior midfielder Charlambos Rossides (Nicosia, Cyprus) started at center back, moving sophomore Richard Martinez (Highland, NY) to an outside back position. Neptune and Amendolare both missed the next four games, before returning in relief roles against Fairleigh Dickinson on Sept. 22. Pride Well Represented In Thailand: Three members of the Hofstra Men s Soccer team participated for Great Britain at the World University Games in August. Senior midfielder Chris Cox (Nottingham, England), and sophomore midfielders Rob Youhill (Harrogate, England) and Rory McCrea (Sherburn-in-Elmet, England) were all consistent contributors for the Great Britain side, which won its pool with a record in its first three games (defeating Kazakhstan and Morocco while tying Mexico) before finishing eighth overall in the 16-team field alumnus Michael Todd (Cleveland, England) was also a member of the squad. Hofstra vs. Ranked Teams: Despite dropping a 2-0 decision to fourth-ranked Connecticut on Sept. 12, the Pride is still currently in the middle of a remarkable recent stretch of success in games against nationally ranked teams over the last three years. Hofstra is now in its last 16 games against ranked opponents. The stretch started with a 2-1 win over James Madison (ranked 15 th ) in the 2004 regular season and continued with postseason wins over UNC Wilmington, Virginia Commonwealth, Old Dominion and Seton Hall. In 2005, Hofstra was 3-1 against ranked teams, while a year ago, it compiled a mark. All four losses in that span have been to top seven teams on the road (#7 Maryland, #3 Old Dominion, #3 Wake Forest, #4 Connecticut), including two (Maryland in 2004, Wake Forest in 2006) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Hofstra s Last 16 Games vs. Ranked Teams Team Rank Score Date Connecticut 4 L 0-2 9/12/07 Wake Forest 3 L /15/06 Old Dominion 21 W /3/06 James Madison 23 W /13/06 Old Dominion 12 W /1/06 Fairleigh Dickinson 15 T 0-0 OT 9/9/06 Old Dominion 7 W /13/05 James Madison 22 W 1-0 OT 11/28/05 Old Dominion 3 L /16/05 Towson 20 W 4-3 OT 10/7/05 Maryland 7 L /23/04 Seton Hall 21 W /20/04 Old Dominion 20 W /14/04 VCU 15 W /12/04 UNC Wilmington 25 W /9/04 James Madison 15 W /31/04 Hofstra Against James Madison/VCU: Hofstra holds a edge in its series with James Madison, while VCU holds a advantage. The Pride defeated both teams in the CAA semifinals in recent years, edging VCU 1-0 in 2004 on the road, and then defeating James Madison 3-2 in overtime in 2005 at Old Dominion. Hofstra has in fact won the last five meetings with James Madison, including two on the road in Harrisonburg. The Pride is also unbeaten (2-0-1) in its last three meetings with VCU, including a 0-0 overtime tie in its last trip to Richmond in the 2005 season. Last year, Hofstra met both teams at home and came away with a 1-0 win over James Madison and a 2-1 comeback win over Virginia Commonwealth.

4 2007 Hofstra Men s Soccer Roster No. Name Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School/Last School 00 Mike Arnold GK Fr Newtown, PA/Council Rock North 0 James Winters GK So Austin, TX/James Bowie 1 Tom Johansen GK Sr Northport, NY/Northport 2 Brian Gundich D Jr Harrogate, England/St. John Fisher s/louisburg College 3 Ray Hassett M/F Sr Bay Shore, NY/St. John the Baptist/Loyola (MD) College 4 Jamal Neptune D So East Windsor, NJ/Hightstown 5 Kevin Mira D/M Fr Daly City, CA/San Francisco Univ. High 6 Corey Gudmundson D Jr Dallas, TX/Poteet 7 Chris Cox M Sr Nottingham, England/Arnold Hill School 8 Charalambos Rossides D/M Sr Nicosia, Cyprus/The Grammar School/New Mexico 9 Richard Martinez D So Highland, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes 10 Bill Pinto D/M So Audobon, NJ/St. Augustine College Prep 11 Paul Alexander D/M Fr Bridgetown, Barbados/O-Level Institute/Barbados CC 12 Demont Mitchell M/F Fr Delray Beach, FL/IMG Academy 14 Adrian Papaluca M Sr Winston Hills, Australia/Oakhill College/Southampton 15 Evan Jaep D/M Fr Sicklerville, NJ/St. Augustine Prep 16 Eamonn McKiernan M Fr West Hartford, CT/Conard 17 Rob Youhill M So Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England/Harrogate 18 Rory McCrea M So Sherburn-In-Elmet, Leeds, England/Sherburn 19 John Alberda F Fr East Northport, NY/Commack 20 Johannes Grahn F Fr Tibro, Sweden/Sandagymnasiet 21 Justin Flood M/F Jr Hauppauge, NY/Hauppauge/Boston College 23 Joseph Amendolare D/M Fr Greenlawn, NY/Harborfields 24 Steven Ehrichs D/M Fr Brentwood, NY/Brentwood Head Coach: Richard Nuttall (Carnegie, 1984) Associate Head Coach: Brian Suskiewicz Volunteer Assistants: Gary Book, Peter Zaratin Pronunciation Guide: 1 Tom Johansen joe-han-sin 2 Brian Gundich GUN-ditch 5 Kevin Mira MY-ruh 6 Corey Gudmundson GOOD-mund-sin 8 Charalambos Rossides HAIR-uh-lum-bis raw-seed-ees 14 Adrian Papaluca PAP-uh-loo-kuh 15 Evan Jaep JAPP 16 Eamonn McKiernan AY-min 17 Rob Youhill U-hill 18 Rory McCrea mick-cray 19 John Alberda al-bird-uh 20 Johannes Grahn yo-hahn-iss GRAHN 23 Joseph Amendolare uh-mend-oh-lar-ay 24 Steven Ehrichs AIR-icks HC Richard Nuttall nut-tall AC Brian Suskiewicz suss-kev-itz

5 Hofstra Combined Team Statistics (as of Oct 15, 2007) All games RECORD: OVERALL HOME AWAY NEUTRAL ALL GAMES... ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) CONFERENCE... ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) NON-CONFERENCE... ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) DATE OPPONENT W/L SCORE ATT ## PLAYER GP G A Pts Sh Shot% SOG SOG% GW PK-AT Aug 31 at Oakland T O Grahn, Johannes Sep 02 at Michigan L Hassett, Ray Sep 07 at Stony Brook L Youhill, Rob Sep 12 at #4 Connecticut L Cox, Chris Sep 14 SAN DIEGO W OT Alberda, John Sep 16 LOYOLA L Flood, Justin Sep 22 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON T O Martinez, Richard *Oct 05 at William and Mary L Pinto, Bill *Oct 07 at Old Dominion L McCrea, Rory *Oct 12 GEORGIA STATE W Papaluca, Adrian *Oct 14 UNC WILMINGTON W Rossides,Charalambos Gudmundson, Corey TEAM STATISTICS HOFSTRA OPP 15 Jaep, Evan Mitchell, Demont SHOT STATISTICS... 4 Neptune, Jamal Goals-Shot attempts Ehrichs, Steven Goals scored average Amendolare, Joseph Shot pct McKiernan, Eamonn Shots on goal-attempts Alexander, Paul SOG pct Mira, Kevin Shots/Game Johansen, Tom Assists Arnold, Mike CORNER KICKS Total PENALTY KICKS Opponents PENALTIES... Yellow cards Red cards GOAL AVERAGE- -SAVES- ATTENDANCE... ## GOALTENDERS GP Minutes GA Avg Sv Pct W L T Sho Total Dates/Avg Per Date... 5/420 6/ Arnold, Mike 5 209: Neutral Site #/Avg... 0/0 1 Johansen, Tom : Total : Opponents : GOALS BY PERIOD 1st 2nd OT OT2 Total Hofstra Opponents SHOTS BY PERIOD 1st 2nd OT OT2 Total Hofstra Opponents SAVES BY PERIOD 1st 2nd OT OT2 Total Hofstra Opponents CORNER KICKS BY PRD 1st 2nd OT OT2 Total Hofstra Opponents FOULS BY PERIOD 1st 2nd OT OT2 Total Hofstra Opponents