HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY MEN'S SOCCER - WEEKLY NOTES (5-6, 1-1 CAA)

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1 HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY MEN'S SOCCER - WEEKLY NOTES (5-6, 1-1 CAA) STREAKS, STATS AND STORYLINES: Hofstra has a huge conference weekend against William & Mary and fourth-ranked Old Dominion. Old Dominion is the highest-ranked team Hofstra has ever played. William & Mary was also nationally-ranked prior to falling to defending conference champion VCU Friday. Saturday's game with Old Dominion will feature the official grand opening of the new Hofstra Soccer Stadium prior to kick-off. Junior midfielder Michael Hermann is coming off a twogoal game in a 3-1 win over St. Francis (NY) on Sunday. Senior defensive midfielder Arni Gunnarsson has played 4413 out of a possible 4453 minutes since the 2001 season, including a stretch of 26 games in a row without a substitution. Gunnarsson, a 2002 First-Team Academic All-American, also has a team-high five assists this fall. Hofstra s Tentative Starters Pos.No. Name Cl. G-A-P F 9 Michael Todd So M 2 Billy Chung So M 7 Paulo Walters Fr M 10 Michael Hermann Jr M 12 Matthew Telling Jr DM 4 Arni Gunnarsson Sr B 3 Alexander Kornprobst So B 5 Gary Flood Fr B 6 Andri Albertsson So B 23 Rishi Matadeen Sr G 21 Matthias Gumbrecht So GAA,.809 save% Off The Bench F 19 Paul Saccoccio Sr F/M 15 Jason Gates So M 17 Arman Osooli Fr M 11 Pablo Lara Jr B 20 James Bentley Jr B 22 Arnel Andrada Fr G 1 D.J. Greening Jr GAA,.680 sv% LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Sunday Oct. 12 Hofstra 3, St. Francis 1 THIS WEEK'S GAMES: Friday, Oct. 17 Home vs. William & Mary, 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18 Home vs. ODU, 7:30 p.m. Last Game Recap: Junior midfielder Michael Hermann (Erlangen, Germany) scored two goals and junior midfielder Matthew Telling (Rotherham, England) added one to lead the Hofstra Men's Soccer team to a 3-1 win over St. Francis (N.Y.) on Sunday evening at Hofstra Soccer Stadium. Senior midfielder Arni Gunnarsson (Kopavogur, Iceland) added a pair of assists for Hofstra. Hermann got the scoring started on a beautiful diving header just 4:05 into the contest. The play started on the right wing, when Gunnarsson sent a cross off a give-and-go with sophomore back Alexander Kornprobst (Erlangen, Germany). Gunnarsson's cross went all the way to the far post, where Hermann laid out for a diving header from five yards out which popped into the air and into the upper right corner. Telling extended the Pride advantage to 2-0 with a goal at the 19:49 mark. Hofstra took a corner kick, which was headed away by the St. Francis defense. However, the ball found its way to Hofstra freshman Gary Flood (Hauppauge, NY), who played it back to Telling. Telling let fire from 30 yards out, and his perfectly placed shot eluded the dive of Terrier goalkeeper Paul Varani and deflected off the left post before going in. Hofstra took a 2-0 lead into halftime, which was nearly cut in half when Alessandro Acquista hit the left post with a 15-yard shot in the final 10 seconds of the opening stanza. Hofstra stretched its lead to 3-0 early in the second half. Gunnarsson played the ball wide to sophomore forward Michael Todd (Cleveland, England) along the right sideline. Todd sent a low cross into the center of the penalty area, where Gunnarsson chipped it to the far post. Hermann crashed in from the left wing and headed the ball in from three yards out for his second goal of the day. St. Francis scored its only goal with 14:34 left in regulation to close out the scoring. Matthias Gumbrecht (Hemhofen, Germany) had four saves for the Pride to pick up the win in goal, while Varani had seven saves for the Terriers. 1

2 Stadium Dedication This Weekend: The official dedication ceremony for the brand-new Hofstra Soccer Stadium will take place this Saturday, October 18, when the women's team faces William & Mary at 5:00 and the men's team meets Old Dominion at 7:30 in a doubleheader. Complete with a state-of-the-art field turf surface and permanent bleacher seating for 1,600 fans, Hofstra Soccer Stadium replaces the old University Field as the new home for the Hofstra Men's and Women's Soccer programs. The Hofstra Men's Soccer team's season-opening game against Villanova on Sept. 1 marked the first-ever game played at the brand-new Hofstra Soccer Stadium, with Villanova capturing the 2-1 win. Gunnarsson's Streak Ends: Senior midfielder Arni Gunnarsson (Kopavogur, Iceland) checked out of the game with a little over six minutes remaining in the Pride's 3-0 win over Stony Brook on Saturday, Sept. 20. It marked the first time that Gunnarsson has come out of a game since the 2001 season against Albany. He played every minute of the entire 2002 campaign as well as the first five contests of His streak included playing the entire game, including both overtimes, in 103-degree heat against California-Riverside at the Nevada-Las Vegas tournament last year. Since the start of the 2001 season, he has played 4413 out of a possible 4453 minutes, and that includes 20 minutes of bench time against St. Francis on Sunday, when he came out with the Pride holding a 3-0 lead. He has only missed two games in his college career as a freshman to play with Iceland's junior national team. Arni Gunnarsson's Streak -- By The Numbers: Consecutive Complete Games Played Without A Substitution: 26 Consecutive Minutes Played Without A Substitution: 2491:13 Consecutive Hours Played Without A Substitution: 41.5 Consecutive Days Elapsed Without A Substitution: 691 Hofstra Substitutions During The Streak: 179 Goals Scored During The Streak: 87 (43 by Hofstra) Shots Taken During The Streak: 775 (382 by Hofstra) Goalkeeper Saves During The Streak: 263 (137 by Hofstra) Corner Kicks During The Streak: 259 (117 by Hofstra) Fouls Committed During The Streak: 836 (427 by Hofstra) Cards Issued During The Streak: 93 (52 against Hofstra) Gunnarsson Named First-Team Academic All- American: Senior Arni Gunnarsson (Kopavogur, Iceland), who carries a 3.9 GPA in engineering, was named a Verizon/CoSIDA First-Team Academic All- American for the 2002 season. He was also named firstteam All-Colonial Athletic Association by the conference's coaches and was voted the Pride's Most Valuable Player last fall. Hofstra Faces Highest-Ranked Team: The Old Dominion Men's Soccer team currently ranks No. 4 in the nation with a 10-0 record. That marks the highest rank of any team that the Pride has ever faced, passing the No. 6 ranking of Santa Clara in The Monarchs shut out the first nine teams they played, while knocking off nationally-ranked Stanford, California and Wake Forest. Old Dominion finally allowed its first goal of the season in a 2-1 win over defending CAA champion VCU on Sunday. The last time Old Dominion visited Hofstra was in 2001 for a non-conference game when Hofstra was still in the America East Conference, when with the Pride earning a 3-2 overtime victory at University Field. Matadeen Strikes Again: Senior back Rishi Matadeen (South Yorkshire, England) has been a regular starter in the Pride's defensive backfield for all four years. However, he has had a tremendous amount of success throughout his career coming forward on restarts. He put the Pride ahead 1-0 in its loss to San Diego on Sept. 28, when he came forward on a corner kick and headed the ball into the net from 10 yards out. It was Matadeen's eighth career goal, all of which have come on headers. Even though he has had some success scoring, his biggest value to the Pride is as a defender, which was proven in the San Diego loss. With eight minutes left and the Pride trailing 2-1, the coaching staff moved him forward to try for an equalizing goal. Without Matadeen on the back line, the Toreros scored four times in the final 6:20 to capture a 6-1 win. Todd Emerges As Top Scoring Threat: Hofstra has been looking for some scoring punch this season and may have found the answer in sophomore forward Michael Todd (Cleveland, England). After scoring one goal in his first four games on a penalty kick, Todd exploded with three goals in two games against Marist and Stony Brook and added the game-winning goal in the closing minutes of the Pride's 1-0 win over James Madison on Sunday, Oct. 5. Hermann Breaks Out: Through the first 10 games of the season, sophomore Michael Todd (Cleveland, England) was the only Hofstra player with more than one goal. That changed against St. Francis (N.Y.) on Sunday as junior midfielder Michael Hermann (Erlangen, Germany) scored twice, both on headers, to raise his season goal count to three. He almost had a hat trick on a third header late in the game, but just missed outside the far post. Up Next: The Pride returns home next weekend for a pair of conference games, facing VCU on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and UNCW on Saturday at 6 p.m. 2

3 Game 1 Recap: (Villanova 2, Hofstra 1): Freshman midfielder Felix Vincent had a goal and an assist as the Villanova Men's Soccer team spoiled the opening of the Hofstra Soccer Stadium with a 2-1 win over the Pride on Monday, Sept. 1. Junior forward Michael Todd (Cleveland, England) scored the only goal for the Pride on a penalty kick midway through the second half after Villanova was whistled for a hand ball in the box. Villanova keeper Pat Walsh dove and got his fingertips on the ball, but was unable to keep it out of the side netting as the Pride pulled within 2-1. Villanova's defense then put the clamps on the rest of the way as Hofstra managed only two more shot attempts, both of which were from well outside the penalty area. The Wildcats jumped out to a 2-0 halftime lead behind a strong first half from Vincent. He set up the opening goal with a long run down the sideline, turning the corner on Hofstra's final defender. He dribbled all the way to the end line inside the penalty area, and sent a low cross towards the front of the goal. Sophomore midfielder Brett Stassfurth ran onto it and was able to deposit and easy shot from five yards out at the 29:20 mark. Villanova doubled its lead in the closing minutes before halftime, as it took advantage of a Hofstra giveaway in its defensive third. Freshman forward Marcelo Rodriguez stole the ball and set a lateral pass across the top of the penalty area. Vincent ran onto it unguarded and banged a shot inside the right post from 12 yards out. The Pride was outshot 12-7, but managed to put only one of its seven shots on goal (the penalty kick from Todd). Game 2 Recap (Hofstra 2, Oneonta 1): Sophomore midfielder Michael Hermann (Erlangen, Germany) scored 11:38 into the second half to break a 1-1 tie and give the Hofstra Men's Soccer team a 2-1 win over Oneonta State on Saturday, Sept. 6 at the Mayor's Cup in Oneonta, NY. The Red Dragons took a 1-0 lead in just the second minute of the game, when Jme Amaoko scored an unassisted goal from the right side at the 1:52 mark. The Pride knotted the score midway through the first half on the first career goal from freshman back Gary Flood (Hauppauge, NY), who converted on a header off a corner kick taken by junior midfielder Pablo Lara (Edison, NJ) with 17:37 left in the opening stanza. Hofstra then broke the deadlock early in the second half, as Hermann scored on a header off a cross from sophomore midfielder Jason Gates (Fort Collins, CO) at the 56:38 mark. It would turn out to be Hofstra's only shot of the whole second half. The Pride defense buckled down the rest of the way and held on for the 2-1 victory. Sophomore goalkeeper Matthias Gumbrecht (Hemhofen, Germany) had five saves to get the win in goal, while Jack Potter did not have a save for Oneonta, which held an 11-6 edge in shot attempts. Game 3 Recap (Hartwick 1, Hofstra 0): Greg Victor scored the game's only goal at the 12:38 mark of the first half to lead the Hartwick Men's Soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Hofstra on Sunday, Sept. 8 at the Mayor's Cup at Oneonta State University. Victor's goal came early in the contest when he converted on an unassisted tally with his left foot on a blast which ricocheted in off the right post past Hofstra goalkeeper Matthias Gumbrecht (Hemhofen, Germany). Hofstra tried to push forwatd to get the equalizer, but was unable to get the ball past Hartwick goalkeeper Josh Wagenaar, who had five saves. Senior back Rishi Matadeen (South Yorkshire, England) had a pair of defensive saves in the second half four minutes apart to keep the score 1-0. The Pride had a couple of solid chances to net the equalizer, particularly from junior forward Michael Todd (Cleveland, England), who had five shots on the day. However, Hartwick held on for the one-goal margin of victory. Gumbrecht had six saves for Hofstra, which was outshot for the day and was on the short end of a 6-2 spread in corner kicks. Game 4 Recap: (Hofstra 1, Columbia 0): Senior midfielder Arni Gunnarsson (Kopavogur, Iceland) scored with 12:15 left in regulation to break a 0-0 tie and give the Hofstra Men's Soccer team a 1-0 win over Columbia on Saturday, Sept. 13 at Hofstra Soccer Stadium. The game-winning goal came off a corner kick taken by sophomore midfielder Michael Hermann (Erlangen, Germany). Hermann sent the ball around 12 yards in front of the near post, where Gunnarsson leapt and flicked a header on net. The ball was nearly saved off the line by the Columbia defender at the far post, but it deflected off his shin and rolled in. Columbia almost evened the score just moments later as forward Scott Waddell got free in the box and sent a shot in on Hofstra goalkeeper Matthias Gumbrecht (Hemhofen, Germany). Gumbrecht made the initial save, and Columbia reserve forward Ajene Green sent the rebound just wide. The Lions managed just one more shot the rest of the way, from midfielder John Mulhern, as the Pride maintained possession for most of the closing minutes to preserve the win. Gumbrecht had six saves to record his first shutout of the season for Hofstra. Dean Arnaoutakis also had six saves for Columbia. 3

4 Game 5 Recap (Marist 3, Hofstra 1): David Musinski and Keith Detelj each had a goal and an assist as Marist captured a 3-1 win over Hofstra on Wednesday, Sept. 17 in the first ever night game at Hofstra Soccer Stadium. Detelj scored the game-winning goal with just under 14 minutes in regulation. After a defensive giveaway by the Pride near midfield, Musinski broke in alone on Hofstra goalkeeper Matthias Gumbrecht along the left edge of the penalty box. His low shot rolled under Gumbrecht and all the way through the goalmouth, where it deflected off the far post. Detelj then beat the Hofstra defense to the loose ball and slipped a shot into the net from two yards out just before Gumbrecht could recover to put the Red Foxes up 2-1 with 13:43 left in the game. Marist's Kyle Nunes then added an insurance goal with 4:28 left to play when he put in a rebound off a shot from Detelj that Gumbrecht saved. Hofstra had the better of the early play and converted in the eighth minute to take a 1-0 lead. The play was set up with some beautiful passing inside the penalty area as freshman forward Paulo Walters sent a diagonal pass to senior midfielder Arni Gunnarsson. Gunnarsson then one-timed a through ball to send junior forward Michael Todd in alone on goal. Todd calmly placed a shot under onrushing Marist goalie Mike Valenti to put the Pride ahead 1-0 at the 7:55 mark. However, the Red Foxes fought back to even the score at 1-1 midway through the first half as Musinski one-timed a crossing pass from Matt Flaherty from 18 yards out that went over the head of Gumbrecht and under the crossbar. Walters nearly gave the Pride the lead late in the second half when he cranked a shot off the right post from 18 yards out. Just three minutes later, Detelj converted to give Marist the 2-1 lead instead. Hofstra held a edge in shots, but had trouble with its accuracy, as only three of its 15 second half shots were on target. Valenti had six saves to get the win for Marist, while Gumbrecht finished with four saves for Hofstra. Game 6 Recap (Hofstra 3, Stony Brook 0): Sophomore forward Jason Gates (Fort Collins, CO) scored with 4:23 left in the first half to break a 0-0 tie, and junior forward Michael Todd (Cleveland, England) added a pair of second-half goals as the Hofstra Men's Soccer team captured a 3-0 road win over Stony Brook on Sept. 20. Hofstra had the better of the first half play, outshooting the Seawolves 15-4, but had trouble beating Stony Brook senior goalkeeper Dan Ferrin, who had seven saves in the opening stanza. However, with just under five minutes remaining until halftime, senior midfielder Arni Gunnarsson (Kopavogur, Iceland) won possession near midfield and played a perfect through ball up the middle. Gates got behind the defense and dribbled in alone on goal. Ferrin got a piece of Gates' low shot, but it managed to slip by and roll into the net to put the Pride up 1-0. The Pride wasted little time in the second half before tacking on an insurance goal. Freshman midfielder Arman Osooli (Commerce, MI), who was making his first career start, one-timed a pass up the middle that sent Todd in alone on goal. Todd calmly slipped a shot past the onrushing Ferrin just 6:55 into the second half to stretch the lead to 2-0. Todd added another insurance goal late in the contest when Gunnarsson sent a crossing pass into the top of the penalty area. Sophomore midfielder Michael Hermann (Erlangen, Germany) chested the ball down for Todd, who cut between the Stony Brook defense alone on goal and deposited a left-footed shot into the lower right corner for his second goal of the game. Junior goalkeeper Daniel Greening (Lake Grove, NY) had six saves in his first start of the season to get the shutout for the Pride while filling in for injured starter Matthias Gumbrecht (Hemhofen, Germany). Ferrin had seven saves for Stony Brook, which outshot Hofstra 10-5 in the second half to close the final margin in that category to in favor of the Pride. Game 7 Recap (San Diego State 2, Hofstra 1): Midfielder Dione Scott scored in the 78th minute to break a 1-1 tie and give the San Diego State Men's Soccer team a 2-1 win over Hofstra on Friday, Sept. 26. Hofstra frehsman forward Paulo Walters (Niantic, CT) scored his first collegiate goal in the 56th minute, just 16 seconds after the Aztecs had taken a 1-0 lead. The goal was set up when sophomore midfielder Jason Gates (Fort Collins, CO) sent a crossing pass in from the right wing that found Walters in the center of the penalty area 15 yards out. However Scott broke the tie with just over 12 minutes remaining when he took advantage of a Pride giveaway in its defensive third. Scott got the ball in the center of the field, dribbled to his right to elude a defender, and sent a 25-yard rocket into the upper-left corner. Hofstra almost evened the game up again a few minutes later, but freshman midfielder Brian Sosa (Plainview, NY), who had just checked into the game moments earlier, just missed over the bar on an open volley from six yards out. Junior goalkeeper Daniel Greening (Lake Grove, NY) had seven saves, the highest total for a Pride goalie this season. San Diego State held an advantage in shots on the afternoon. 4

5 Game 8 Recap (San Diego 6, Hofstra 1): Kevin Wilson broke a 1-1 tie with a goal 5:01 into the second half and the Toreros tacked on four goals in the final 6:20 of regulation to capture a 6-1 win over Hofstra on Sunday Sept. 28 in San Diego. The Pride took a 1-0 lead off a corner kick late in the first half. Sophomore midfielder Michael Hermann (Erlangen, Germany) took the kick and sent a cross to the far post. Senior back Rishi Matadeen (South Yorkshire, England) outjumped the San Diego defense for the ball and headed it into the net with 6:38 left in the opening stanza. However, the Toreros would steal the momentum back on a goal from Ryan Guy with 2:59 left in the first half. Scott Burcar sent a cross into the middle, and Guy flicked the ball with the outside of his foot inside the left post from 15 yards out. Wilson then broke the tie 5:01 into the second half on a crossing pass from Michael Caso. Wilson, a Hofstra defender and the ball all arrived at the same time near the top of the penalty area and Wilson got just enough of the ball to get a shot through on goal. Hofstra goalkeeper D.J. Greening (Lake Grove, NY) was breaking to the near post and the deflected shot caught him on the wrong foot. The ball slowly rolled inside the left post before he could recover to put San Diego ahead 2-1. Hofstra nearly got the equalizing goal with 12 minutes left off a direct kick on a header from junior back James Bentley. However, Bentley was whistled for being offsides on the play. San Diego then broke the game wide open with four goals in the final 6:20 as Hofstra was pushing everyone forward. Jan Prochazka and Nathan LeBoffe each had two goals in the sequence. Greening had four saves for Hofstra, while Lance Friesz had two saves for San Diego, which had a edge in shots. The Pride had a 5-4 edge in corner kicks. Game 9 Recap (GMU 1, Hofstra 0 - OT): Sophomore Steve Alabi scored on a penalty kick in the 93rd minute to lift George Mason to a 1-0 victory in overtime against visiting Hofstra in a Colonial Athletic Association men's college soccer game Friday Oct. 3 at George Mason Stadium. It was the CAA opener for both teams. George Mason sophomore Anthony Noreiga began the game-winning sequence early in the first overtime period with a shot that caromed off the crossbar to sophomore Damian O'Rourke, who headed the rebound toward the goal. Hofstra sophomore goalkeeper Matthias Gumbrecht made the save, but the resulting deflection hit a Pride defender in the arm and a handball offense was whistled. Alabi stepped to the penalty spot and put the ball into the lower-left corner of the net. Junior goalkeeper John O'Hara had two saves for the Patriots, while Gumbrecht had three saves for the Pride. Game 10 Recap (Hofstra 1, JMU 0): Sophomore Michael Todd s (Cleveland, England) goal with less than eight minutes remaining gave visiting Hofstra a 1-0 win over James Madison in Colonial Athletic Association men's soccer Sunday, Oct 5. Freshman Arman Osooli (Commerce, Mich.) sent a short pass ahead to Todd, who faced JMU red-shirt freshman goalkeeper Kevin Trapp in a one-on-one situation. Todd eluded Trapp and scored on a 10-yard shot on an open net. The winning goal came with 7:26 on the clock. The Dukes out-shot Hofstra for the match and held a 12-3 shot advantage in the second period. Pride sophomore goalkeeper Matthias Gumbrecht (Hemhofen, Germany) made five saves to get his second shutout of the year. Game 11 Recap (Hofstra 3, St. Francis 1): Junior midfielder Michael Hermann (Erlangen, Germany) scored two goals and junior midfielder Matthew Telling (Rotherham, England) added one to lead the Hofstra Men's Soccer team to a 3-1 win over St. Francis (N.Y.) on Sunday Oct. 12 at Hofstra Soccer Stadium. Senior midfielder Arni Gunnarsson (Kopavogur, Iceland) added a pair of assists for Hofstra. Hermann got the scoring started on a beautiful diving header just 4:05 into the contest. The play started on the right wing, when Gunnarsson sent a cross off a give-and-go with sophomore back Alexander Kornprobst (Erlangen, Germany). Gunnarsson's cross went all the way to the far post, where Hermann laid out for a diving header from five yards out which popped into the air and into the upper right corner. Telling extended the Pride advantage to 2-0 with a goal at the 19:49 mark. Hofstra took a corner kick, which was headed away by the St. Francis defense. However, the ball found its way to Hofstra freshman Gary Flood (Hauppauge, NY), who played it back to Telling. Telling let fire from 30 yards out, and his perfectly placed shot eluded the dive of Terrier goalkeeper Paul Varani and deflected off the left post before going in. Hofstra took a 2-0 lead into halftime, which was nearly cut in half when Alessandro Acquista hit the left post with a 15-yard shot in the final 10 seconds of the opening stanza. Hofstra stretched its lead to 3-0 early in the second half. Gunnarsson played the ball wide to sophomore forward Michael Todd (Cleveland, England) along the right sideline. Todd sent a low cross into the center of the penalty area, where Gunnarsson chipped it to the far post. Hermann crashed in from the left wing and headed the ball in from three yards out for his second goal of the day. St. Francis scored its only goal with 14:34 left in regulation to close out the scoring. Matthias Gumbrecht (Hemhofen, Germany) had four saves for the Pride to pick up the win in goal, while Varani had seven saves for the Terriers. 5