The Monmouth University men’s soccer team (2-2-0, 0-2 CAA) faced CAA preseason favorite Hofstra (3-2-0, 1-1 CAA) on Saturday, Sept. 10. The match remained scoreless until the 80th minute when Hofstra’s Ryan Carmichael scored the game-winning goal off of a set piece header, assisted by midfielder Eliot Goldthorp.
Despite the late goal that decided the match, Monmouth goalie Eryk Dymora made three outstanding saves to keep the score locked at 0-0 for the majority of the game. The first 45 minutes of play were equal between the Hawks and the Pride, with both teams finishing the first half with four shots and two saves.
Dymora made a diving save to prevent a Hofstra goal less than two minutes into the second half, stopping a shot from Hofstra midfielder Roc Carles. The Monmouth goalie faced several other shot attempts from the Pride before eventually allowing a goal with a mere 10 minutes left of play. Hofstra’s Carmichael scored off of a corner kick, which ultimately decided the match and led the Pride to victory. Monmouth earned only four corners compared to Hofstra’s six, which proved to be an important difference in this matchup.
By the end of the match, Monmouth was outshot by Hofstra 11 to seven but matched the Pride in shots on goal with a total of four from both teams. Hofstra goalie Wessel Speel saved all four of the Hawks’ attempts. However, Hofstra’s shot on goal in the 80th minute slipped past Monmouth’s Dymora to put the Pride ahead of the Hawks and decided the match as the game’s only goal.
Monmouth generated multiple scoring opportunities against the Hofstra backline with shot attempts from six different players throughout the match, although no one was able to find the back of the net to bring the Hawks back into the game. Midfielder Griffin Tomas led Monmouth’s scoring attempts with two shots and an additional shot on goal.
Both teams played a physical match. Hofstra committed 17 fouls and drew four yellow cards, while Monmouth followed closely with 13 fouls and three yellow cards.
Despite the close loss for the Hawks, the team played an outstanding match against the highly ranked Hofstra. Monmouth suffered another close loss to UNC Wilmington (1-1-2, 1-0-1 CAA) on Saturday, Sept. 3 with a final score of 2-0. Notably, Monmouth allowed a mere three combined goals to Hofstra and UNCW who finished first and second in the Preseason CAA Coaches’ Poll, respectively.
Saturday’s match against Hofstra marks Monmouth goalie Dymora’s third time reaching the three-save mark in 2022. He has only allowed goals in two of the Hawks’ eight halves of play thus far this season, keeping the majority of shots out of the net.
The Hawks will be on the road for their next CAA matchup as they face College of Charleston on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m.
