Hofstra motivated for success

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The Hofstra men’s soccer team was picked to finish near the bottom of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), but the lowered expectations from the outside are just one of the many ways the Pride are being driven for success in 2014.

“The polls are just another step in the motivational ladder,” said longtime head coach Richard Nuttall, who has led the program since 1988. “Internally everybody is motivated.”

The Pride, which returns five of its top 10 scorers, was picked seventh in the CAA preseason poll. Hofstra, which is coming off an 8-7 season, is aiming for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2006. The top six teams in the CAA reach the conference playoffs. 

Hofstra’s offense in 2013 was led by Maid Memic, who finished second in the CAA with 23 points including 10 goals. The senior forward from Kozarac, Bosnia registered four-game winning goals last season and has 20 career tallies in 54 matches for his collegiate career.

“He is our true goal scorer,” said Nuttall of Memic, who also excels academically and was one of just 30 men’s soccer student-athletes across the country to be named a candidate for the 2014 Senior CLASS Award. “He is a quality player.”

Memic is one of eight returning starters, which includes many with European influence. Along with Memic, five of the Pride’s returning starters are from across the pond including Elliot Firth (England), Marius Flateboe (Norway), Rory Murphy (England) and Reece Alexander (England). Two key newcomers to the starting lineup on defense also hail from Europe in senior Daniel Grundei (Germany) and Harri Hawkins (England).

“It’s a matter of the contacts you build up through the years,” said Nuttall, an England native, of the heavy European influence on his roster to go along with local talent. 

Other Hofstra players who had starting roles last season include Brentwood native Mario Ruiz, Nino Alfonso of West Islip, who scored a goal in a 2-2 tie at St. John’s on Sept. 4, and junior goalkeeper Patrick Pray, who transferred from the University of Washington. A key reserve on last year’s team was Valley Stream North graduate and Franklin Square native Lerthon Theuma, who scored a game-winning goal with one second remaining in his collegiate debut against Colgate last year. 

Pray will help anchor the Pride defense after going 5-2-1 with four shutouts in 2013. He posted at 0.92 goals-against-average and a .822 save percentage while splitting time with senior netminder Roberto Pellegrini. Rockville Centre native Thomas Germano will contribute in a backup role in his freshman season after earning All-County honors as a senior at South Side High School. “Pray is outstanding in goal,” Nuttall said. “We know we can count on him.”

Hofstra’s goal is a CAA title but Nuttall is also hoping his team can position themselves for an at-large bid by setting up a challenging non-conference schedule. The CAA had three teams selected for the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and 2013 with four earning bids in 2011. The conference will be boasted even more by the addition of Elon, which reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year.

“This conference is tremendously competitive on a national level,” said Nuttall of the CAA. “The CAA competition is tremendous.”

Hofstra’s grueling non-conference slate includes three teams who made the NCAAs last year in Northwestern, St. John’s and Wake Forest. After playing its first five games on the road, Hofstra opens its home schedule on Sept. 14 against Dartmouth starting at 1 p.m. The Pride’s CAA home opener is scheduled for Oct. 11 against William & Mary at 7 p.m.

“We want to take each game as it comes and not look too far ahead,” Nuttall said. “It’s a young team but we have high expectations.”