HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – An early goal was enough to decide the road matchup on Monday night on Long Island, as the University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team fell to Hofstra, 1-0.
Quaker Notemeal
*The Pride have won the CAA in back-to-back seasons, making the NCAA postseason in each of the last two years.
*The Quakers were level on shots with Hofstra, 7-7, while putting three on target compared to the two by the Pride.
*Three different Quakers had shots on goal:
Michael Hewes,
Stas Korzeniowski, and
Mathis Varin.
*Corner kick opportunities were even for the match, 6-6.
*Back in net,
Nick Christoffersen tended for the full 90 minutes, making one save.
How It Happened
The action started quickly in the contest with the lone goal of the match coming in the seventh minute. On the first corner for the Pride, a cross into the middle of the box was flicked to the back post where a Hofstra player connected on a header for the 1-0 start.
It wasn't more than two minutes later when the Quakers looked to respond when Hewes got off his first shot of the game but was pulled in by the Pride keeper.
Hewes continued his offensive push later in the half. In the 31st minute, he found some breathing room at the top of the 18, ripping a shot off the crossbar.
As the Penn defense held the Pride to minimal shot attempts into the second half, the Quakers put another two on target from the feet of Korzeniowski and Varin, but both were pulled in.
The last opportunity for Hofstra came in the 56th minute with some space inside the 18. A quick rip past the defender, the Pride thought they had the finish on the left side, but Christoffersen halted any celebration with a diving save to keep the deficit to one.
In the closing minutes, Penn controlled the tempo and kept the ball in the offensive third. With timing ticking down, a great cross in the closing seconds looked to be a possibility of drawing the match even before the whistle but the Pride shut it down.
Up Next
The four-match road trip to open the season continues Friday, traveling to Happy Valley for a non-conference battle with Penn State. Start time is set for 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions are currently 2-0-2 after topping St. John's on Monday night, 2-0.
For the latest on Penn men's soccer, follow @PennMSoccer on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com
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