Hofstra falls to Georgetown in second round of NCAA soccer tourney
Hofstra's Pablo Casado shoots right in front of net during the first round in the NCAA men's soccer tournament where Hofstra defeated Lehigh 2-1 in OT at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York on Nov. 19, 2015. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
Patric Pray gave the Hofstra men's soccer team a fighting chance with seven saves, but two late goals by No. 2 Georgetown sealed a 3-0 win over the visiting Pride Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Brandon Allen's penalty-kick goal put Georgetown (16-2-2) up by two in the 87th minute and Alex Muyl scored three minutes later to make it 3-0. Pray was strong otherwise with four saves in the second half, including two from close range in the 71st minute.
Hofstra (14-8), which made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006, fell behind when Arun Basuljevic converted a centering pass five minutes in. The Pride regrouped and limited the damage in the next 80 minutes.
"I think guys were just nervous and had the jitters from it being such a big game," said Pray, who finished his career second on Hofstra's all-time shutout list with 19.
"It took them scoring on us for us to find our rhythm, and in the second half we started turning things around. We had some decent opportunities and were pushing a little more."
Hofstra played with 10 men after Nino Alfonso's red card in the 79th minute but nearly scored five minutes later. Meshack Eshun Addy had a chance but shot the ball just high.
Hofstra coach Richard Nuttall said his team was outplayed in the first half but "made a game" of it in the second half against a high-caliber team.
"I think we've had a wonderful season overall," Nuttall said. "We're [Colonial Athletic Association] champions, we won a first-round NCAA game and we lost to one of the top teams in the country. I think the future looks rosy. Looking back on this year, we've got to be very proud of what we achieved.''
