Grow the Game®

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on reddit
Share on whatsapp

Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Preview: Hofstra

We’re breaking down all the NCAA D1 teams one by one. Welcome to the Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Previews! We move another spot down the list and the Hofstra Pride, located on beautiful Long Island, in Hempstead, NY, are up for Preview!

If Drexel was the best 8-8 team last year, Hofstra had to have been the best 6-8 team in 2012. Heck, they might have been the best 6-8 team EVER! Of their 8 losses, only TWO were by more than one goal. That’s insane. Hofstra lost one goal games to Fairfield (3 OTs), Notre Dame (OT), Drexel, Towson (2 OTs), UMass, and Penn State (2 OTs). That’s a lot of tough losses.

https://youtu.be/yn7y8_7JTzo

After scrimmaging Holy Cross, Syracuse, Marquette and Penn, Hofstra begins their 2013 season. They will face their Colonial foes (Delaware, Drexel, Towson, St. Joe’s, UMass, and Penn State) and also take on Sacred Heart, Princeton, Fairfield, Harvard, Notre Dame, St. Johns, UNC, and Dartmouth. Another tough road, so can Hofstra make a big jump this year from last year’s disappointing end result?

Adrian Sorichetti, Lance Yapor, Tyler Begley, Torin Varn, and Mike Malave are all back for the Pride, and they bring back 101 points in total. The Pride have some offensive depth, and a number of good players could step in and have big years. Scoring was an issue at time last year, but the 2013 group seems improved and ready to produce. John Antoniades should continue to win face offs for Hofstra as well.

Hofstra has five goalies on their roster, but few saw any time last year because Andre Gvozden was in net. I get the feeling one of these guys will emerge as a stud, but I have no idea who it will be. I’ll know more on the 26th when they scrimmage HC and Cuse.

To help whoever the starting goalie ends up being, Hofstra returns some experience on D. Cody Salaja and Mark Mullen both started 13 games last year, and played in all 14. Corey Caputo also returns and he started 9 games and played in all 14.

With ten freshman on the roster and 13 sophomores, many of whom have excellent pedigrees, Hofstra can expect a couple to blossom this year into impressive players. Do I think Hofstra will be better than 6-8 in 2013? You bet I do. How much better? A lot of that depends on their goalie situation, but they should definitely be a Top 20 team.

Click HERE to see Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Preview posts for Air Force, Albany, Army, Bellarmine, Binghamton, Brown, Bryant, Bucknell, Canisius, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, Denver, Detroit, Drexel, Duke, Fairfield, Hartford, Harvard, High Point, and Hobart!