TOWSON, Md. – Over the years, the Towson-Hofstra men's soccer series has been filled with tight games and wild endings. Wednesday's Colonial Athletic Association game at the Towson Center Soccer Complex provided another exciting chapter as the Pride held off the Tigers by a 1-0 margin to keep their CAA Tournament hopes alive.
Freshman midfielder Stephan Barea scored the game's only goal in the 36th minute as the Pride remained in a tie for second place in the CAA with William & Mary, a 1-0 winner over Georgia State on Wednesday. The top four teams earn a berth in the CAA Tournament, which is scheduled for November 13 and 15 at the site of the regular season champion.
However, the loss eliminated the Tigers from CAA Tournament consideration.
“Today's game had a playoff-type intensity to it,” Towson Coach Frank Olszewski said. “The energy was there for us and I don't think Hofstra was very comfortable during the game. We put pressure on them.”
Barea gave the Pride a one-goal lead with 9:57 remaining in the first half when he collected a rebound of a missed shot by junior forward Johannes Grahn and scored his fourth goal of the season.
Leading by 1-0, the Hofstra defense limited the Tigers to just four shots in the second half to protect the lead. Sophomore goalkeeper Greg Cumpstone made two saves in the second half to earn his third shutout in the last four games.
Making the first start of his college career, senior goalkeeper Frank Fregoso recorded four saves for the Tigers, who were outshot by a 9-8 margin.
The Tigers will play their final home game of the season on Sunday when they host Georgia State at 1 p.m. Prior to kick-off, the Tigers will honor their four seniors, including Fregoso, Tommy Appel-Schumacher, Maxx Hurkamp and Xavier Otero.
College Men's Soccer: Hofstra University 1, Towson University 0
Hofstra (8-6-1, 6-2-1) 1-0 / 1
Towson (6-9-0, 3-6-0) 0-0 / 0
Goals: HOF – Stephan Barea 1 (35:03). Assists: HOF – Johannes Grahn 1. Saves: HOF – Greg Cumpstone 2 (90:00, 0 goals allowed); TOW – Frank Fregoso 4 (90:00, 1 goals allowed), TEAM 1. Shots: HOF – 9; TOW – 8. Corner Kicks: HOF – 3; TOW – 6. Attendance: 177.