TOWSON, Md. ? After dominating long-time rival Hofstra for most of the second half, the Tigers (5-7, 3-2) had built a 10-7 lead with 8:33 remaining in regulation. However, the fifth-ranked Pride (9-1, 5-0) rallied with four straight goals and posted their fifth one-goal win of the season with an 11-10 verdict in a Colonial Athletic Association game at Unitas Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Senior midfielder Ryan Carter scored the game-winning goal with 3.2 seconds left in regulation as the Pride clinched a share of the CAA regular season title with the victory. The Pride can secure the outright title and the top seed for the conference tournament with a win over Villanova on April 25.
“Turnovers were a big problem for us today,” Towson Coach Tony Seaman said. “That's why Hofstra is ranked fifth in the country and we're not. That's why they're 9-1 and we're not.”
After the Pride took a timeout with 10 seconds remaining, Carter scored on a shot from six yards out past junior goalkeeper Rob Wheeler to give Hofstra a one-goal advantage. The Pride won the ensuing face-off and earned the victory.
The Pride took a quick 3-0 lead with three unassisted goals before junior midfielder Pat Britton led a four-goal run by the Tigers, giving Towson a 4-3 advantage with 9:23 remaining in the second quarter.
After senior midfielder Anthony Muscarella tied the game at 4-4, Britton and junior midfielder Will Harrington tallied back-to-back goals to give Towson a two-goal lead with 12:44 remaining in the third quarter.
The teams exchanged goals twice before Harrington scored his second goal of the game, an unassisted goal with 0.7 seconds remaining in the third quarter to give Towson a 9-6 advantage.
Freshman midfielder Brad Loizeaux scored an unassisted goal with 10:49 remaining in the fourth quarter to narrow the margin to 9-7 before freshman attackman Sean Maguire regained the Tigers' three-goal cushion by scoring off a feed from senior attackman Bill McCutcheon with 8:33 left.
With 6:31 remaining, Carter scored off a feed from senior midfielder Michael Colleluori to ignite the Pride's four-goal run. Muscarella and freshman attackman Kevin Ford also scored goals to tie the score at 10-10, setting the stage for Carter's heroic effort.
Muscarella led the Pride by scoring a season-high four goals while Ford added the first “hat trick” of his college career with three goals.
Making the first start of his college career, Britton scored three goals to lead the Tigers in the loss while Harrington added a pair of goals. Senior midfielder Mitchell Rosensweig won 16 of 25 face-offs along with a season-high 13 ground balls.
Wheeler had 13 saves in the loss for Towson as the Pride outshot the Tigers by a 38-28 margin.
The Tigers will complete their Colonial Athletic Association schedule next Saturday afternoon when they travel to the University of Delaware for a 1 p.m. game against the Blue Hens. The game will be broadcast in the Baltimore area on WTMD-FM 89.7.
Meanwhile, the Pride will host 10th-ranked North Carolina next Saturday night at James M. Shuart Stadium at 7 p.m.
Goals: HOF ? Anthony Muscarella 4, Kevin Ford 3, Ryan Carter 2, Tom Dooley 1, Brad Loizeaux 1; TOW ? Pat Britton 3, Will Harrington 2, Tim Stratton 1, Randall Cooper 1, Sean Maguire 1, Kyle Smedley 1, Matt Lamon 1. Assists: HOF ? Michael Colleluori 2, Jay Card 1; TOW ? Justin Schneider 3, Randall Cooper 1, Bill McCutcheon 1, Mitchell Rosensweig 1, Tim Stratton 1. Saves: HOF ? Andrew Gvozden 9 (60:00, 10 goals allowed); TOW ? Rob Wheeler 13 (60:00, 11 goals allowed). Shots: HOF ? 38; TOW ? 28. Extra-Man Opportunities: HOF ? 0 for 1; TOW ? 0 for 0. Attendance: 993.