On a very rainy evening in Hempstead, it was a bit of more of the same for the Hofstra Pride. After a sluggish first half, where Delaware led 4-2 at halftime, Hofstra used a 5-1 run in the 3rd quarter to propel to a 8-6 win in the CAA Semifinals. For a team that's made a living off of close games this season, Hofstra came away with yet another two-goal win.
The tide turned when Hofstra began to take over the possession game in the 3rd quarter. Although Kris Clarke was dominant at the faceoff X all night for the Pride (going 14 for 18), the Pride limited their turnovers and became more efficient on offense in the 3rd, scoring 4 straight in the stanza. When Delaware got the ball, their possessions were ineffective, scoring only one more goal in the 2nd half after taking a 5-3 lead. The Hens got a boost to keep the game close all night with Conor Peaks in net, racking up 10 saves in the game.
Long stick midfielder Ryan Rielly ended up as one of Hofstra's main offensive weapons on the night, scoring twice. Attackman Sam Llinares also tallied up 2 goals. The Blue Hens were led on offense by midfielder Steve DeLargy, with two goals and an assist.
Hofstra led the shots department 27-15, with 18 on goal compared to Delaware's 9. The Pride also scooped up 40 ground balls to the Hens' 28 on a night where the ball was slipping around in the torrential downpours. Both teams were 0 for 1 on EMOs and cleared all but 3 times.
The Pride will now go on to host the CAA Championship on Saturday against the winner of the postponed Drexel-Towson semifinal. Word here in the press box is that the game has a 3 pm faceoff, but we'll confirm it once we get an official word.