Hofstra Falls In Third Round of NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament
Ben Kane
Greenville, SC. (Nov. 30, 2025) - Hofstra fell to Furman 5-4 on penalty kicks on Sunday afternoon, ending a historic season for the Pride. In a 3-3 deadlock through regulation and overtime, Paladins’ midfielder/forward Landon Hill’s penalty sealed the victory to send Furman to the Elite 8.
Richard Nuttall’s final season at the helm of Hofstra saw his program post a 14-5-1 record and earn its third NCAA Tournament Third Round appearance since 2021.
Laurie Goddard netted his third brace of the season, helping send the game to overtime after falling behind 3-1. Gino Cervoni and Sean Bohan split time in goal, with the duo combining for six saves.
After a series of sustained pressure from Furman, Hofstra began to take control. Eighteen minutes in, Thengill Orrason controlled a loose ball about 30 yards out from goal. With time on his side, he swung one into the box perfectly onto the head of Daniel Burko, who flicked it into the bottom corner. At the time, the forward’s 13th goal of the season was the Pride’s only shot of the game.
Both programs had their chances over the next 26 minutes, but it was Furman who struck next. Similar to Hofstra, an out-swinging ball into the box found the right foot of Luke Hutzell to pull the Paladins level at halftime.
Nuttall elected to swap out his keepers at halftime, with Bohan checking in. The senior shot stopper had an immediate impact, first palming a close-range effort over the bar, before making the save of the game. Coming off an in-swinging corner, the ball was pinballing in the box before Bohan slid across his line and deflected an effort from just a few feet away.
With 15 minutes on the clock, Furman took the lead through Wilfer Bustamante redirecting Hutzell’s shot to make the scoreline read 2-1. In the right place at the right time, SoCon Player of the Year Diego Hernandez tapped in a ball from the back post in the 80th minute to double the advantage.
Then, it was Goddard’s time to shine.
The CAA’s Player and Midfielder of the Year drew the Pride within one just seconds later, flicking a shot over the top of the Furman goalkeeper. Just 68 seconds later, Goddard found himself wide-open in the box, redirecting Aleksei Armas’ cross on frame with his head to make it 3-3. Goddard’s 14th goal of the year sent the match to a scoreless overtime, before eventually heading to penalty kicks.
Even through two rounds of spot kicks, Stefano Campisi stepped up for Hofstra and sent the ball over the top left corner. Furman remained perfect throughout with Hill’s strike earning a 5-4 victory for the Paladins.