The University of Massachusetts men's lacrosse team begins CAA play with a trip to Hofstra on Saturday, March 21. Take a look at the preview for the game below:
| University of Massachusetts Men's Lacrosse Game Notes | |
| Game Eight | Massachusetts (2-5 overall) at Hofstra (3-4) |
| Date | Time | Saturday, March 21, 2015 | Noon |
| Location | Shuart Stadium (13,000) | Hempstead, N.Y. |
| Live Statistics | StatBroadcast |
| Watch | Pride Productions |
| Listen | WMUA 91.1 FM |
| Series History | Massachusetts leads, 21-18. Last meeting: #12 Hofstra 11, UMass 6; April 19, 2014 |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts  | Hofstra |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | Hofstra |
| Social Media | @UMassAthletics  | @UMassMLacrosse |
| Buy Tickets | Available through the Hofstra Athletics Ticket Office |
Scouting Hofstra Men's Lacrosse
Hofstra men's lacrosse rebounded from its slow start with a pair of wins in its most recent action and is 3-4 overall entering play against UMass. The Pride defeated Providence, 15-4 and St. John's, 10-7 in its last two outings. Hofstra also blanked Manhattan College, 18-0, and was defeated by Georgetown, Marquette, Ohio State and Princeton so far this year.
The 2015 season is Seth Tierney's ninth at the helm of the program. He is 76-50 during his tenure with four NCAA Tournament appearances from 2008-11. Prior to taking over the reigns of the Pride, Tierney spent six years as an assistant at his alma mater, Johns Hopkins, after a five-season stint with the Pride as an assistant from 1995-2000.
Sam Llinares, the CAA Preseason Player of the Year, provided 40 points on 22 goals and 18 assists during the opening seven games of 2015. Mike Malave is second in the scoring column for Hofstra with 22 points on 19 goals, including seven man-up tallies, and a trio of helpers. Chris Selva backstops the squad, his third year as the starting goalie. Selva limits opponents with a .532 save percentage and 8.59 goals-against average over 405 minutes in the cage.
Last Meeting: #12 Hofstra 11, UMass 6; April 19, 2014
UMass faltered in its final home game of the 2014 season, 11-6, to the No. 12 nationally-ranked Hofstra Pride at Garber Field. Goalie Zach Oliveri tied a single-game season-high with 15 saves for UMass while six different Minutemen scored once, highlighted by Gianni Bianchin's first collegiate goal.
The Pride opened the game with three consecutive goals, including Torin Varn's two scored on the evening, to hold a 3-0 lead by the eight-minute, eight-second mark. The Minutemen responded five minutes later with back-to-back tallies to draw within 3-2. Bianchin ignited the offense on an opportunistic shot from distance with 3:14 left in the quarter. The Stoney Creek, Ontario, native attacked toward the right post before he back-pedaled into the middle of the field where he sized up an attempt that bested Hofstra goalie Chris Selva.
Trailing by one goal after the halftime break, Massachusetts evened the score 3:30 into the third. However, the game only remained tied for 44 seconds until Mike Malave pushed the Pride back in front, 5-4. Sam Llinares added his first of the game with 5:32 remaining in the third to double the lead for the visitors. Hofstra went on to score five of the final seven goals in the game to seal the victory.
More on the squad can be found through UMassAthletics.com.