With one game left in the season and the final tournament spot on the line, the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team needed a win on Saturday to qualify for the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, but came up short after losing 16-7 to Penn State.

Fighting to extend their season, the Pride (7-7, 2-4 CAA) started the game off strong, opening the scoring on a John Reicherter goal, giving the squad an early 1-0 lead.

The brief lead seemed to be the only positive for Hofstra, as the Nittany Lions (11-3, 6-0 CAA) scored the next two goals of the game, shifting the lead in their favor.

As the first half unfolded, PSU dominated, scoring three unanswered goals, highlighted by Tom LaCrosse’s second goal of the game.

The Pride looked to gain back some momentum after halftime, and got it in an Adrian Sorichetti goal, just one minute, 37 seconds into the third quarter.

However, Penn State stopped any hopes of a comeback, outscoring Hofstra 7-3 the rest of the quarter, opening up a 13-4 lead.

Jack Forster played a huge role as the Nittany Lions pulled away in the second half, scoring all five of his goals during the third quarter.

Penn State will play Massachusetts in the semifinal round of the CAA conference tournament on Wednesday.

Hawks drop season finale

With playoffs out of the picture, Saint Joseph’s failed to end the year on a positive note, dropping its final game, 13-6, to Towson.

The Hawks (5-11, 1-5 CAA) struggled to find an offensive rhythm early in the game, unable to match any of the five goals the Tigers (8-7, 4-2 CAA) scored in the first quarter.  Attempting to turn things around offensively, St. Joe’s eventually got things clicking in the second quarter on a Joe McErlean goal just 12 seconds into the frame. Unable to keep the momentum rolling in their favor, the Hawks entered the halftime break trailing Towson 7-2.            Entering the half with a five-goal cushion, the Tigers outscored St. Joe’s 6-4 in the second half, never allowing the Hawks back in the game.

Leading its team to a convincing win, Towson was paced by teammates Greg Cuccinello and Thomas DeNapoli, who combined for nine points in the victory.

The Tigers already clinched the third seed in the CAA Tournament, and will take on second-seeded Drexel on Wednesday.

Tom Mulherin can be reached at [email protected].