Nov. 14, 2004
RICHMOND, VA-- Junior forward Michael Todd scored on a breakaway late inthe first half to give fifth seed Hofstra a 1-0 victory over third seedOld Dominion in the Colonial Athletic Association title game Sunday atVCU's Sports Backers Stadium.
The win earned the Pride (11-9-1) an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1968, and their first at the DivisionI level. ODU, which was playing in the CAA title game for the first time since 1993 and third overall since joining the league in 1991, fell to13-5-2 but is still hopeful of earning an at-large NCAA berth for thethird year in a row. The bids will be announced Monday on ESPNNEWS.
Three Monarchs earned CAA All-Tournament honors. They were Ian Kaila(Fredericksburg, VA.), Jared Kent (Marietta, GA.), and Kevin McMenamin(W.Springfield, MA.).
Hofstra, which was appearing in the CAA men's soccer championship for thefirst time in its three years as a league member, became the firstfifth seed to win the league title since 1999. The Pride didn't allow a goal in the three-game tournament while knocking off three higher seeds.
The lone goal came with 5:55 left in the first half, as Arman Osoolisend a pass to Todd, who was streaking down the middle of the field.Todd drove into the box from 30 yards out and beat charging ODU goalkeeperJohn Connelly (Rockville, MD.) one-on-one with a shot just inside theright post from the top of the penalty box.
Junior goalkeeper Matthias Gumbrecht made two saves for Hofstra but itwas sophomore defender Arnel Andrada who made a key defensive savemidway through the second half, deflecting a shot off the goal line byODU's Kyle Hartley (Virginia Beach, VA.).
CAA ALL TOURNAMENT SQUAD
Chris Cox(HOfstra)Gary Flood(Hofstra)Jason Gates(Hofstra)Ian Kaila(ODU)Jared Kent(ODU)Helmis Matute(VCU)Kevin McMenamin(ODU)Gonzala Segares(VCU)Danny Sheridan(JMU)Michael Todd(Hofstra)-Most Outstanding PlayerMark Totten(JMU)