Severna Park's Gvozden gets call for Hofstra
Any mystery to Hofstra’s goalkeeping situation ended in the fall when coach Seth Tierney named Andrew Gvozden the starter for the upcoming season. But as far as the junior from Severna Park is concerned, he’s practicing as if his status is still undetermined.
“Honestly, it’s something that I really haven’t thought too much about because if I start thinking about it, it’s going to take away from me playing better,” Gvozden, a Millersville native, said Monday. “So to me, it’s still a competition, and that could change any day, any minute. So as long as I have this mindset that there’s still a chance I might not be the starter, I’m hoping to play harder and work harder to compete with the other goalies.”
Gvozden and sophomore Rob Bellairs each made seven starts last season. Gvozden had the superior save percentage (.522 to Bellairs’ .398), but the higher goals-against average (9.30 to Bellairs’ 8.81).
The rotation played havoc on the goalies’ abilities to develop a rhythm and cohesion with their defensive teammates.
“It’s always tough if you’re splitting time and going back and forth,” Gvozden said. “It’s tough on you, and the defense is also going back and forth. It was a tough year. We had a good team, but we didn’t come together. We’re looking to rebound from that, and I know that I’ve learned a lot from last year – not only as a goalie, but also how to deal with the stress of competition. I still feel like I’m in a competition, but I feel comfortable coming into the season and giving everything that I have. I feel comfortable that I’m ready to come forward and prove myself as a player.”
Like his goalkeepers, Tierney was similarly unsettled by platooning the duo in the cage.
“I’m trying to get away from what we did,” he said. “I wasn’t comfortable with what we did last year. We named Andrew Gvozden the starter earlier this year. Twofold on that situation, we thought Andrew would relax a little bit and be able to play, and we we also thought it would set a little fire under Rob Bellairs. But Andrew, we believe he earned it in the first-round game against Maryland. We thought that he played really well and kept us in for a while there with some of his acrobatic saves. And he didn’t do anything to hurt himself in the fall. So we named him the starter. So there’s no gray area in this situation. Last year, it was a close call, and I just wanted to see someone take it. But it really didn’t happen for a while there. We’re fortunate that we’ve got two really good goalies.”
Gvozden said he understands that he will be scrutinized by fans and observers as the Pride have been a perennial favorite to be the dark-horse candidate to make the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four. Gvozden insisted that the pressure from outsiders won’t compare to the expectations he will set for himself.
“When people have faith in you, it does give you a sense of comfort, that they expect you to play well and that they’ve put their faith in you. But at the same time, you have to go and show that you deserve that faith,” he said. “So I hope to prove the coaches right. My teammates are supporters either way, but I want to help them out, too. So I can prove everybody right, that’s going to give me the most satisfaction.”
