The Hofstra University men’s 2022 NCAA Division I tournament journey gets underway Thursday at 7 p.m. when the Pride take on the University of South Florida at Corbett Stadium in a first round matchup in Tampa, Fla.

The Pride, which is tied for the nation’s lead with 14 victories, is making its seventh NCAA appearance and second in a row.

The game will stream on ESPN+ with live statistics also available. Links for both can be found above or on the men’s soccer schedule page on GoHofstra.com.

Hofstra (14-3-3, 5-2-2) earned the Colonial Athletic Association’s automatic bid to the tournament on Saturday, as the third-seeded Pride bested top-seeded Elon University, 2-1, to win the league championship for the second consecutive season and the sixth time. Oliver Svalander and Francesco Perinelli scored goals.

CAA Championship Most Outstanding Performer Eliot Goldthorp, who was also a first team All-CAA pick, leads the Hofstra offense with 36 points on 15 goals and six assists. CAA Player of the Year Ryan Carmichael has 10 goals and four assists, while Svalander, a third team All-CAA pick, has seven goals and seven assists. Pierce Infuso leads a defense that has allowed less than a goal per game, while goalkeeper Wessel Speel has started all 20 games and has a 0.96 goals-against average and 42 saves.

Hofstra also qualified for the NCAA’s in 1968, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2015, and 2021. Last season, the Pride reached the NCAA third round and has advanced past the first round on four occasions (2004, 2006, 2015, 2021). The Pride has a 5-6 record in the tournament.

South Florida (8-6-4) fell to FIU in the American Athletic Conference championship game, 2-0. The Buulls will make their 22nd NCAA appearance. Oscar Resano (5 goals) and Ajmeer Spengler (4 goals, 2 assists) lead the Bulls with 10 points each. Jackson Weyman has a 1.33 GAA and 62 saves in goal.

This will be the first-ever meeting between the Pride and the Bulls on the soccer field.

The winner will advance to the second round and play at top-seed Kentucky on Sunday, Nov. 20.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.