In its 51st straight America East win, the Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team secured its eighth consecutive regular season championship and a spot in the America East playoffs with a 22-4 knockout over New Hampshire in Durham on Wednesday, April 28.
The offensive outburst saw the Seawolves score the most goals in a game since beating Albany 22-14 in the 2018 America East title game. Stony Brook is on fire with the playoffs around the bend, having won its ninth consecutive matchup.
Wednesday’s win also ensured that the America East tournament will be held at LaValle Stadium on Thursday, May 6 and Saturday, May 8.
“I’m proud of our kids today,” head coach Joe Spallina said in a postgame press release. “This was a make-up conference game pretty far from home, and our team showed laser-sharp focus in taking care of business start to finish. We were able to play our entire roster. I love the way our young players are progressing.”
Of course, such a high-scoring affair means high scoring offense. Graduate midfielder Ally Kennedy scored five goals to lead the team, with all of them coming in the first half as Stony Brook took a 15-2 lead into the break.
The Seawolves held New Hampshire scoreless for the final 20 minutes of the first half, rattling together 10 consecutive goals. Stony Brook also scored the first five goals of the second half to cap off the run of 15 unanswered scores, ensuring that the Wildcats did not score for 38 straight minutes of gameplay — over half the contest.
Graduate midfielder Kaeli Huff, senior midfielder Siobhan Rafferty, graduate attacker Taryn Ohlmiller and sophomore midfielder Kira Accettella all added hat tricks during the onslaught. Ohlmiller also recorded three assists.
As the season is nearing its end, the Seawolves are riding a nine-game winning streak into their Senior Day. It has been a long road for Stony Brook this season, including a pair of top-two losses and a three-week pause due to COVID-19 cases among their opponents. Still, this team looks as dangerous as ever with a stacked roster.
The Seawolves (11-2, 7-0 AE) will conclude their regular season slate on Saturday, May 1 at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium with a noon matchup against the UMBC Retrievers. Kennedy, Ohlmiller, Huff, graduate defender Sydney Gagnon, senior defender Julia Markey, senior attacker Rebecca Kinsley and 2020 graduates Courtney Troyan and Caitlyn McDuffee will all be honored pregame as part of the Senior Day festivities.
