Having spent four years on the roster without a goal, there was no better time for senior midfielder Cameron Bonfils to finally get on the board.
Bonfils got off a shot from the top of the 18-yard box in the 106th minute of the match, placing the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net to put the Stony Brook men’s soccer team on top 3-2 in the second overtime over the Drexel Dragons on Friday, Sept. 3.
“We fought until the end and got the game-winner,” Bonfils said in a press release. “I am proud of the boys for the win tonight and now we prep for Columbia on Monday.”
Taking to Vidas Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a non-conference game, the Seawolves started the first half strong by scoring a goal on their first shot of the game. Sophomore forward Aki Solvason was able to get a shot off from the top of the 18-yard box, shooting the ball past the keeper’s hands in the fourth minute.
It wasn’t long enough until Drexel leveled the match back up. In the eighth minute, Dragons senior midfielder Andrew Lizyness was able to get his team up on the scoreboard, tying up the game 1-1.
The match became progressively more intense, with both teams racking up fouls. Neither team would score again entering the break. Coming out of the second half, Drexel senior forward Chris Donovan was able to head the ball in the back of the net, putting the Dragons up 2-1 in the 48th minute.
Stony Brook showed intensity in trying to find the equalizer. Finally, in the 77th minute, graduate midfielder Kori Cupid kickstarted the Seawolves’ comeback attempt with a header of his own, assisted by sophomore forward Sean Towey, who set up the score with his corner kick.
After 90 minutes, the score remained knotted up at 2-2. The first overtime period was uneventful, with both teams playing more conservatively. Off a missed Drexel shot in the second overtime, Stony Brook moved the ball up to give Bonfils the look he needed to convert his first career goal.
“We started very well and went up early in the game, but we had to fight back in the second half,” head coach Ryan Anatol said. “The guys showed great determination and our energy was really good going into the overtime. Very happy for Cam, he scored a great goal tonight to win the game.”
Earlier in the week, the Seawolves had dropped a heartbreaking rivalry game. At Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on Monday, August 30, the Seawolves gave up just one goal on a penalty kick, but it was all an undefeated Hofstra team needed to win 1-0.
As soon as the referee blew the whistle, the match began intensely. Both teams attacked each other’s defenses, trying to see who would break down first. Neither would. Hofstra graduate midfielder Francesco Perinelli had the first shot of the game, but it wasn’t a worry for Seawolves junior goalkeeper Edmond Kaiser, with the ball going over the crossbar in the third minute of the game.
The match started to become more physical with both teams fouling each other. In just the first half, Stony Brook and Hofstra both accumulated 16 fouls. Unfortunately for the Seawolves, one of those fouls cost them the game.
In the 39th minute, a Stony Brook defender fouled a Hofstra attacker in the Seawolves’ 18-yard box. Pride junior midfielder Stefan Mason converted the penalty kick, placing the ball in the bottom left corner and skipping past Kaiser’s fingertips.
The game started to heat up in the second half with both teams going at it. Hofstra added three yellow cards in about 30 minutes while the Seawolves amounted two yellow cards. Stony Brook tried to level the match with six shots in the second half. In the 87th minute, Bonfils came close to notching the equalizer, but his attempt sailed too high.
Stony Brook looks to maintain its winning momentum with a home date against the Columbia Lions on Monday, Sept. 6 at 1 p.m.
