The No. 6 Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team has won the Battle of Long Island.

On Friday, March 18, the Seawolves hit the road to face the Hofstra Pride, with midfielder Ellie Masera scoring as many goals as the opposing team in Stony Brook’s 12-6 win.

Masera led the way for Stony Brook with a career-high six goals and an assist. She has now scored 19 goals in Stony Brook’s last four games and is second in the America East with 3.83 goals per game.

Stony Brook has now won five straight meetings against the Pride dating back to 2015. This year, the win comes against a Pride team that is fourth in defense across the nation. Hofstra also houses goalkeeper Jess Smith, who is currently first in the nation in save percentage (.585).

The win for Stony Brook marks the last time it will face Hofstra as a non-conference opponent. Starting in 2023, the Seawolves will face Hofstra regularly, as they will join the Colonial Athletic Association in the fall. Stony Brook can officially say that it has had Hofstra’s number during the America East era, winning six of 11 matchups against the Pride since they first started competing in 2005.

Friday’s match up under the lights in Hempstead was a battle to remember. Hofstra jumped out to an early lead after just a minute and a half of play when midfielder Arianna Esposito scored a goal on a free position shot.

Masera quickly took matters into her own hands in the first quarter following two goals from Hofstra. After five minutes of play, Masera answered Esposito’s shot with a goal of her own. Following another Hofstra goal from attacker Erin Demek, Masera snuck another goal past Smith.

It looked like the first quarter would end in a 2-2 tie, but midfielder Rayna Sabella had other plans. With six seconds left, Sabella received a pass from attacker Erin MacQuarrie and scored to take a 3-2 lead.

Hofstra kept pace with Masera and the Seawolves heading into the second quarter, but for every Pride goal, there was a Stony Brook goal to answer it. By halftime, Masera had secured a hat trick and added on another goal to her total. Midfielder Kyla Zapolski also scored her fifth goal of the season, putting Stony Brook at a 6-4 advantage entering the second half.

After keeping pace with Stony Brook’s scoring throughout the first half, Hofstra hit a dry spell. The Pride went on a 25-minute run throughout the third and fourth quarters without scoring a single goal.

Hofstra’s scoreless streak allowed Stony Brook to take full advantage. Midfielder Jaden Hampel added a goal in the third quarter for her sixth of the season. Masera continued to dominate the field with her fifth goal of the game. With 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Stony Brook had a three-point lead and the Pride seemed to be completely left in the dust.

Attacker Kailyn Hart came off the bench in the fourth quarter and worked wonders for the Seawolves, scoring two goals and extending Stony Brook’s lead to five. Attacker Morgan Mitchell tacked on another goal for her first of the season. Masera iced the game with her sixth goal, tying a career-high.

Goalkeepers Charlie Campbell and Kameron Halsall split the time in the cage for the Seawolves, accumulating three saves. Midfielder Siobhan Rafferty collected three ground balls, tying her season-high. Midfielder Clare Levy reached a season-high of her own with five draw controls.

Between the third and fourth quarters, the Seawolves scored six goals in a row to seal the deal against their Long Island rivals.

Stony Brook will continue its road trip with a matchup against Brown on Tuesday, March 22.