The UMass Lowell River Hawks took a total of seven shots on goal against the No. 5 Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team on Saturday, April 16. Just one of those shots found the net.
In its eighth consecutive win, Stony Brook (10-2, 3-0 AE) never looked back in a 16-1 blowout over UMass Lowell (4-11, 1-3 AE). The win marked the first time the Seawolves have limited an opponent to one goal since March 2021 during a road trip to Hartford.
The Seawolves became the third team to hold an opponent to a season-low one goal, after Old Dominion did so against Delaware State and Boston College did so against Harvard.
As has been the case throughout 2022, Stony Brook was led by midfielder Ellie Masera and attacker Kailyn Hart. Each topped the scorecard with four goals and combined for nine points. Midfielder Kyla Zapolski recorded her second hat trick of the season, while four additional Seawolves recorded at least one goal by the final horn.
Masera got the Seawolves rolling in the blink of an eye. She recorded two goals within the opening two minutes of play. After nailing her first shot of the day unassisted, she secured a draw control and followed up with another goal just 10 seconds after her first one. At the 5:00 mark of the first quarter, she had secured her 10th hat trick of the season.
Masera has scored three or more goals in all but two appearances in 2022. Her 3.67 average goals per game is second only to UMBC attacker Claire Bockstie (4.00) for the America East lead.
Masera set the tone for a ruthless Stony Brook rout. The Seawolves out-shot UMass Lowell 12-1 in the first quarter alone. By the half, the River Hawks had taken three shots on goal and remained scoreless. Stony Brook, on the other hand, was a near perfect 11-for-12 on shots on goal in the first 30 minutes.
Hart caught fire in the second quarter when she rifled her first goal of the game into the net unassisted. From there, the rest of her goals came during free-position opportunities. She has now recorded 10 free position goals out of 15 in 2022.
Hart’s final goal came in the fourth quarter and gave the Seawolves a 13-1 lead. She has now recorded five games with six or more points in 2022.
Although the River Hawks found their way onto the scoreboard in the third quarter, there was no chance of staging a comeback.
When UMass Lowell tried to score, goalkeepers Kameron Halsall and Charlie Campbell were there to limit the damage. Halsall occupied the cage throughout the first 30 minutes of play and went a perfect 3-for-3 in save opportunities. Campbell entered in the second half and also recorded three saves despite allowing the third quarter goal against attacker Izzy Liquori.
The Seawolves look to make it nine in a row as they head to Binghamton on Tuesday, April 19.
