The Stony Brook women’s soccer team claimed victory in its final home game of the regular season, inching them one step closer to the playoffs.
The Seawolves (6-7-4, 3-2-3 CAA) hosted the UNC Wilmington Seahawks on Sunday at Kenneth P. Lavalle Stadium. The team played in a high-scoring battle and generated enough offense to win 3-2.
“Goal accomplished,” head coach Tobias Bischof said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “The goal for this game was to stay in the driver’s seat basically. We did that because winning this game today still means that we have a chance to make the playoffs.”
The Seawolves opened the scoring in the 12th minute when forward Luciana Setteducate scored an unassisted goal to give her team an early 1-0 lead. The ball bounced off of the head of defender Chloe Mills, setting Setteducate up for the goal.
“It felt really good,” Setteducate said. “We wanted it from the beginning. We wanted to get an early goal and score before them, and being the one to do that and get the team going felt really good.”
Stony Brook extended its lead in the 20th minute off of a corner kick, when defender Morayo Adenegan scored off assists from midfielders Gabby Daniels and Ashley Manor.
The Seahawks bit back within the first minute of the second half. Seahawk midfielder Madison Henry kicked it in off the rebound after goalkeeper Nicolette Pasquarella saved the previous shot. Stony Brook’s offense answered back 14 minutes later when midfielder Linn Beck scored the team’s final goal to put the game out of reach. The Seawolves went up 3-1 but immediately allowed a goal to forward Kayla Burroughs, cutting their lead back to just one goal.
The Stony Brook defense hung tough for the rest of the afternoon and held onto the slim lead. Pasquarella made three saves over the final 29 minutes to help keep the Seahawks off the scoreboard, securing the victory for the team.
Stony Brook was outshot 17-14. Only six of the Seawolves’ 14 shots were on goal, but it was enough to outlast UNC Wilmington and its 10 shots on goal.
Beck stood out on Sunday, as all three of her shots were on goal. Her goal was her sixth of the season.
“I think there was not one second, even after they scored, where we didn’t believe we weren’t going to win the game,” Beck said.
Setteducate also put a pair of shots on net for the Seawolves. In what was likely final home game of her NCAA career, Adenegan scored her second goal of the season.
As the season nears the end, the Seawolves are right in the thick of the playoff picture. They currently sit in sixth place in the conference with one game to go. The top eight teams from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) make the tournament. The Seawolves can finish as high as the fifth seed if they win their final game and Drexel loses its next game.
“I think we can handle the pressure,” Beck said.
Sunday was also Senior Day for Stony Brook, as six players were honored before the game: goalkeeper Emerson Richmond Burke, defender Catharina von Drigalski, defender Rachael Peters, defender Madison Sleiman, forward Leah Feato and Adenegan.
The Seawolves’ final game of the regular season kicks off at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23. They will take on their Long Island rivals: the Hofstra Pride. Hofstra is right beneath Stony Brook in the standings, as it is 8-6-3 overall and 3-3-2 in the CAA. The Pride defeated Charleston 2-1 on Sunday. The Seawolves have not clinched yet, so this too will be a must-win game.
