After shutting out its opponents in the first half, the No. 6 Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team continued its Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) takeover with another blowout win.
The Seawolves (8-2, 3-0 CAA) returned to Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on Sunday to hand the Drexel Dragons a 15-3 wreckage. The game was over by the end of the first quarter and Stony Brook’s defense did not even blink until the second half.
About two and a half minutes into the game, Stony Brook had already jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Midfielders Ellie Masera and Jaden Hampel along with attacker Morgan Mitchell converted each of the team’s first three shots. The Seawolves’ defense suffocated Drexel throughout the opening frame, forcing six turnovers while not allowing a single shot.
Their offense fed off the defensive smothering, as Stony Brook scored five more times in the period. The last three goals all came by way of attacker Kailyn Hart, whose first-quarter hat trick put the Seawolves up 8-0 by the start of the second frame.
After opening the previous game by scoring just one goal and turning the ball over six times in the first quarter, head coach Joe Spallina attributed the better start to playing on their home front.
“We were more crisp and in-tune,” Spallina said in a postgame press conference. “Part of the Johns Hopkins situation is that we were up at Syracuse, we flew down to North Carolina, flew home, got on a bus and drove to Maryland. We try to create some adversity in our scheduling, where players persevere and build our identity. Our legs looked light today.”
Stony Brook scored three more times in the second quarter and blanked Drexel once again to take an 11-0 lead into halftime. Hampel joined Hart by completing a hat trick — her first since the season opener. She also had three assists, making it the second time in Hampel’s career she recorded a trio of goals and assists in the same game.
“I had a bunch of great looks,” Hampel said. “Everyone was cutting in for me and opening it up so that I’d be able to dodge.”
Just over 31 minutes into the game, Drexel midfielder Hayleigh Simpson broke up the shutout with a free-position shot. That was all the Dragons mustered up in the third quarter, as goalkeeper Hailey Duchnowski turned away the next two free-position attempts in the period.
After surrendering just the one goal through three quarters, Duchnowski gave way to goalkeeper Aaliyah Jones. Stony Brook’s steady backup finished the game for her team, allowing just a pair of goals.
The Seawolves added two more goals in both the third and fourth quarters, putting the finishing touches on the blowout. They outshot Drexel 36-10 on Sunday. The +26 shot margin was the team’s largest disparity of the season.
Stony Brook’s domination stemmed from its trouncing of Drexel in the possession battle. It owned a 17-5 advantage in draw controls and scooped up six more ground balls than the Dragons did. The Seawolves turned the ball over eight times, which was seven less than the Dragons’ 15.
Defender Clare Levy led the team with five ground balls picked up. She also recorded five draw controls and two caused turnovers. She even got involved on offense by landing a pair of shots on cage.
Levy commented on her increased involvement on the offensive end.
“I think throughout the season I’ve wanted to get there,” Levy said. “I think I can contribute more whether it is on transition or somewhere else. It’s something I’ve been working on, and there’s a little to go, but I’ll get there.”
Stony Brook caused 11 turnovers on defense, which was the team’s second-highest total of the year. Defender Haley Dillon recorded three of those while defender McKenzie Mitchell — Morgan’s sister — forced the first one of her collegiate career.
Hart led the Seawolves with five goals scored. Masera tallied her ninth hat trick of the season, while Morgan Mitchell contributed three goals of her own. She has scored 14 goals over the last four contests.
Stony Brook’s final goal came through attacker Courtney Maclay, which was the first of her NCAA career. Outside of Hampel, attacker Jolie Creo had the team’s only other assist.
Duchnowski only faced four shots, all being free-position attempts. She saved three of them. Conversely, Drexel goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco played the entire game for Drexel and saved 11 shots.
The Seawolves will play in back-to-back conference games for the first time this season. This Friday, they will take on the Monmouth Hawks in New Jersey. The Hawks are 8-5 on the year and 2-1 in the CAA after beating Hofstra 17-16 in overtime on Saturday. The game is set to begin at 1 p.m.
