Hat tricks from three different players led the No. 6 Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team to its highest-scoring performance of the season.
Down in New Jersey on Friday, the Seawolves (9-2, 4-0 CAA) beat up on the Monmouth Hawks 20-5 for their fourth-straight conference win. Stony Brook carved through the Hawks’ defense like a hot knife through butter, leading the team to its second-largest margin of victory on the year.
Just as they did in their first three conference games, the Seawolves dominated in the draw circle. They won 20 of the 27 draw controls and contended well with Monmouth midfielder Cassidy Orban, who came into the game leading the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in draw controls per game. She was limited to three draw controls on Friday, which was her second-lowest total of the season.
“I’m proud of our team,” head coach Joe Spallina said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “We took a business-like approach and took care of business early on. We checked the boxes of things we needed to accomplish, starting with the draw controls.”
Stony Brook’s dominance in the circle allowed it to jump out to an insurmountable lead within the first five minutes. The team scored on its first four attacking sets, with attacker Kailyn Hart scoring three of those four goals. Hart completed her hat trick before Monmouth attempted a shot.
Attacker Morgan Mitchell and midfielder Jaden Hampel each chipped in a pair of goals in the frame. With just 1:37 remaining in the opening period, midfielder Ellie Masera put the finishing touches on with her first goal of the day.
The dominance carried into the second period, where Stony Brook began on a 4-1 run. Now leading 11-2, Spallina pulled starting goalkeeper Hailey Duchnowski and replaced her with Aaliyah Jones. Duchnowski played just under 24 minutes and did not save either shot she faced. Jones fared better than her counterpart, as she blanked Monmouth for the following 21:21 and made two saves, both on free-position shots.
Hampel scored again towards the end of the second quarter to give Stony Brook a 12-2 lead going into halftime. The Seawolves did not take their foot off the gas in the third quarter, outscoring Monmouth 6-0. Masera scored three times during that stretch, completing the team’s third hat trick of the game.
To begin the fourth quarter, Jones was taken out in favor of goalkeeper Shana Hecht. With most starters out of the game, Stony Brook was outscored 3-2 in the fourth quarter.
Once again, the Seawolves dominated in every major category. They outshot Monmouth 38-16 and landed 27 shots on cage. The Hawks only totaled eight shots on goal. The team finished +6 in turnover differential and won the ground ball battle 10-8.
Stony Brook’s four highest point-scorers were all over the scoresheet on Friday. Masera totaled four goals and a season-high three assists. She also scooped up four ground balls and had eight draw controls.
Hampel led the team with five goals and had an assist to boot. Hart had her sixth hat trick of the year and also added one assist. Mitchell’s two first-quarter goals were her only points on the day.
Attacker Jolie Creo and midfielder Charlotte Verhulst scored a goal apiece. Creo also dished out two assists. After securing the first goal of her collegiate career last time, attacker Courtney Maclay scored twice against the Hawks. This time, midfielders Stephanie Doyle and Jaidyn Donley had their coming-out parties, each scoring their first NCAA goals.
Monmouth attacker Caitlin Colbert — the sister of Stony Brook attacker Casey Colbert — co-led the Hawks with two goals. Monmouth attacker Caroline Brennan also scored a pair of goals.
Stony Brook will travel back to New Jersey on Wednesday to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Scarlet Knights began the season as the No. 8 ranked team but have fallen out of the rankings. They sit at 4-7 on the year after losing 16-6 to No. 2 Northwestern on Thursday. The game is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.
