With a chance to stay at the top of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) standings, the Stony Brook men’s lacrosse team was outlasted in overtime.
The Seawolves (6-5, 3-1 CAA) took on the Drexel Dragons in Philadelphia on Saturday. Though they had their chances, they lost 15-14 in overtime, suffering their first-ever loss in the CAA.
Stony Brook created a ton of scoring opportunities for itself throughout the first three quarters, but the team struggled to shoot with accuracy. Most of those struggles stemmed from attackman Dylan Pallonetti, who was blitzed and double-teamed by Drexel’s defense all day long. Pallonetti did not score through the first three quarters, and that led to the game being tied 11-11 entering the final frame.
Back-to-back goals from midfielder Matt Anderson and Pallonetti gave Stony Brook a 13-12 lead with just over 11 minutes remaining in regulation. The defense held that lead over the next 6:49, but Drexel midfielder Luke Tomak knotted the game up with his second goal of the game. Within the next minute, attackman Sean Donnelly scored his fifth goal of the game to put Drexel on top 14-13.
As the clock ticked under two minutes, Pallonetti fired a shot past Drexel goalkeeper Ross Blumenthal to tie the game up at 14 apiece. Neither team scored again over the next 1:55, sending the game to overtime.
Coming off a successful clear attempt, Stony Brook squandered its chance to win after Anderson’s shot was blocked. Drexel defender Patrick Udovich scooped up the ground ball and successfully connected on a clear attempt with midfielder Jack Joyner. Now in the Seawolves’ zone, Joyner found attackman Max Semple, who fired one into the back of the net to win the game for Drexel.
Knowing that Stony Brook missed a golden opportunity, head coach Anthony Gilardi was heartbroken.
“I’m devastated for our guys, they fought and battled all game,” Gilardi said in an interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “We knew this was two evenly matched teams and in the end we left a lot of plays on the field that added up to us losing. CAA games are physical and mental battles and we have to capitalize on our chance to earn wins in this league.”
The Seawolves generated significantly more chances than the Dragons, outshooting them 57-35. However, Stony Brook saw only 43.9% of its shots land on goal. Drexel was much more accurate, shooting 60% on cage.
The possession battle was relatively even. Drexel dominated in the faceoff circle, as faceoff specialist Justin Joseph won 20 of the 31 faceoffs. However, Stony Brook was +11 in turnover differential and totaled three more caused turnovers on defense than Drexel. The Seawolves also scooped up one more ground ball than the Dragons did on the afternoon.
Neither goalie fared well, but Blumenthal severely outplayed goalkeeper Jamison MacLachlan. Blumenthal made 11 saves, good for a 44% save percentage. MacLachlan stopped only six of the 21 shots he faced, netting just a 28.6% save percentage.
Attackman Jonathan Huber scored a season-high five goals to lead the team. His five points co-led the team along with Pallonetti, who tallied two goals and three assists. Anderson tallied another hat trick with three goals scored. Midfielder Noah Armitage scored two goals and added an assist.
Midfielder Will Button contributed a goal and an assist. Faceoff specialist Renz Conlon also scored one goal. Attackman Blake Behlen dished out two assists, and midfielder Caleb Pearson found the scoresheet with an assist of his own.
Long stick midfielder Christian Lowd had a huge day on defense, causing five turnovers and picking up three ground balls. Conlon picked up five ground balls to lead Stony Brook.
Stony Brook will look to bounce back on Saturday when it hosts the No. 20 Delaware Blue Hens. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. The Blue Hens are currently 8-3 and 4-0 in the CAA after blowing out Fairfield 17-7 on Saturday.
