Though the Stony Brook women’s soccer team dominated possession, it walked away without a win to show for it.
In their conference opener on Thursday, the Seawolves (2-1-3, 0-0-1 CAA) outplayed the Campbell Camels (2-2-2, 0-0-1 CAA) in their return to Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, but neither side came out victorious. Stony Brook took 10 more shots and generated more opportunities than the Camels, yet neither team scored in the 0-0 draw.
It was a game full of missed opportunities for the Seawolves. Hosting the back-to-back reigning Big South Conference champions, they turned the heat up on Campbell on an already oppressive late-summer night. Stony Brook possessed the ball for approximately 54% of the match and 56% in the first half, yet it was unable to finish in the final third all night long.
The Seawolves took 16 total shots on the night and landed seven on target, but they never got one past Campbell goalkeeper JLo Varada. The only time they found the back of the net was in the 39th minute, when forward Reilly Rich buried a loose ball in front of the goalie’s box. However, that goal was disallowed due to a foul committed by forward Graceann Murphy on Varada.
Stony Brook continued to put the pressure on in the second half, taking 10 shots and collecting four shots on goal. Despite the team’s best efforts, neither Campbell’s backline nor Varada ever gave in. The match wound up resulting in a stalemate, allowing both teams to earn one point apiece in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) standings.
Head coach Tobias Bischof attributed the lack of a lucky bounce to his team’s struggles to break the ice.
“We just need a little bit more luck — a little bit more will,” Bischof said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “I thought some of those shots were very close to [the goal]. They put themselves in a position to get those opportunities, we just need some luck.”
The Seawolves had a significant number of set pieces that they ultimately did not capitalize on. They won 10 corner kicks while the Camels only earned two. However, all of those corners were either cleared from the box or saved by Varada.
Luckily for Stony Brook, its defense was outstanding. The team only allowed six total shots and three shots on target, all of which were saved by goalkeeper Nicolette Pasquarella. She posted her second clean sheet of the year, but the team has not won either of her two shutouts.
The Seawolves shut down Campbell forward Alyssa Tucker, holding her without a shot and drawing four fouls on her in 60 minutes of play. Bischof said that locking her up was integral to their defensive success.
“We positioned ourselves on the field where we protected all the time against her,” Bischof said. “We did that well.”
Defender Catharina von Drigalski led the team with a pair of shots on goal. Five other Seawolves recorded a shot on goal: Rich, Murphy, midfielders Gabby Daniels and Allie Palangi and defender Emma Beattie. Midfielder Linn Beck led the team with four shots taken.
Looking ahead, Stony Brook will seek out its first conference win of the year this Sunday when it travels to Virginia to take on the Hampton Pirates. The Pirates are 0-7-0 this year after losing their conference opener 11-1 to Charleston on Thursday. Opening kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
