After allowing a goal within the first half-minute of the match, the Stony Brook women’s soccer team never recovered.
Without star forward Reilly Rich in the lineup, the Seawolves (4-5-4, 2-4-2 CAA) lost a pivotal game at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) Seahawks (4-6-2, 3-2-2 CAA) on Thursday night. The two teams were tied for sixth place in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) table, putting them on the cusp of the playoff bracket. However, the 1-0 loss to UNCW now has Stony Brook on the outside of the picture looking in with only four matches left.
The first and only goal of the game came at a blistering pace when UNCW forward Issy Bryant scored in 23 seconds into the match. The Seahawks started with possession and quickly got the ball to forward Kayla Burroughs who worked it down the left sideline. Burroughs was able to get a cross into the Seawolves’ box and onto the foot of Bryant, who directed the ball high and over goalkeeper Nicolette Pasquarella.
The Seawolves’ best attempts to equalize came in the final five minutes of play. In the 86th minute, a cross from forward Ashley Bell went into the box and sent midfielder Linn Beck diving headfirst to make contact with the ball. Beck’s header was hard and beyond the reach of UNCW goalkeeper Hanna Wise, but it missed the goal by mere inches.
Within the final 20 seconds, Stony Brook came very close to giving the Seahawks a taste of their own medicine. With space at the top of the box, Beck unleashed a powerful shot to the far right side of the goal. Wise acrobatically dove to save Beck’s shot, and caught just enough of the ball to push it towards the post and away from the net. UNCW defender Amelia Forster cleared the loose ball towards the sideline, putting the final nail in the Seawolves’ coffin.
Stony Brook took 11 shots to the Seahwks’ six, and each team landed four on target. The Seawolves were unable to crack Wise, who posted her fourth clean sheet of the day. They missed Rich heavily, as the team’s top scorer over each of the last two seasons was inactive due to an injury she sustained this past Sunday against William & Mary.
Beck stood out on offense, co-leading the team with three shots while landing one on goal. Midfielder Gabby Daniels matched her with three shots. Forwards Gabrielle Côté and Graceann Murphy along with defender Emma Beattie all landed one shot on target apiece.
Stony Brook will jump right back into action on Sunday and travel a little further south to take on the Charleston Cougars in South Carolina. The Cougars are 2-8-3 this year and 2-4-2 in CAA play, tying them with the Seawolves for seventh place in the conference.
