After staying alive in the postseason hunt, the Stony Brook women’s soccer team needs to strike while the iron is hot against another cellar dweller.
The Seawolves’ (5-5-5, 3-4-3 CAA) last-ditch effort to make the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) playoffs will continue this Sunday as they host the Elon Phoenix (2-8-4, 1-6-2 CAA) at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Stony Brook sits two points behind the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) for sixth place in the CAA, which is the final spot in the postseason tournament. Elon has already been eliminated from playoff contention, as it sits in 12th place with only five total points in CAA play.
The Seawolves will look to utilize their offense that currently ranks fourth in the CAA in goals per match with 1.667. Their fluid attack flows through midfielder Linn Beck, forwards Gabrielle Côté and Luciana Setteducate and defender Catharina von Drigalski. Beck and Côté are Stony Brook’s top active scorers with four goals each. Setteducate, Beck and von Drigalski all co-lead the team with three assists apiece.
The Seawolves will hope to generate some offense without their star forward Reilly Rich who has missed the last three matches with an injury sustained on Oct. 1. Before the injury, she bagged six goals in 12 games, which still has her tied for fourth in the CAA.
Forward Graceann Murphy will also miss the upcoming game through suspension due to a red card she received after the final whistle had already blown against Drexel on Thursday. Murphy had been an important piece of the offense, totaling five shots on goal, one goal and two assists over the last five matches. In her absence, expect forward Hannah Maracina to get some playing time. She has only scored one goal this year and has not started a game, but she scored five goals last year as a freshman.
Elon may find it difficult to stay in the game defensively, as it owns the fifth-worst defense in the CAA, allowing 1.36 goals per match. The Phoenix’s backline consists of defenders Morgan Juran, Katie Lowe, Kerri Coffman and Emilia Cappallett.
Elon’s defense has not made life easy for its goalies. Starting goalkeeper McKenna Dalfonso is sixth in the CAA with 3.83 saves per game, and her .730 save percentage is just below the conference’s top 10. Dalfonso has faced 5.25 shots on goal per game. Her backup — goalkeeper Anna Hamner — has played well in five starts, saving six of the eight shots she has faced. It will most likely be Dalfonso in net, as she has started the previous two matches.
The heavy workload on the Phoenix’s goalies could spell disaster for them, as the Seawolves are currently sixth in shots per game (14.07). Stony Brook also tends to have possession higher up the field, as it has won the second-most corner kicks (85) in the CAA.
Offensively, Elon has been average, ranking seventh in the CAA with 1.357 goals per game. Forward Lydia Totten leads the team with four goals on the season. Forward Ashlee Brehio and midfielders Grace Gelhous and Gabby Hoschek have all scored three goals apiece. Gelhous and Brehio have been the team’s best creators on offense, as they co-lead the team with three assists each.
Stony Brook’s defense will look to take advantage of the Phoenix’s mediocre offense. The Seawolves are conceding 1.20 goals per match, which is right in the middle of the pack. Their backline is manned by von Dragalski and defenders Kerry Pearson and Aneta Sovakova. Defenders Angelina Lent and Emma Beattie will also get playing time. Midfielders Gabby Daniels and Ashley Manor will contribute to the defense, as well.
Goalkeeper Nicolette Pasquarella has been a good bandaid behind Stony Brook’s backline. She has made the second-most saves in the conference (59) and is third in saves per game (3.93) and sixth in save percentage (.766).
A win for the Seawolves would guarantee that they stay in contention for the postseason tournament. If UNCW loses to Monmouth and Stony Brook wins, it will ascend to sixth place for the time being.
