Behind a dominant effort on both ends, the No. 14 Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team prolonged its winning streak over conference opponents by one more game.
The Seawolves (7-2, 2-0 CAA) routed the Elon Phoenix (5-5, 1-1 CAA) 18-6 at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on Friday night. Stony Brook outshot Elon 43-10 and finished plus-17 in turnover differential en route to yet another signature blowout.
It was not always smooth sailing for the Seawolves, as the first 20 and a half minutes were a back-and-forth affair. Stony Brook jumped out to a 5-4 lead with a goal from midfielder Ellie Masera with 10:38 left in the second quarter, but fellow midfielder Charlotte Verhulst picked up a yellow card in the fan to give the Phoenix a free-position attempt. Elon attacker Mackenzie Coleman ripped one past goalkeeper Emily Manning to tie the game at five apiece.
After Coleman’s goal, head coach Joe Spallina pulled the plug on Manning and inserted backup goalkeeper Aaliyah Jones, who only conceded one goal over the next 35 minutes. However, that was largely due to the Seawolves’ in-game turnaround in the draw circle, as Spallina also made a change there.
Upon losing three draws in a row, Spallina put midfielder Jaden Hampel in to handle duties in place of Verhulst. With Hampel in the circle, Stony Brook controlled 11 of the final 19 draws, allowing it to keep the ball in the attacking zone and away from Jones and company. By dominating possession, eight different Seawolves combined to lead a 13-1 run to close out the game and secure the blowout.
Spallina credited Hampel for being a key piece in the turnaround that followed.
“I thought she did a really good job of being a counterpunch to what they were doing and giving us some key possessions,” Spallina said in a postgame press conference. “She did a really good job of making a lot of those plays and changing the tide a little bit.”
Following Coleman’s tying goal, Stony Brook’s defense forced a pair of turnovers over the next three minutes to keep the game tied. With just over six minutes remaining in the first half, attacker Alex Finn surveyed the field from the X before lofting a pass up to Masera, who went high to low to put the Seawolves back in front.
Within the next minute, attacker Kailyn Hart had her free-position shot saved by Elon goalkeeper Caitlin Walsh, but another foul allowed Hampel to attempt one of her own. Hampel rifled one past Walsh to give her team some much-needed breathing room. A minute and a half later, Hart dumped one off to a cutting Verhulst, who finished over the top of Walsh to make it 8-5.
Just over a minute into the second half, Coleman broke Stony Brook’s short scoring streak by finding a soft spot and tucking one past Jones. However, the Seawolves forced 13 more turnovers and shut the Phoenix out over the game’s remainder and scored 10 consecutive goals to wash it away.
Defender Avery Hines said the suffocating defense in the second half stemmed from a goal set at halftime.
“I think the mindset was that the five goals in the first half was unacceptable, so we needed to change it,” Hines said. “We changed a few people in the lineup who was playing; they gave us different looks. I think the people that are in, they did their jobs today, but I think that second half, the mentality was, ‘They will not score anymore.’”
Masera led the way for Stony Brook’s offense with four goals and an assist. Hart scored four goals and dished out two assists. Finn led the Seawolves with eight total points, finishing with a hat trick of goals and five assists.
Hampel scored three goals while Verhulst finished with one. Attacker Caitlin Dellecave along with midfielders Alexandra Fusco and Cassidy Millen all scored one goal apiece. Attacker Jolie Creo played for the first time in 20 days and dished out an assist.
Stony Brook’s defense swarmed Elon’s attack throughout the game, forcing 24 total turnovers and collecting a season-high 14 takeaways. Hines was the team’s most dominant defender, as her five caused turnovers led the team, while Hampel caused a pair. Manning and Creo each caused one turnover.
Five other Seawolves finished with one caused turnover: defenders McKenzie Mitchell, Alexa Constant and Abigail Sabella along with midfielders Erin MacQuarrie and Jaidyn Donley.
Stony Brook also won the battle on the ground 19-10. Hines led the squad with three ground balls, while Dellecave and MacQuarrie each picked up two.
In the circle, the Seawolves controlled 14 draws to the Phoenix’s 13. Masera led her team with eight draw controls.
Coleman was the only player for Elon to score twice. Attacker Kaitlyn Michaud led it with two assists.
Stony Brook will be back at LaValle Stadium this Sunday, where it will take on the Campbell Camels. The Camels are 3-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play this season after suffering a 13-5 loss to Drexel on Friday. Opening draw is scheduled for noon.