A rookie duo sunk the Stony Brook men’s soccer team in its first game of the year.
Hoping to avenge their season-opening loss to the Long Island University (LIU) Sharks (1-0) from a year ago, the Seawolves (0-1) visited their crosstown rivals on Thursday. Rather than exacting revenge, Stony Brook suffered a similar fate, as it was defeated by the same 2-1 scoreline with both goals coming by first-year players.
After back-and-forth action for the majority of the first half, the Sharks were the first side to break through. In the 42nd minute, a throw-in from LIU defender Fabian Andberg on the right flank was headed into the path of midfielder Joshua Saavedra by forward Stephane Njike. As Saavedra broke the plane of the box, he chipped the ball over two Seawolves defenders and into the waiting legs of rookie forward Tal Levy. With goalkeeper Rushon Sandy charging out to challenge, Levy calmly guided the ball around him to open the scoring.
The second half retained the competitive nature of the opening period early on, and in the 55th minute, Stony Brook’s best opportunity to equalize materialized through stellar teamwork. Just past the halfway line, midfielder Alex Fléury delivered a perfectly weighted pass to a sprinting defender Jamari Busby, who had plenty of space on the right flank. After controlling the ball, Busby accelerated, using a burst of speed to get past LIU defender Niklas Thanhofer. Nearing the endline, Busby delivered a precise cross that was met by midfielder Trevor Harrison, whose diving header attempt sailed narrowly wide of the goal.
The Seawolves’ missed chance proved costly, as the Sharks quickly capitalized to double their lead. In the 58th minute, LIU midfielder Papa Sow sent a through ball to Njike. With a deft touch, Njike lofted the ball into the air. Though it initially struck defender Sean Towey’s right knee, he was unable to control the ball. Njike seized the moment, creating space between himself and Towey before facing off against Sandy, whom he sent the wrong way for his first collegiate tally in his first match.
After taking a 2-0 lead, LIU shifted to a more defensive strategy for the remainder of the match. As a result, Stony Brook controlled possession but struggled to create clear scoring chances until the 88th minute. Then, Harrison delivered a free kick from a sharp angle on the right flank. Aided by a slight touch by forward Finlay Oliver, the ball nestled into the bottom left corner of the Sharks’ net, marking Stony Brook’s lone goal of the match, which served solely as consolation.
“We battled hard in our first game, on the road, and while the 2-1 loss is disappointing, there are a lot of positives to take away,” head coach Ryan Anatol said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “We created some really good goal-scoring chances and showed great fight by sticking together until the final whistle. However, we need to be sharper in front of goal and eliminate those costly mistakes at critical moments. There’s definitely room for improvement, but I’m confident we will build [on] this performance moving forward.”
The Seawolves outshot LIU 18 (seven shots on goal) to 12 (eight shots on goal).
Sandy finished with five saves, one less than LIU goalkeeper Eoin Gawronski, who made six stops.
Forward Olsen Aluc started the game but only played seven minutes, as he was substituted quickly after suffering a right shoulder injury. His status is unknown.
Stony Brook will return to action on Sunday when it takes on the St. John’s Red Storm in Queens, N.Y. The Red Storm are also 0-1 in 2024 after suffering a 2-0 loss to Rhode Island. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
