Behind a career game from defender Emanuelly Ferreira, the Stony Brook women’s soccer team notched a convincing win in its Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) opener.
The Seawolves (6-2-1, 1-0-0 CAA) hosted the Charleston Cougars (7-3-1, 0-2-0 CAA) at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on Sunday for the team’s first conference match of 2024. Stony Brook extended its shutout streak to four consecutive games with a 3-0 victory.
Ferreira, who scored a goal and assisted another on Sunday — which marked the first goal contributions of her collegiate career — set up the Seawolves’ opener.
In the 31st minute, Ferreira whipped a corner kick into a congested goal area. With a chance to claim the cross, Charleston goalkeeper Savannah Barron allowed the ball to go through her hands and into the path of midfielder Gabby Daniels, who slotted the ball into the back of the net to give Stony Brook a 1-0 advantage.
Seven minutes later, Ferreira got one of her own. Forward Leah Rifas launched a throw-in down the left flank to Ferreira, who bypassed Charleston defender Izzy Arnold and headed towards Barron. Instead of coming out to challenge Ferreira, the Cougars’ shot stopper remained in her net and had no chance to save a powerful shot from the Seawolves’ second-year player, who doubled the team’s lead.
“I’ve been knocking on that door for quite a bit, whether it’s in practice or games,” Ferreira said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “It’s been hitting the post or just getting wide of the goal, so I think that was definitely something that was coming along.”
Stony Brook’s offensive onslaught continued early in the second half, as in the 51st minute, it made it 3-0. With her back turned to goal and collapsed upon by a pair of defenders, forward Luciana Setteducate laid a ball off to an incoming midfielder Linn Beck outside of the box. With her first touch, Beck curved a shot into the left corner of the net.
Despite one scoring three more times than the other, the Seawolves and Cougars had the same share of opportunities on paper. Each side attempted 15 shots and landed six on goal.
“[Charleston] has 28 goals scored in 10 games, that’s almost three goals a game,” head coach Tobias Bischof said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “We gave up shots and you cannot keep that team from taking shots, but I do think we did a good job denying the really good chances.”
Outside of Ferreira, Rifas and Setteducate, forward Gabrielle Côté claimed an assist for the home side.
Goalkeeper Nicolette Pasquarella — who is the latest CAA Defensive Player of the Week — made five saves in her fourth clean sheet of the season. Conversely, Barron (two) and Charleston goalkeeper Ainsley Chunn (one) — who came in for the final 45 minutes — combined to make three stops.
Stony Brook will look to add to its four-game winning streak on Thursday, when it takes on the Elon Phoenix in North Carolina. The Phoenix have yet to lose this year, as they are 6-0-1 overall and 1-0 in the CAA after defeating Northeastern in 2-1 fashion. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
