The Stony Brook men’s soccer team’s nightmare season continued with another lopsided result.
Needing a victory to stay alive in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Championship race, the Seawolves (3-7-3, 0-5-2 CAA) faced the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) Seahawks (4-6-4, 3-3 CAA) on Saturday afternoon away from home. Stony Brook was outmatched on both ends in a convincing, 4-0 loss.
The Seawolves immediately got off on the wrong foot in a do-or-die matchup, as a giveaway less than a minute into the contest set the Seahawks up for a counterattack, which concluded with midfielder Ethan Newsome heading a ball past goalkeeper Rushon Sandy just 42 seconds following the opening whistle. Newsome’s strike came courtesy of a cross from defender Zach Sauer and a headed assist by forward Ryan Lee.
In the 17th minute, the Seahawks struck again with Stony Brook in disarray. A pass from midfielder Bas van Beckhoven was intercepted by UNCW midfielder Jack Clarkson, who sprinted up the field before threading the needle to find forward Cesare D’Amico. Despite being hounded by Beckhoven and defender Sean Towey, D’Amico retained his dribble and slid a shot past Sandy to make it 2-0.
After both sides’ offenses went quiet, the Seahawks added to their lead in the 69th minute with a goal that commenced from their own box. A goal kick from UNCW goalkeeper Trey Smiley set up his team in the final third. A pass from UNCW forward Caleb Powell gave forward Bryan Miralrio a one-on-one opportunity against Sandy, and he delivered. Miralrio faked a shot — which forced the Seawolves’ shot stopper to dive prematurely — and sunk the ball into the net.
Just minutes later, the Seahawks put the nail in the coffin. In the 73rd minute, Newsome left multiple Stony Brook defenders in the dust before beating Sandy for his second and UNCW’s fourth goal of the match.
Head coach Ryan Anatol did not speak to the media after the game.
The Seawolves’ attack struggled mightily, as they put up four shots (two shots on goal) compared to the Seahawks’ 14 attempts (six shots on goal).
Sandy had a rough go of things, as he conceded four goals and saved only a pair of shots. Conversely, Smiley also finished with two saves in his first solo clean sheet of his collegiate career.
With nothing to play for anymore in 2024, Stony Brook will look to end its rough campaign on a high note. On Tuesday, it will play the Lafayette Leopards in Pennsylvania. The Leopards are 6-5-3 overall and 2-3-1 in Patriot League play. They are coming off a 1-0 loss against American. Opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m.