A year of misery for the Stony Brook men’s soccer team wrapped up with it reaching the double-digit loss mark for the second time in three seasons.
Despite an optimistic outlook before the year commenced — which featured high expectations within the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) — the Seawolves (3-10-3, 0-6-2) entered their season finale against the William & Mary Tribe (5-10-1, 3-4-1 CAA) on Saturday at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium without a conference victory. Hoping to avoid the first winless, league-play campaign in program history, Stony Brook instead fell 2-0 in another lackluster performance.
“It’s easy when things are going your way, and it’s tough when you have a crowd looking at you [when] things don’t,” head coach Ryan Anatol said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “When you don’t get the results, [for the players] to continue to show up and put yourself out there and battle says a lot about people and a lot about their character. They did that everyday. They didn’t quit. They persevered, and they wanted to represent the program the right way.”
The Tribe outmatched the Seawolves in the first half, as the visitors held the advantage in shots 7-3 during the opening 45 minutes. In the 30th minute, William & Mary midfielder Diogo Branco fired a shot into the top right corner of goalkeeper Rushon Sandy’s net from way outside the box to give the visitors the 1-0 lead.
Early in the second half, the Tribe extended their lead from a close-range finish from forward Sam Delgado in the 58th minute after he spun past midfielder Bas van Beckhoven.
As time trickled down on Stony Brook’s 2024 campaign, frustration took the wheel. In the 90th minute, midfielder Trevor Harrison stepped on Branco’s head after fouling him, resulting in a straight red card — Harrison’s third sending-off in his five-year career with the Seawolves.
William & Mary outshot Stony Brook 14 (five shots on goal) to 11 (three shots on goal).
Sandy finished with three saves. Conversely, William & Mary goalkeepers Cole McNally and Ryan Eapen combined for a clean sheet and three stops, as they played a half each.
William & Mary midfielder Thor Sigurjonsson and Branco registered assists for the Tribe.
With their season officially done, the Seawolves will prepare to face the departures of eight players to eligibility exhaustion, as they hope for a brighter future in 2025.
