After capturing its first-ever Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) title, the Stony Brook women’s soccer team is heading to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history.
In a high-stakes showdown on Saturday night at Hesse Field in New Jersey, the Seawolves (14-3-3, 7-1-2 CAA) faced off against the Monmouth Hawks (12-3-5, 7-1-2 CAA) with the conference title and a coveted spot in the national tournament on the line. In a match fit for a final due to its down-to-the-wire nature, Stony Brook claimed victory in 2-1 fashion.
In front of their home supporters, the Hawks dominated possession to begin the game and thought they went ahead early. In the seventh minute, the Seawolves’ backline failed to clear the ball multiple times in their box. Monmouth forward Ashley Lavrich capitalized on Stony Brook’s mishap and fired a shot from a ball that ricocheted off midfielder Kristina Garcia into the back of the net to give Monmouth the lead — or so it thought.
After converging with assistant referee Kevin Rodrigo — who identified an offsides leading up to the goal — head referee Greg DeMello annulled the tally to keep the match scoreless.
However, even after the gut punch, the Hawks continued to control the game’s tempo. They hit the post, missed the entire goal from point-blank range and forced goalkeeper Nicolette Pasquarella to make huge stops for the Seawolves all before the visitors woke up.
When Stony Brook opened its eyes, though, it did so in a big way. In the 32nd minute, forward Luciana Setteducate sparked light into the Seawolves’ attack.
After receiving the ball at the halfway line with her back turned to Monmouth’s goal, Setteducate spun past a pair of defenders and surged forward. She took a shot that was blocked, but the rebound fell to the feet of forward Reilly Rich, who controlled the ball, and, without hesitation, looked for Setteducate.
With her arm raised signaling for a cross, Setteducate timed her run to perfection to remain onside as Rich delivered a cross with precision. While on the run, Setteducate flicked her head and nestled the ball into the net’s bottom left corner to give the Seawolves the advantage against the run of play.
Unlike the first half, Stony Brook came out firing in the second period. The Seawolves’ relentless pressure was so intense, it felt as if they were the ones chasing the match. Ultimately, Stony Brook’s persistence and the Hawks’ inability to do anything but sit back cost the hosts.
In the 55th minute, defender Emanuelly Ferreira intercepted a clearance by Monmouth defender Lauren Bruno and, with the same touch, sent the ball towards Setteducate in the box. After taking three touches, Setteducate laid it off to midfielder Linn Beck at the edge of the box. With her first touch, Beck launched a well-placed volley into the bottom left corner past a sprawling Monmouth goalkeeper Cassie Coster to double the Seawolves’ lead.
After scoring its second goal of the game, Stony Brook shifted to a more defensive look as it hoped to absorb the Hawks’ desperation for a window back into contention for the trophy.
Although the Seawolves’ defense stifled Monmouth for the majority of the remaining time, the home team finally found a breakthrough in the 79th minute. Monmouth defender Grace Notarfrancesco pinged a long-range pass that found forward Summer Reimet in the box. With her back turned to goal and defender Sammy Hannwacker all up on her, Reimet turned to break loose from Hannwacker’s grasp and smashed a left-footed shot into the top right corner of Pasquarella’s net to cut the Hawks’ deficit in half.
Now in do-or-die territory, Monmouth invested everyone into its attack and, with just over a minute left, was awarded a free kick in the final third. Bruno took charge and lofted a ball which — on the back of a severe defensive lapse from Stony Brook — found four unmarked Hawks players in front of Pasquarella. Out of the quartet, the opportunity fell to Lavrich. She cushioned the ball with her left knee to set up a right-footed shot that went wide of the net.
Lavrich’s miss was all she wrote, and the Seawolves survived to secure the program’s fourth league championship.
“Credit to my staff who worked relentlessly all year,” head coach Tobias Bischof said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “We prepared the team to play a more defensive game as we knew we had to take some space away from Monmouth’s offensive players. The team did an amazing job buying in and we scored two fantastic goals. I’m proud of every single player, as it takes the whole team to win a championship.”
Stony Brook was outshot 10 (four shots on goal) to 28 (nine shots on goal) by Monmouth — its largest negative differential of the season, which did not end up mattering.
Although Setteducate and Beck will grab the headlines as the goalscorers — and rightfully so — Pasquarella’s efforts should not go unnoticed.
The Seawolves’ shot stopper made eight total saves — which included seven first-half stops, with three of those coming when the match was scoreless. Conversely, Coster finished with a pair of saves.
Beck was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and was featured on the 2024 CAA All-Tournament Team alongside Setteducate, Rich and defender Kerry Pearson.
With its ticket to the NCAA Tournament punched, Stony Brook will await for the NCAA Selection Show to find out who it will face first. The program airs on Monday at 4 p.m.
