The Stony Brook women’s soccer team’s phenomenal season ended lamentably in its first national stage action.
After capturing the Coastal Athletic Association’s (CAA) crown, the Seawolves (14-4-3, 7-1-2 CAA) aimed to carry their momentum into their 2024 NCAA Tournament First Round matchup against the fourth-seeded No. 22 Penn State Nittany Lions (13-6-3, 5-4-2 B1G) on Saturday evening at University Park, Pa. However, Stony Brook was instead outmatched from the opening whistle and suffered a deflating 8-1 defeat.
Similarly to the events of their conference-winning match, the Seawolves began their most recent contest on the back foot. Within the first 10 minutes, Penn State fired off three shot attempts, and, contrary to Monmouth, it was actually able to beat goalkeeper Nicolette Pasquarella early.
In the ninth minute, Penn State defender Bella Ayscue — who caused Stony Brook problems all night — whipped in a cross from the left flank that found forward Kaitlyn MacBean. With Pasquarella moving to her left, MacBean flicked a header the other way and into the bottom left corner of the net to open the scoring.
Following over 12 minutes of silence from their attack, the Seawolves posed a threat to Penn State goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress after going behind, though their efforts included consecutive weak shots that the Nittany Lions’ shot stopper easily corralled.
Although Stony Brook was unable to find the equalizer, its brief surge of activity seemed to offer a glimmer of hope. However, that momentary spark quickly faded as what followed unraveled its momentum.
In the 17th minute, Penn State forward Amelia White evaded defender Sammy Hannwacker just outside the Seawolves’ box. As White took a heavy touch while closing in on Pasquarella, defender Aneta Sováková left her marker to challenge for the ball. However, White beat her to it and laid the ball off to a now-wide-open Ayscue. With ample time and space, Ayscue calmly placed the ball past Pasquarella — who had rushed off her line in an attempt to narrow the angle — to double the Nittany Lions’ lead and leave Stony Brook in a hole it would never climb out of.
Despite trailing by two goals, the Seawolves failed to show the necessary urgency to mount a comeback. Penn State dominated possession for the remainder of the half, dictating the pace and exploring gaps in Stony Brook’s backline in the process. Ultimately, it added two more goals before the break.
The second half offered no respite for the Seawolves, as their struggles only deepened. In the 52nd minute, Ayscue found herself one-on-one with Sováková near the left corner flag. With a deft roll of the ball and a quick step-over, Ayscue created just enough space to deliver a cross. With a deflection by Sováková, the ball hung in the air even longer before dropping into the box, making it harder for Stony Brook to clear the danger. Sprinting into the box, forward Katie Scott anticipated the ball’s bounce perfectly, meeting it with a well-timed header that struck the right post before caroming into the net to make it 5-0.
Before the Nittany Lions scored three more times, the Seawolves managed to get on the board courtesy of their top scorer: forward Luciana Setteducate. In a move she has perfected throughout the 2024 campaign, Setteducate flicked a header from a cross — this time delivered by midfielder Kristina Garcia — across the goal and into the back of the net.
Setteducate’s tally added to her impressive resume, but did not do much for Stony Brook. Its defense was unable to stem the tide of Penn State’s relentless offense, which struck again in the 64th minute before putting the cherry on top with two goals in the 88th minute.
“Credit goes to Penn State,” head coach Tobias Bischof said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “What a team with a great coaching staff. They prepared their team very well. We thought we prepared ourselves very well, but obviously today the result was not what we were looking for.”
The Seawolves were outshot 28 (16 shots on goal) to six (four shots on goal) — their largest negative disparity of the year.
Pasquarella gave up a career-high eight goals but also made eight saves. Conversely, Gress and Penn State goalkeeper Amanda Poorbaugh — who played 32:54 minutes — combined for three saves. Gress conceded Stony Brook’s singular tally.
With the Nittany Lions advancing, the Seawolves’ campaign has concluded. Although its roster is relatively young, Stony Brook will have work to do in the offseason concerning the exits of some significant pieces due to graduation, which includes, most prominently, Pasquarella, defender Kerry Pearson and forward Reilly Rich.
