Coming off consecutive nine-win campaigns in 2022 and 2023, the Stony Brook men’s lacrosse team took a step back in 2024, in large part due to uncertainty at its goaltender spot.

Going into 2025, the goaltender duo of Jamison MacLachlan and Tommy Wilk will need to take a step forward if the Seawolves have any plans of returning to the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) playoffs.

After a 2023 CAA All-Tournament Team selection, MacLachlan went into last season with a firm grasp on the starting spot in net for Stony Brook. However, that proved to be short lived, as two poor performances early in the season against ranked opposition led to Wilk — then a sophomore getting his first collegiate minutes — taking the reins.

In the Seawolves’ last season opener against Sacred Heart, MacLachlan allowed 14 goals while making 16 saves in a 17-14 Stony Brook win. The next contest proved to spell the end of his tenure as a starter, though, as he surrendered eight scores in a disastrous 20 minutes which saw him save just one shot. Head coach Anthony Gilardi then made the switch, calling on Wilk, who stopped 12 shots in 20 chances.

“[Wilk] has made a tremendous push,” Gilardi said in an interview with The Statesman. “Only one guy can play at a time but both are always around each other and always pushing to get better.”

Over the course of the year, Wilk continued to serve as Gilardi’s primary option in the cage — starting 11 of the Seawolves’ 13 games and boasting the second-best save percentage in the CAA at .544. Additionally, he ranked solidly in the middle of the pack in other stats, placing fifth in the conference in both goals against the average (10.97) and saves per game (11.38).

Despite the rough start last season, MacLachlan is still a more-than-viable option for Stony Brook.

His breakout came in 2023, when he staked his claim as one of the premier goaltenders in the league. As a sophomore, MacLachlan started all 16 games for the Seawolves and posted the most saves per game (12.19) in the CAA while saving 52% of the shots he faced — the second-best save percentage in the conference.

“Last year it was tough at first, but I really just want what is best for the team,” MacLachlan said. “If I’m not in there that means [Wilk] is playing out of his mind and he’s giving us the best chance to win. If I’m in there I know I’m going to do everything to give us that chance to win.”

With both names enjoying success at some point in their respective Stony Brook careers, Gilardi sees both as viable options entering 2025.

“It is not unheard of to have two really good goalies,” Gilardi said. “We were brutally honest with our program and with both of those guys. I thought [MacLachlan] did a really good job early and was elected captain by his teammates.”

Two outside candidates for the position are goaltenders Joey Rice and Matt Roughgarden. Rice appeared in just one game his freshman season, though his coach tabbed him as the “most improved player from where he was in the fall.” As for Roughgarden, the first-year New Jersey native was an All-American in high school

Often, such competitive situations for playing time can cause rifts between players. For the Seawolves’ group of goalies, it has done anything but. 

“Being able to push each other is great for us,” Wilk said. “It’s great for each other and great for the team.”

MacLachlan — who was on the losing end of his starting spot during the 2024 season — echoed this sentiment.

“Having that competition makes practice everyday more fun because I have to be really locked in,” MacLachlan said.

Describing the position as mostly mental, both Wilk and MacLachlan admitted to dealing with their own lows at points during their careers. A big piece of the Seawolves’ coaching staff that has aided the goalie room is sixth-year assistant coach J.P. Brazel.  

A former collegiate goalie himself, Brazel has been with the Seawolves since the 2020 season. Upon joining Stony Brook’s program, he took responsibility of coaching the goaltenders and has served as a role model for both MacLachlan and Wilk. Both players described him as an honest coach that helps them in all areas of the game, “a hard coach who tells it how it is,” “one of the best goalie coaches out there” and “a life coach.”

Overall, Stony Brook struggled immensely during the 2024 campaign, finishing with a record of 4-10 and only registering two wins in seven CAA contests. A resurgent year will necessitate a more stable presence in the net.

“It felt like more of a ‘we or me’ mentality last year,” Wilk said. “This year we’re playing more as a team. Our offense has been great moving the ball and our defense has been communicating a lot better.” 

Additionally, Gilardi believes that his squad has what it takes to get back to winning ways. 

“We’re excited to get back to work and get back to who we are as a program,” he said. “As competitive people, when you get knocked a little bit like last year, you’re excited for the opportunity to get out there and compete.”

Gilardi has been non-committal on naming a starting goaltender as he awaits the start of the season. As was the case last season, it may be a work in progress with Wilk and MacLachlan sharing reps at the position.

“At the end of last season, we met with both of them and were really honest,” Gilardi said. “We said, ‘this is going to be a wide open competition.’ Both of them started a bunch of games and competed all fall to see who is the best guy.”

As the Seawolves look to hunt down their first conference tournament championship since 2012, the question of who will be named the starting goaltender will loom over the team until the season starts on Saturday against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in New Jersey. Opening face-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Alex Streinger also contributed reporting.