The No. 14 Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team is ushering in a new era.
In college athletics, great players and core groups inevitably come and go — a reality that head coach Joe Spallina understands better than most.
As he approaches his 14th season at the helm of the Seawolves, Spallina has played a pivotal role in shaping the careers of lacrosse greats: most notably, attackers Courtney Murphy and Kylie Ohlmiller, as well as midfielders Ally Kennedy and Ellie Masera, among many others. He has also guided the Seawolves to 11 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including four trips to the Elite Eight, while his motivation remains at an all-time high. Stony Brook had gone a combined 63-80 over its first nine years before Spallina entered the fray.
“I took over a program that was in shambles, for a lack of a better term,” Spallina said in an interview with The Statesman. “To take it from there, and now to make it one of the premier women’s lacrosse programs on the Island — besides the Island, it’s bigger than that. But it’s provided young, Long Island lacrosse players on the girls side with role models. You’re playing for something bigger than yourself or your program. You’re playing for the Island. You’re playing for the pride of a place where lacrosse is king.”
A number of players who embodied the essence of being under Spallina’s leadership and the community sensation that accompanies it departed following the 2024 campaign, having exhausted their eligibility.
Of the 12 starters in the Seawolves’ season-ending defeat to Syracuse in the Second Round of the national tournament, only two are returning in 2025. Among them is midfielder Alexandra Fusco, who filled in for midfielder Erin MacQuarrie — another graduate — after she was sidelined by an injury during the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Overall, Stony Brook lost 85.7% (281/328) of its goals, 91.6% (175/191) of its assists, 93.0% (291/313) of its draw controls, 65.0% of its ground balls (212/326) and 47.9% (92/192) of its caused turnovers with the departing players, which, in total, comes out to 24 exits between graduation and the transfer portal.
Nonetheless, despite the new look, the Seawolves once again claimed a familiar spot in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll: at the top.
However, in this edition, for the first time since joining the conference in 2022, an opposing coach cast a first-place vote for a team other than Stony Brook. Should this happen, it would snap the Seawolves’ streak of ten league titles in competitions they were eligible to compete in.
Additionally, while the Seawolves earned four individual accolades in the poll, Drexel — whom Stony Brook triumphed over in the 2024 CAA title game — claimed five, including the 2025 CAA Preseason Player of the Year award. This honor, which had been bestowed upon Ellie Masera for the previous two years, was awarded to the Dragons’ standout goalkeeper, Jenika Cuocco.
“Our players probably feel a little bit disrespected,” Spallina said. “Things like that will help drive this team. I’ve been coaching at Stony Brook for a long time. Any loss in conference usually comes from other coaches voting for other players. It’s never about actually losing on a field. We don’t get too concerned with that.”
As Spallina frequently emphasizes, the Seawolves’ ambitions extend well beyond just league success. Consistently a national powerhouse, Stony Brook’s goals remain unchanged despite the departure of key players, as the program thrives on a “plug-and-play” system, ensuring that anyone inserted into the lineup is poised for success.
“Our goal is to enter championship weekend and win a national championship,” Spallina said. “With that, comes smaller goals along the way, and, obviously winning our conference games and then establishing dominance in conference play.”
The Seawolves’ success over the past decade has heavily hinged on their unique zone defense employed by Spallina; an area of the field that also most encapsulates “plug-and-play.”
Over the past three campaigns, particularly, Stony Brook has consistently been one of the country’s top defensive teams. In 2022, the Seawolves led the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 6.63 goals per game. In 2023, they maintained their defensive dominance, finishing fourth with 7.89 goals conceded per contest.
Despite its offensive firepower, Stony Brook’s defense once again anchored an outstanding 2024. The Seawolves finished with an impressive 18-3 record, going a perfect 8-0 in CAA play, while letting in just 8.10 goals per game — a mark that ranked second in the NCAA.
Alongside Alexandra Fusco, defender Avery Hines — a 2025 USA Lacrosse Magazine Second Team Preseason All-American and 2025 Preseason All-CAA Team selectee — is the other returner who started in last season’s final game. She also conducts Stony Brook’s endline.
Last year marked Hines’ first campaign as a full-time starter, stepping into the point role vacated by graduated defender Haley Dillon. She quickly made an impact, leading the Seawolves with 66 caused turnovers — a single-season program record — and 45 ground balls. Hines ranked second in the CAA in caused turnovers per game (3.14) and eighth in ground balls per game (2.14). Her performance earned her several accolades, including a spot on the 2024 USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American Third Team and 2024 All-CAA First Team.
With defenders McKenzie Mitchell, Rachel Rosenberg and Clare Levy — now the team’s defensive coordinator — all out of eligibility, Hines will instead be supported by a defensive group featuring midfielders Jordan Forte, Allie Masera and Courtney Quinn along with defenders Alexa Constant, Abby Sabella and Morgan Harloff.
“[The defense] is like a machine,” Hines said. “You plug different players in there and it runs the exact same. Just like you’ve seen with backers in the past. Defensively, we’re always doing the same thing. It’s script.”
Out of that quartet, Forte was the only to consistently receive significant playing time in 2024. She appeared in 19 of the Seawolves’ 21 contests — starting in seven — and posted 14 ground balls and three caused turnovers.
Allie Masera will take over the third woman role at the crest of Stony Brook’s zone, previously held by Levy during the last campaign. While she made regular appearances on the field during her first two seasons, Allie Masera will now step into a more prominent role following the aforementioned departures.
Quinn, Constant, Sabella and Harloff are the biggest question marks — if you can even call it that — for the Seawolves’ defense due to their relative inexperience. The former three have all received some minutes before, though often during kill time.
Conversely, Harloff is a true freshman hailing from South Side High School and will occupy one of the low post spots.
“[Harloff] is a freshman who, in my time at Stony Brook, we’ve never had a freshman at the level that she’s at,” Spallina said. “This kid is going to be special. The kid could do it all. She’s a great takeaway defender. Her IQ is super high.”
The Seawolves’ midfield will also showcase a blend of familiar faces and fresh talent.
On one hand, Alexandra Fusco, midfielder Isabella Caporuscio and attacker Courtney Maclay are three returners that will undoubtedly roam the field for Stony Brook and have the ability to contribute both ways.
With MacQuarrie gone, Alexandra Fusco is arguably Stony Brook’s premier two-way threat. Last season, she played in every game and put up 11 goals, five assists, 17 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers. She was voted a 2025 Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention.
Caporuscio — a 2024 CAA All-Rookie Team and Preseason All-CAA Team member — impressed as a first-year player, posting nine goals, three assists, 18 ground balls and nine caused turnovers in 21 outings. She also played a role in the circle, controlling 11 draws.
Spallina believes Maclay will be a “household name on Long Island” by the end of the year, and highlights her as the team’s most “dynamic one-on-one dodger.” Although Maclay will see an increased role in 2025, she was an important piece of the Seawolves’ last campaign, too. In her junior season, Maclay registered 14 goals and three assists in 17 games off the bench.
Midfielders Molly LaForge and Julia Fusco — Alexandra Fusco’s sister — alongside attacker Haydin Eisfeld will also play important roles in the center of the field for Stony Brook. While LaForge and Eisfeld have experience, Julia Fusco is a freshman from Bayport-Blue Point High School set to make a significant impact.
“[LaForge] is a returner that played a lot of minutes for us,” Spallina said. “[She] understands our offense really well and is poised, especially offensively, I think [her] numbers are going to take a tremendous jump. Julia Fusco is somebody that will be a huge part of our success. Her game is awesome. And she fits our mold to perfection. Eisfeld is somebody that will play attack and midfield. She’s a little bit of the glue of the offense in a sense where she’s great at clearing the ball, she can play defense, but she’s also somebody that could be a Swiss Army Knife and be able to attack from behind the cage, on the wings and up top.”
Concerning the draw circle, the Seawolves will turn to transfer midfielder Braeden Siverson to handle face-offs. After a solid year with Bucknell, where she recorded 54 draw controls, 16 goals, 13 caused turnovers, and seven ground balls, Siverson has the potential to make an impact in multiple areas. She will also benefit from the guidance of Charlotte Verhulst — who played five seasons with Stony Brook before graduating and, like Levy, has since joined the coaching staff as an assistant coach. A force on both sides of the ball, Verhulst took the majority of the team’s face-offs in 2024 and will be an asset in Siverson’s transition.
Throughout Spallina’s tenure, the Seawolves have rarely relied on the transfer portal — instead choosing to focus on developing homegrown talent.
However, while Stony Brook returns a wealth of offensive talent through players that are now further developed, it did bring in a pair of collegiate veterans — along with Siverson — to bolster its attack and help fill the void left by players such as Ellie Masera and attackers Kailyn Hart and Alex Finn.
Attackers Charlotte Wilmoth — who received 2025 USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Honorable Mention and Preseason All-CAA Team honors — and Riley McDonald have a combined seven seasons of collegiate lacrosse experience. The former began her career at Ohio State, but did not receive playing time as a freshman. She then transferred to the University of Massachusetts, and, in three years as a Minutewomen, Wilmoth registered 103 goals and 29 assists in 46 games. Conversely, the latter played in three campaigns with Longwood, posting 116 goals and 38 assists in 43 contests during her tenure as a Lancer.
“These are players that have proven that they could score,” Spallina said. “We didn’t want to bring in a ton of transfers, it’s not the way we do it. But to have two players from the transfer portal that fit our mold while also being high-volume goalscorers, it was really a no-brainer.”
Attacker Casey Colbert will step in to replace Finn at the X, taking on the responsibility of quarterbacking the Seawolves’ offense from behind the cage. She and Wilmoth could form a dynamic pairing this season, as Stony Brook’s new transfer acquisition is a renowned cutter.
Colbert faced injury setbacks during her first three years with the Seawolves, but she is now fully healthy and entrusted with a crucial role in Stony Brook’s offense; an attack that ranked ninth nationally in scoring offense in 2024 with 15.62 goals per game.
“All seven of us work really well together,” Maclay said. “The huge difference between last year and this year is, instead of putting all of our efforts into one or two players getting the job done on the offensive end, all seven of us have our own, unique advantages to putting the ball in the back of the net or working together. Whether that’s cutting, dodging [or] feeding.”
The Seawolves’ most uncertain position heading into the season is their last line of defense: their goalkeeper spot.
Goalkeepers Emily Manning and Aaliyah Jones split the role last campaign, but both have since departed; Manning graduated, and Jones transferred to Virginia Tech.
This season, Stony Brook has four goalkeepers on its roster: Ava Yancey, Francesca Viteritti, Hannah Hudson and Natalia Altebrando. Although Spallina has yet to name a starter, Altebrando is the front-runner to take the first-game spot between the pipes.
“We have four goalies and they are crushing it,” Spallina said. “I think top to bottom, it’s probably the most competitive goalie play we’ve had in a training camp. I think they’re synergistic in a sense, where they’re kind of feeding off of each other. ‘Anything you can do, I can do better,’ kind of thing.”
The first netminder up to bat will be revealed in the Seawolves’ season opener, which will take place on Wednesday. Then, Stony Brook will take on the Bryant Bulldogs in Smithfield, R.I. Opening draw is scheduled for noon.
Anthony DiCocco also contributed reporting.
