With several key departures in the offseason, the No. 14 Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team did not just look for answers, it reloaded with a transfer class ready to make an immediate impact. With 24 players from the 2024 roster not returning, including midfielder Ellie Masera — the program’s fourth all-time scorer — the Seawolves will be leaning on new faces to defend their position as one of the nation’s top programs.

Among the additions head coach Joe Spallina brought in are transfer attackers Riley McDonald and Charlotte Wilmoth, as well as midfielder Braeden Siverson. With the graduation of attackers Morgan Mitchell and Kailyn Hart alongside Masera, amongst others, the offense will be in much need of both a veteran presence and quality — something Stony Brook will hope to get from McDonald and Wilmoth. Outside of the offense, the draw circle raises concerns as well, as the Seawolves’ loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament came at the hands of being outdrawn all game long.

While newcomers, expectations have been set for and embraced by the trio from day one: tournament success or bust.

“The team’s expectation is that we go into the tournament and we make it far,” McDonald said in an interview with The Statesman. “I think it’s kind of common, not common sense for us, but it’s a given that we want to win our conference championship and it’s something that we work towards every day.”

McDonald, who previously played for Longwood, will have the opportunity to end her career on a high note at one of the country’s best programs. As a Lancer, she still split time between the attack and midfield, notching 18 points in 10 appearances in her first season, including a six-point outing against Delaware State.

Her ascension continued, as she notched 39 goals and 15 assists in her junior year over 15 starts, cementing herself as a mainstay for Longwood’s offense. She was not only a force on offense, as she controlled 24 draws that year as well. In her final year, McDonald took another leap with 63 goals and 19 assists, all while converting on over 60% of her shots.

After her senior year, then Longwood head coach Dwayne Hicks had left the program, leading McDonald to see her options in the transfer portal. 

“Stony Brook stood out in particular just because of the extremely strong work ethic that the team and coaching staff had,” McDonald said. “And obviously, their legacy as a championship team. I love that.”

McDonald also touched upon her injury history and how Stony Brook was the only program that offered her reassurance with working on keeping her on the field. She has had knee issues in the past, which will be something that the team will have to monitor throughout the year. 

Stony Brook expects to get a dynamic offensive player out of McDonald, who thrives off dodging to create scoring opportunities. Usually hanging around the right elbow, she prefers to break the defense down by dodging, using quick footwork to get past opposing defenders. Her ability to hit outside shots and shots from a distance will add a dimension to the Seawolves’ offense, who will look to gel early on.

“It’s been super easy to come into [the team], people are just working very hard around you and trying to do their best on the field and that rubs off on you too,” McDonald said. “It makes you push yourself harder. The girls are definitely a big factor in the constant push for getting better and obviously, chemistry comes with stuff like that.”

For McDonald, chemistry will have to be formed with Wilmoth, who will flank her on the attack and profiles as a similar offensive threat. Wilmoth earned a Preseason All-American Honorable Mention earlier this month and is coming from University of Massachusetts, an Atlantic 10 powerhouse. 

“We usually made it to the first round of the NCAA tournament,” Wilmoth said. “But we couldn’t really get over that hump, so that’s why I wanted to go to Stony Brook and make a run in the NCAA tournament.”

Her freshman year at Ohio State saw her fail to get on the field, which led to her transfer to Massachusetts, where she instantly made an impact in her sophomore year. A six-goal game put her on the radar as she tallied 13 points on the year. Her improvement showed, jumping up to 45 goals and nine assists, including a 12-game streak where she had multiple goals.

In her senior year, she was the centerpiece of the offense, notching an Atlantic 10 Second Team and All-Championship Team selection, starting all 18 games for the Minutewomen. She netted 55 goals to go along with 20 assists, including five goals in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The team will need her scoring efforts if it hopes for the offense to match previous years’ output.

“Coach Spallina is very strategic with everything that he does and I feel like each transfer contributes to a piece of the puzzle just in terms of being in the draw circle, defense or attack,” Wilmoth said. “I feel like for [McDonald] and I, we were brought for that offensive presence because they did lose a lot of their scoring to graduates.”

The draw circle will be a point of focus for Stony Brook, who will need to match the nation’s best in order to continue competing down the line. The Seawolves will be counting on Siverson for her expertise on draws.

Following her lone season at Bucknell last year, Siverson’s main focus was finding a more competitive program, hoping to build upon a strong rookie campaign. She appeared in 15 games with 11 starts, notching 16 goals and two assists. 

While more than just a serviceable offensive player, her defensive prowess will be much needed for a Stony Brook team looking to build off of last year’s stout defense. Siverson was a disruptor in the midfield, with 13 forced turnovers last year.

Though Siverson is a midfielder, she specializes in draws. As a freshman, she made an instant impact in Bucknell, leading the team in draw controls with 54.

“With draws, honestly, 80% of it is mental,” Siverson said. “If you have the confidence and you know that you are the better one in the circle, you can just win off of that. I mean, you win the draw, you win the game.”

In their loss to Syracuse last spring, the Seawolves’ struggles in the draw circle was the story of the match, as it made their battle an uphill climb. Siverson will have to carry that load for Stony Brook, continuing her strong start from last year.

“I think that I play well under pressure, so I’m just excited to get after it,” Siverson said. “Pressure is a privilege.”

Siverson can also contribute outside of the circle.

“For outside of the draw, I honestly just like to focus on getting acclimatized into the really fast play on both ends, we play his own defense,” Siverson said. “That was big. But again, all of the upperclassmen like the veterans have been very good with bringing people in and like showing them the zone attack wise again we play in like a zone attack almost. So just try to get used to all of that because I have two more years here.”

The pressure will be on for the Seawolves, as they are ranked as the No. 14 team by ILWomen/KANE and USA Lacrosse preseason polling and were tabbed by Coastal Athletic Association coaches to repeat as champions. While no player can do it alone, Wilmoth, McDonald and Siverson will be at the forefront of the legacy this team leaves this season.

The trio will make their debuts on Wednesday, when Stony Brook faces the Bryant Bulldogs in Smithfield, R.I. Opening draw is scheduled for noon.

Alex Streinger also contributed reporting.