The Stony Brook men’s lacrosse team found itself on the wrong side of a thriller in its inaugural home game of the 2025 season.
The Seawolves (2-2) hosted the Sacred Heart Pioneers (3-1) on Saturday, playing at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium for the first time this year. The contest was back and forth all afternoon, but the Pioneers had the final say, taking a 7-6 win in overtime.
Sacred Heart and Stony Brook went step for step in the first quarter with attackman Ray O’Brien, midfielder Michael Kloepfer and attackman Collin Williamson scoring for the Seawolves. Attackman Jake Ward was the first to score for the Pioneers, followed by midfielder Tucker Spencer and midfielder Tim Kiely. After 15 minutes the score was knotted at three.
However, Stony Brook’s offense went quiet in the second quarter, failing to crack the scoreboard. After important stops from Sacred Heart goalkeeper Alex Pazienza, the Pioneers were able to capitalize on the other end, getting unassisted goals from Kiely and midfielder Declan Wilkie for a 5-3 going into half.
The Seawolves made the correct adjustments at half time on both sides of the ball. In the final two quarters, Stony Brook scored three goals to go ahead 6-5 while their defense locked down the Pioneers for 29 minutes.
With less than a minute in regulation, Sacred Heart midfielder John Murray tracked down a loose ball that was bouncing towards midfield. With defenseman Riley Hegarty close behind him Murray had to dodge and peel away as he secured possession. Murray then quickly sent the ball downfield to Ward who took an explosive first step to the crease. Midfielder Jaden Baldwin bumped Ward off his line but Ward got craft, spinning off Baldwin and exposing an open lane to goal. With no one left to interrupt his shot, Ward ripped the game-tying goal into the net with 28.7 seconds on the clock.
To start overtime both teams started with defensive stands with the third sealing the game for the Pioneers. After a time-out, Sacred Heart got the ball quickly to attackman Will Moulton in the right alley. Moulton took the opportunity straight to the crease, eating contact from two Seawolves defenders and finishing with his left hand while falling to the turf and giving his team the win.
“Frustrated,” was the first word head coach Anthony Gilardi said in a post game interview.
O’Brien and Kloepfer were the only Seawolves to finish with two points, both recording a goal and an assist. Williamson, attackman Carson Boyle and midfielders Tanner Williams and Kian McCoy all picked up a goal. Midfielders Caleb Yeung and Richie Dechiaro both had one assist.
“I thought offensively, we didn’t play well,” Gilardi said. “We definitely didn’t shoot the ball well. We probably missed seven or eight that have to be goals. Those are the plays in the game that you have to make. That’s the difference between winning and losing.”
Goaltender Jamison MacLachlan had another solid start, stopping 8 of 15 total shots on goal. While he ended the day with his lowest save percentage of the season — saving 53.3% of shots — but still kept his team competitive.
“[MacLachlan] is really talented,” Gilardi said. “I think in the games that we’ve played, he is a big reason why we’re in them or winning them and he is a real reason why we’re in this one.”
The Seawolves have a quick turnaround before their next game on Tuesday, when they welcome the Iona Gaels. The Gaels are in their first season of NCAA Division I competition, and have gone 1-4 on the young season following a 19-4 trouncing at the hands of Virginia Military Institute. Opening faceoff is set for 4 p.m.
