The Stony Brook men’s lacrosse team could not find a clear shot during overtime, extending its losing streak into its first Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) matchup of the season.
In the first Battle of Long Island of the year, the Seawolves faced the Hofstra Pride on the opposing turf of James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y. In a back-and-forth battle on Saturday night, Stony Brook walked away with a 13-12 loss that ended in the second overtime period.
Despite a dominant performance in face-offs, the Seawolves were plagued by turnovers against their rivals, resulting in the Pride having more scoring opportunities throughout the night. This contrast was especially evident in the fourth frame, as Stony Brook — who went into the quarter up 10-8 — was outshot 13-5 in the final 15 minutes, allowing Hofstra to tie things up by the time the regular time buzzer sounded.
In the first overtime period, face-offs were never more important. Once again, the Seawolves came out on top in that department, with FOGO Robbie Smith — who went 18-for-27 on face-offs overall on Saturday — securing the opening ground ball.
However, Stony Brook fell short offensively. On the ensuing attacking set, attackmen Carson Boyle and Justin Bonacci each had a go but misfired, with the latter even hitting the post. After each team turned the ball over thereafter, the frame concluded with goaltender Jamison MacLachlan deflecting a shot by Hofstra midfielder Trevor Natalie.
In the technical sixth quarter, the Seawolves never had a shot to win it. This time, Smith lost the face-off to kick things off to Hofstra FOGO Cole Myers. On their approach, the Pride had four total opportunities as Stony Brook struggled to regain possession. After not being able to convert on its first three chances — including a wide shot, a MacLachlan save and a high shot — Hofstra won it after a Seawolves timeout.
From the X, attackman Anthony Mollica found his counterpart attackman John Madsen, who quickly fired a shot that bypassed MacLachlan and gave the Pride the victory.
Head coach Anthony Gilardi did not speak to the media after the game.
The Seawolves were outshot by Hofstra 47 (24 shots on goal) to 38 (21 shots on goal).
MacLachlan finished with 11 stops for a .458 save percentage — the first time this season that he did not exceed the .500 mark. Conversely, Hofstra goaltender Shea Kennedy made nine saves for a .429 save percentage.
Midfielders Caleb Yeung, Kian McCoy and Richie Dechiaro scored two goals apiece to lead Stony Brook.
Natalie and Mollica tallied hat tricks for the Pride to spearhead their offensive charge.
Next, Stony Brook will head to Maryland to face the Towson Tigers on Saturday. The Tigers are 2-5 overall but 1-0 in conference play after a narrow 19-18 overtime win over Delaware. Opening face-off is set for noon.
