Coming off a series of losses, the Stony Brook men’s lacrosse team secured a must-needed win against a formidable opponent.
In their first Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) game of the season at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, the Seawolves (5-5, 1-2 CAA) snapped a three-game losing streak in a back-and-forth affair against the No. 12/13 Fairfield Stags (9-1, 2-1 CAA), who, coming into Saturday’s contest, was the only remaining undefeated team left in Division I lacrosse. Stony Brook’s second victory against a ranked opponent this year came down to the wire, with the final score reading 17-16.
“We had our backs against the wall, starting 0-2 in CAA play,” goaltender Jamison MacLachlan said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “But I mean, to come out here against a ranked team, [and] give them their first loss of the year, it’s just an unbelievable feeling. I think now we know we got what it takes to make it to the CAA tournament and make a deep run with this team we have right here.”
The final minutes of this contest were incredibly grueling. On one hand, the Seawolves were looking to avoid a third straight affair with the same script, with the previous two featuring a close game that wound up in overtime and eventually culminated in a loss. Conversely, the Stags — who are receiving national limelight — were hoping to remain in the public’s eyes by retaining their undefeated record.
With the score tied at 13 apiece at the start of the final period, Stony Brook landed the first blow with goals in consecutive possessions beginning with 10:41 left to play, courtesy of attackman Carson Boyle and midfielder Collin Williamson, respectively.
However, the Seawolves’ offense went cold from there, producing five consecutive empty attacking sets, which opened the window for Fairfield to level things up again. With less than three minutes remaining, the Stags called a timeout to draw up a play for their ensuing attacking possession. On that attacking set, MacLachlan caused a crucial turnover, giving Stony Brook the ball.
“[MacLachlan]’s the heart and soul of our team, I’m gonna be honest with you,” head coach Anthony Gilardi said. “He makes saves, he’s got so much energy, huge turnover he causes in the end of the fourth quarter that would seal the game.”
The Seawolves’ netminder’s play led to the team’s winning stretch, featuring another sequence of back-to-back attacking sets ending with scores, this time from the sticks of attackman Ray O’Brien and midfielder Caleb Yeung, respectively.
“When you score a goal, your teammates score a goal, [MacLachlan] makes a good save, defense makes a good play, it’s really easy to get riled up because we’re a close-knit group, so it’s pretty cool,” midfielder Kian McCoy said.
Although Fairfield tallied the contest’s final goal, it was too little, too late for it, as the score came with just 20 seconds left and it committed a violation in the ensuing face-off.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this team,” Gilardi said. “From day one to this moment, they’ve done everything we’ve asked. They work really, really hard. They play really, really hard. They love each other.”
Stony Brook was outshot 55 (36 shots on goal) to 35 (24 shots on goal).
The Seawolves were -4 (20-16) in the turnover differential, and lost the ground ball (51-41) and face-off (19-18) battles.
Along with the clutch caused turnover, MacLachlan had a monster day in the cage. He posted a season-high 20 saves for a .555 save percentage and scooped up seven ground balls. Contrarily, Fairfield goaltender Owen Hirsch stopped seven shots for a .292 save percentage.
McCoy — a true freshman — had the best day of his young career, posting a hat trick and three assists. Attackman Brendan Marino also scored a hat trick.
Fairfield attackman Jake Gilbert spearheaded its attack with four goals.
Stony Brook will look to build on this win when it hits the road again to face the Delaware Blue Hens on Saturday in Newark, Del. The Blue Hens are 5-4 overall and 1-2 in CAA play following a 17-10 loss to Hofstra. Opening face-off is scheduled for noon.
