In its return to Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play, the No. 22 Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team fired on all cylinders to net a win.
Fueled by an unrelenting offense and a clean sheet in the second half, the Seawolves (8-3, 3-0 CAA) made quick work of the William & Mary Tribe (5-6, 1-3 CAA) at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Behind a five-goal effort from attacker Charlotte Wilmoth, the 20-3 win was the largest margin of victory for Stony Brook this year.
William & Mary came out in a zone, unlike its usual man-to-man scheme, which briefly gave the Seawolves issues. Though they conceded the game’s first goal, Stony Brook quickly responded after midfielder Riley McDonald tallied a brace in 81 seconds to give her team a 2-1 lead. From there, the Seawolves scored four more unanswered to take the reins away from the Tribe.
Stony Brook closed the first half on a scorching 9-2 run, capped by Wilmoth’s fourth goal of the afternoon just 20 seconds before halftime.
“I definitely work off the ball a lot, so I’ve got to credit my teammates, especially [attacker] Casey Colbert,” Wilmoth said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “We’ve developed great chemistry together and that’s been really hard for defenses to stop.”
The momentum only continued from there, as the Seawolves rang off six unanswered goals coming out of halftime, including a nifty find from Wilmoth for attacker Courtney Maclay. With a slick finish by Maclay, Stony Brook was up 17-3, with no plans of looking back.
Going into the final period, it was all cruise control for the Seawolves as they pulled back three more goals in the early goings of the quarter.
On the day, the Seawolves had no shortage of contributors off the bench either. Midfielder Isabella Caporuscio posted a hat trick and tied her career high with three assists. Midfielder Julia Fusco added a hat trick of her own, while McDonald finished with three goals and two assists. Colbert and Maclay each scored, and Colbert also tallied three assists.
Wilmoth finished with five goals and an assist, reaching 33 goals on the season and continuing her torrid offensive pace.
Stony Brook dominated in an array of ways, outshooting William & Mary 44-12 and controlling possession behind a career day in the circle by midfielder Braeden Siverson, who controlled 11 draws. The Seawolves forced 26 turnovers while committing just 17, and shut out the Tribe over the final 30 minutes of play.
“We try to emulate the pressure of games in practice, and it works for us,” head coach Joe Spallina said. “Our offense isn’t set up for isolation — it’s built on reading and reacting off each other.”
Defensively, the Seawolves smothered William & Mary’s attack, allowing just one goal in the final 45 minutes, including a scoreless final two periods. Mailing in their best performances of the year, defender Avery Hines and midfielder Allie Masera each caused two turnovers, while goalkeeper Natalia Altebrando made six saves in 45 minutes of work. Goalkeeper Francesca Viteritti closed out the game with a clean fourth quarter and a save of her own.
“Even when I’m not facing shots, I’m tracking the play, communicating [and] staying sharp,” Altebrando said. “That chemistry helps me stay in it, and I know when we make a stop, it gives our offense another great look.”
Stony Brook held William & Mary to just 3-of-19 on clears and out-collected the Tribe on ground balls 25-16. The Seawolves also scored two woman-up goals and controlled 15 of 26 draws, including six of seven in the third quarter to fuel a 6-0 frame.
The Seawolves will finish off the three-game homestand at LaValle Stadium next weekend when they take on the Monmouth Hawks, who are 3-9 overall and 0-4 in CAA play this season. Opening draw is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday.
