Although the Stony Brook men’s lacrosse team still has four conference games remaining, the 2025 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Championship is quickly approaching, as it commences in less than a month. Despite currently sitting in fifth place in the league standings — just one spot outside a playoff berth — the team’s chances of claiming the tournament title and securing an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament remain very much alive.
The Seawolves — who currently sport a 5-5 overall and 1-2 CAA record — have already experienced their fair share of ebbs and flows this season. On one hand, Stony Brook has defeated a pair of ranked opponents — something it was unable to achieve last year in two tries. In their season opener, the Seawolves beat then-No. 20 Rutgers, and, in their most recent contest, they stunned No. 12 Fairfield — who was the last undefeated team in Division I lacrosse coming into the day.
However, Stony Brook has also faced some tough losses. While its 0-3 record in overtime affairs — against strong opponents — can be somewhat excused, the Seawolves suffered a surprising defeat to former America East rival Binghamton at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, which marked the Bearcats’ first 2025 victory after four straight losses to open their campaign. To Binghamton’s credit, it went on to win three of its next four games, with its only defeat in that period coming against No. 11 Harvard.
Stony Brook opened conference play with consecutive overtime losses to Hofstra and Towson, respectively. Through three weeks of league play, those teams remain the only undefeated squads within the CAA. Following their victory over the Stags, the Seawolves will face Delaware — currently fourth in the conference — before concluding their regular season against the league’s bottom tier: Drexel, Monmouth and Hampton; from highest to lowest standing. Last year, a 3-4 record was sufficient to clinch a CAA Championship berth, while in 2023, the fourth seed finished with a 5-2 record.
To make a push for playoffs and beyond, Stony Brook will likely continue to lean on its defense. The Seawolves rank second in the conference in goals against average (9.73), a mark largely credited to goaltender Jamison MacLachlan — who is in the midst of an outstanding bounce-back campaign. After struggling under high expectations last season — posting career-lows with a .446 save percentage and 13.58 goals allowed per game — MacLachlan ended the year as the backup to goaltender Tommy Wilk. However, he earned the starting role back in 2025 and has seized the opportunity.
MacLachlan has arguably been the league’s premier netminder this season. While he only trails Hofstra goaltender Sean Henderson in save percentage, MacLachlan has played double the number of contests, as the Pride employ a 1a, 1b system with goaltender Shea Kennedy splitting time with Henderson. MacLachlan is second in save percentage (.591) in the CAA and 11th in the nation, but tops the conference and is sixth in the NCAA leaderboard in saves per game (13.90).
Stony Brook’s offense has been less impressive this year, ranking second-to-last in the conference in goals per game (10.50). However, the Seawolves have exceeded this average in every league matchup so far. In fact, they have scored double-digit goals in each of their last six contests. Earlier this campaign, a four-goal performance against then-No. 11 North Carolina and a six-goal outing against Sacred Heart have significantly impacted Stony Brook’s overall scoring average.
Another key contributor for the Seawolves this season has been FOGO Robbie Smith. He has led Stony Brook’s face-off unit to solid success, helping the team place third in the league in face-off percentage (.536), up from sixth last year when it posted a .467 mark. Smith — who was limited by injuries in 2024 — has served as the Seawolves’ primary face-off taker, often ahead of FOGO Chris Esposito. Smith ranks fifth in the CAA among players with at least 20 face-offs, with a .549 win percentage. Esposito, though serving as the backup, has still seen significant reps and shown improvement, raising his percentage from .476 last season to .523 this year — good for eighth in the conference following the aforementioned eligibility requirement.
The Seawolves’ playoff hunt continues on Saturday, when they face the Blue Hens in Newark, Del. Opening face-off is scheduled for noon.
