Behind a high-powered offensive display and complete team effort, the No. 19 Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team mailed in another conference victory.
On Friday night in North Carolina, the Seawolves (10-4, 5-0 CAA) steamrolled the Elon Phoenix (6-6, 3-2 CAA) in an 18-8 victory at Rudd Field. An explosive six-point performance from attacker Charlotte Wilmoth powered Stony Brook to a 18-8 rout.
It only took 15 seconds for the first strike to occur, as attacker Riley McDonald found the back of the net off a feed from midfielder Isabella Caporuscio to open up the scoreboard. Just seconds later, Wilmoth bounced in a free-position shot to double the Seawolves’ lead. While Elon reeled one back shortly after, it hardly broke Stony Brook’s momentum. Attacker Courtney Maclay scored from a distance to make it 3-1, and then attacker Casey Colbert and Wilmoth tacked on back-to-back goals to put the Seawolves up 5-1 by the end of the first quarter.
The Phoenix attempted to claw back in the second period, as goals from midfielder Lila Ceribelli and attacker Ana Lee Vandiver brought the Phoenix within three at 6-3. But, it would be a 4-1 run from Stony Brook that essentially slammed the door. Caporuscio netted a clean look before Wilmoth finished off a quick passing sequence to complete her first-half hat trick. McDonald followed her lead, adding her second with just over five minutes left; by halftime, the Seawolves were ahead 10-4.
Coming out of the break, Elon cut the deficit to five on a nifty strike from midfielder Kailey McKenna. That would be the closest the Phoenix would get, as Stony Brook responded with yet another avalanche. Fusco then scored on a woman-up opportunity, with Wilmoth and McDonald burying two more — both on free-position attempts — to stretch the lead to 14-6. McDonald was not finished, adding her fourth goal on a dodge to the cage just over five minutes later.
After a goal from Fusco pushed the lead to double digits, Caporuscio connected with Wilmoth for the latter’s fifth of the day to cap off an 8-2 second-half run. Elon managed two consolation goals in the fourth, but the game was long out of reach.
Head coach Joe Spallina did not speak to the media after the game.
Wilmoth continued her prolific graduate season, posting five goals and one assist to bring her season tally to 46 goals. McDonald added four goals and an assist, and Caporuscio was setting her teammates up all night long, registering four assists and scoring once. The trio accounted for half of the team’s 18 goals.
Caporuscio commanded the midfield with five draw controls and two ground balls, helping the Seawolves dominate possession.
Midfielder Alexandra Fusco tallied a hat trick and added a caused turnover, while attacker Casey Colbert contributed two goals and two assists. Maclay added a pair of scores as well. In total, seven different Seawolves found the back of the net and 11 assists were recorded on 18 goals.
Stony Brook’s defense played just as complete a game. The unit forced 19 turnovers and limited Elon to only 15 total shots. Goalkeeper Natalia Altebrando made five saves and was aided by a backline led by defender Avery Hines, who scooped up a team-high six ground balls and caused four turnovers.
The Seawolves were perfect on clears, converting all 19 attempts, and also won 19 of 29 draws. Their efficiency extended to free-position shots, where they converted twice on five tries.
With the win, Stony Brook remains the only undefeated team in the Coastal Athletic Association along with Drexel, and it will return home next week on Sunday to face the Campbell Camels. Campbell is 3-10 overall and 1-5 in conference play after a 15-11 loss to Delaware on Friday. Opening draw is slated for 11 a.m.
