SBU kept it close for most of the game, but Cavaliers overwhelmed in fourth quarter

For three quarters, a young Stony Brook team kept itself close with No. 6 Virginia on Saturday, a storied program that it had yet to beat in its history after 10 tries.

At the end of the game, it would be 11 tries.

Despite a 19-save performance from freshman goalkeeper Dan Shaughnessy, Virginia would break a one-goal game open in the fourth quarter, scoring five unanswered goals to defeat Stony Brook 13-7 at LaValle Stadium.

“We’re a very young team, we played hard and we competed, it was the first time for a lot of our guys that they played against someone at that speed,” head coach Jim Nagle said. “The younger guys competed, but at times, were not ready and not as quick, we rushed at times when we didn’t have to.”

After a see-saw affair in the first quarter, which saw both teams exchange goals, Virginia, getting goals from Ryan Tucker, Mark Cockerton and Scott McWilliams, ran out to a 6-2 lead at the 10:30 mark of the second quarter.

Stony Brook, however, would climb back slowly. Less than two minutes later, sophomore midfielder Mike Andreassi scored his second goal of the game, and at the 7:36 mark, senior midfielder Jeff Tundo added another goal.

With only three seconds left in the quarter, Tundo scored his second goal of the quarter to cut the Virginia lead down to one.

Virginia got goals from Matt White and Charlie Streep to build its lead back up to 8-5, but Stony Brook continued to fight back, cutting the deficit to one again thanks to goals from freshman midfielder Dylan Curry and sophomore Mike Rooney.

In the fourth quarter, Stony Brook ran out of steam, managing only two shots in the quarter and turning the ball over seven times.

“Continuing our fundamentals, our system for four quarters, that’s the difference between a young team and an experienced team,” Nagle said. “It’s just consistency and being able to persevere.”

Andreassi, Rooney and Tundo each had two goals for Stony Brook, and Curry’s goal was the first of his collegiate career. The Seawolves were outshot by Virginia 55-16 and had 24 turnovers.

“I think the fact that we did come back is something to say a lot about our team, the persistence we showed,” Tundo said. “I don’t think that was a bad loss at all, if anything, we can build on it.”

Shaughnessy’s 19 saves, in his third career start, are the most in a game for a Stony Brook goalkeeper since Brendan Callahan made 23 saves in a game against Harvard in 2007.

“Our defense played well, and that’s the only reason I did well,” Shaughnessy said. “It’s still a loss, but we’re not going to get worked up over it since its non-conference.”

Despite having now played Virginia seven out of the last eight seasons, including a meeting in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals in 2010, Nagle, in his second year as the program’s head coach, does not feel that a rivalry has developed between the two programs.

“It’s not a rivalry until you beat them,” Nagle said. “When we beat them, then we’ll call it a rivalry.”