The Stony Brook men’s lacrosse team played four games, two against ranked opponents, and faired well. They were able to win two big games, lost a heartbreaker, and capped it off with a blowout.
“This was a test for us,” Head Coach Rick Sowell said. “It’s tiring to play that many games in that many days. Injuries are also a concern, but we have been lucky up to this point.”
Upset of #7 Delaware propels Seawolves into top 20
Stony Brook opened up the week on Saturday at #7 Delaware, a game which saw freshman Jordan McBride score ten goals, a school record, to lead the Seawolves to the victory 19-16.
“While we had some set plays, it was more of Jordan finding the open spots on the field,” Sowell said. “He was able to get the ball and get the shots on net.”
Delaware scored the first two goals of the game, but SB responded well, tallying four, and ending the half in an 8-8 tie. Stony Brook took over in the second half, racking up eleven goals in the half, including a streak in which McBride scored four in a row. Senior Owen Adams scored what was the game winning goal on an assist from McBride. Adams had three goals on the day. Senior Rhys Duch accounted for six assists on the day, four to McBride.
The win helped the Seawolves to jump into the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Top 20 poll for the first time this season, ranking at #20.
Seawolves beat Lafayette 12-8
Freshman forward Jordan McBride continued his torrid scoring streak Tuesday afternoon when the Seawolves defeated Lafayette 12-8 at LaValle Stadium.
McBride scored six goals, five in the first half, and sophomore goaltender Alex Kajencki turned away 18 shots as the Seawolves improved to 3-2 on the season. “Alex is improving every game,” Sowell said. “He is maturing while playing, and it is starting to show.”
McBride, the Inside Lacrosse Nike National Player of the Week, had nine shots on goal, and also assisted on a goal by Kevin Crowley. Crowley and Bobby Trinkle led the team with three assists each.
The game was decided on a series of goal scoring runs. The Seawolves went up 5-1 early in the second quarter, but Lafayette was able to get the game back to within 5-4 after three goals in a six minute span shortly after.
But just one minute after the fourth Lafayette goal, the Seawolves began a run of their own that saw them stretch the lead to 12-4. Lafayette added four goals in the final period after Stony Brook brought in their back-ups to gain experience.
Stony Brook loses heart breaker to #15 Denver
Playing at home against nationally ranked Denver, Stony Brook struck first with a goal by senior Ryan Hughes, and from that point on it was a back and fourth game. Jordan McBride scored twice in the half, with goals also by Owen Adams, Bo Tripodi, Kevin Crowly, and Bobby Trenkle.
A slow third quarter, which had only three goals scored was followed by an eleventh goal fourth quarter. “The game is on (in the 4th quarter),” coach Sowell said. “You could feel the sense of urgency.” Stony Brook held a one goal lead heading into the quarter, but would come out on the short end when Denver scored with 4.3 seconds to clinch the victory, 14-13.
“We had our chances in the third,” coach said. “We played a sloppy quarter and let them hang around. You have to give them credit though, they took care of the ball better, we didn’t.” The Seawolves only had seven face off wins out of 31 opportunities. The Seawolves, however, had nine different goal scorers. “We have guys that can score. We just need to be better on the defensive end of the ball.”
McBride was held to two goals on six shots in the game. “They pressed me pretty good,” he said. “They had a stick on me the whole time and shut me off during our extra man opportunities.” Stony Brook was 2-5 on extra man opportunities.
Seawolves Continue to Score, beat Marist 14-4
Stony Brook finished their string of games and their homestand against Marist. The Seawolves started on a tear, scoring the games first six goals. Senior Bo Tripodi opened up the scoring early in the first quarter, and they never looked back. Tripodi ended the game with four goals and an assist. He is the third player in Stony Brook history to score 100 career goals. Senior Bobby Trenkle followed Tripodi’s goal with one of his own, and would finish the night netting three.
The Seawolves never let up, tallying another eight goals in the second half. They tallied 43 shots, while 26 hit the net. Late in the game, the Seawolves saw some new faces in the lineup. Sophomore Chris Scott scored his first career goal, with freshman Timmy Trenkle recording his first career assist. He scored his first goal against Denver.
Goaltender Alex Kajencki had another strong game, making 12 saves. The defense also played well, holding the Red Foxes to only 24 shots. Adam Rand was able to win 10-19 face offs, and 11 of 22 as a team.
The Seawolves will travel to Baltimore, Md., to begin their American East Conference play on Saturday against #12 UMBC. The Retrievers are on a three-game winning streak and are 4-3 overall. Their resume includes wins over #4 Maryland, Denver, and Yale. Their last game went to double over time, where they defeated #19 Ohio St. Face-off is at 7:30 p.m.