The Stony Brook Seawolves got off to a shaky start in their first game Thursday against Hofstra, losing to the Pride by a score of 17-8. The game marked Coach Chuck Priore’s first game with the Seawolves and the third time the two teams have met since 2004. Last season’s meeting was a lopsided victory for the Pride when they topped Stony Brook 51-0.
The game got off to a promising start, with a strong Seawolves defense led by senior Hasan Stewart and sophomore Chris Merkle. They kept the Pride scoreless through the first half. Merkle led the team with seven tackles; Stewart finished the game with six.
On the offensive side, the Seawolves pushed forward early on, but as they relied more and more on their running game, the Pride began to pick up the strategy and stopped Stony Brook in its tracks. The opening half saw only two passing plays, both of which were incomplete.
As the first half came to a close, a fumble by the Seawolves put the Pride within scoring distance with fifteen seconds left in the half. Luckily, the clock played defense for the Seawolves and they were able to head into the locker room with a scoreless tie.
But when the second half opened, Hofstra picked up virtually where they left off, piecing together an 84 yard gain for a touchdown in the first possession.
The two teams mixed it up for the rest of the third quarter, but it was Hofstra that broke out again, with less than a minute remaining in the quarter. Quarterback Anton Clarkson connected with Shaine Smith in the end-zone to put the Pride up 13-0.
In the fourth quarter, the Seawolves answered back, mixing in more passing plays as they tried to throw off the Hofstra defense.
Finally, Dwayne Eley connected on a punt return, rushing for 31 yards, and setting up the Seawolves on the third yard line. Quarterback Josh Dudash’s pass found Michael Cosentino in the end-zone and the Seawolves were finally on the board.
Then, the Seawolves set up for the extra point, but a bad snap made the kick impossible. Thinking fast, sophomore Steve Austin managed to find Kevin Halonski on the short pass to complete the two point conversion, cutting the Hofstra lead to 14-8, and putting Stony Brook within one touchdown of their first season victory.
But the Seawolves luck didn’t hold as in the following possession, a ball knocked down by defensive lineman Adam Soivilien somehow found Clarkson’s hands and he pushed forward for the Hofstra first down. At the end of the possession, kicker Rob Zarilli completed a 26 yard field goal that sealed the scoreboard at 17-8.
For the remainder of the fourth quarter, the Seawolves scrambled to get back into it, going to their passing game for more plays, but they couldn’t put anything together, and the defensive side couldn’t put enough pressure on the quarterback to hold them for a loss. Time ran out on the clock and the post-game fireworks were less than celebratory.
The Seawolves are back in action on Saturday at Georgetown. The next home game is Wolfstock 2006, the homecoming celebration on October 7.
