After their Monday afternoon practice, sophomore midfielder Serge Gamwanya and graduate defender Lars Togstad walked off speaking Norwegian and laughing as if they’ve known each other for years.

In fact, they have.

Before Gamwanya came to the United States to play for Stony Brook, he played soccer in his native Norway. While playing for the club team Rosenborg BK and the international team two seasons ago, he met a teammate he would eventually become best friends with: Togstad.

“It’s very different playing in Norway,” Gamwanya said. “In Norway, the matches are more tactical and more about technique. … When I got here, the matches were much more physical. The game intensity is so high, it challenges you to play faster and quicker.”

Togstad had an extra year to play in Norway, but after coming to Stony Brook, he also noticed some differences in the style of play in terms of the competitiveness of the teams.

“It’s much more possession in Norway,” Togstad said. “You know what to expect from teams in Norway. Usually in Norway you could know what teams you could roll over against. But here, it doesn’t matter what your ranking is because it seems like every team can beat everyone and you can’t take any team for granted.”

After coming over from Norway, Gamwanya had great success with the Seawolves. He would go on to win the America East Rookie of the Year award and help the Seawolves secure a home playoff game. He was also a big part bringing over Togstad, key player to the defensive back position during the offseason.

“When [assistant coach Dannie Merida] came over to watch me play, Lars was also playing that game,” Gamwanya recalled. “After that game, Coach would ask me who Lars was. He kept Lars in the back of his mind, only because he was mainly there to watch me play. I told them how Lars was an amazing player and would be a huge benefit in the back for us.”

Togstad had his reasons for waiting an extra year to come over and play.

“I had been playing at the same level for about five years at that point and I really wanted to change something,” Togstad said about his decision making process. “I thought about coming over for a long time, I actually declined an offer because they wanted me to come over before I finished my bachelor’s degree. When I was finished with my bachelor’s degree, I decided to come over because I wanted to get a new inspiration.”

Stony Brook Men’s Soccer head coach Ryan Anatol gave his insight on the bond between the two players and the roles the played in securing both players for Stony Brook. His own recollection differed from Gamwanya’s understanding of the recruitment process.

“We were focusing on Serge before Lars? Well that’s a little misleading,” Anatol chuckled.

“We brought Kofi [Ramirez Osei-Tutu] over first and they all played together during their youth,” Anatol continued. “We knew of Lars and we tried to get him the same year we got Serge. Lars was already at university and he wanted to get his bachelor’s degree first. But we are happy to have all of them.”

With Togstad staying back in Norway for a year to finish up school and Gamwanya coming to Stony Brook, Togstad said he saw some changes in Gamwanya, but there was one major difference in Serge’s game that he noticed.

“He’s become more physical in the last year or two,” Togstad noted “He’s not the thin guy he was, but he’s still tiny. But he is a good player, he knows how to get off of pressure and he’s impressed me.”

Since winning Rookie of the Year, Gamwanya — listed as 5-feet-7 and 155 pounds — put in extra work during the offseason to imprive his physical strength. His coach has taken notice of that as well.

“A big strength of him as player is his ability as player is to cover ground,” Anatol said about Gamwanya. “When he came over here and he saw how physical the game was, we told him that was an area he could get better in. He’s worked hard in the weight room and he’s bought into not just getting stronger, but also more of a playing physical mindset.”

Gamwanya and Togstad have been two of the key players for the Seawolves’ success this season. They hold a 7-3-2 record with a 2-1 record in conference play. With Togstad in the defense and recording five shutouts on the season and Gamwanya in the midfield leading the team with four assists and 31 shots, there’s no telling how successful the team could be with the two best friends leading their team to victory.