After going 12-4 in the 2016 season, the Stony Brook men’s lacrosse team will return to action in just under three months, and the Seawolves’ 2017 schedule was released on Wednesday.
Stony Brook will look to bounce back this upcoming season, after ending the 2016 season with a loss in the semifinal of the America East Tournament. The then-No. 13 Seawolves were defeated by Vermont, 13-9.
Stony Brook’s 2017 14-game schedule is identical to last season’s, as the team prepares to play all of the same teams from 2016, aside from non-conference opponent Marist.
The upcoming season will commence with three straight road games against Sacred Heart on Feb. 14, St. John’s on Feb. 19 and Brown on Feb. 25.
Brown handed Stony Brook its first loss of the season in 2016 in a matchup that ended 16-14. Brown finished the 2016 season with 16 wins and a trip to the NCAA Tournament semifinals where the school eventually lost to Maryland, 15-14.
The Ivy League school hired new head coach Mike Daly to lead the team this season. Daly has hoisted three NCAA National Championships at the Division-III level during his tenure at Tufts University.
The Albany Great Danes will come into town to face the Stony Brook Seawolves on Apr. 1. The Great Danes look to continue their America East dominance this season, as they have had a perfect record in conference play in each of the past four seasons.
They finished the 2016 season with a 6-0 conference record but their season ended with a stunning loss to Hartford in an 11-10 overtime thriller in the America East semifinals. Stony Brook lost in Albany last season by a score of 16-10.
After three straight road games, the Seawolves will finally open up their season at home against the Fairfield Stags on March 4 at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. The Seawolves got the upper hand on the Stags last season as they defeated the team, 9-6.
Following that matchup, the Seawolves will continue their non-conference schedule as they travel to New Jersey to face Rutgers on March 10. Stony Brook defeated Rutgers with ease last season, 15-6. The Stony Brook Seawolves will host the Lehigh Mountain Hawks on March 14, another team they beat handily in 2016, 16-6.
The Stony Brook Seawolves will open America East conference play against the UMBC Retrievers on March 18. Stony Brook will then take the short trip to Hempstead to face another Long Island team — Hofstra — for the second year in a row. The Seawolves will play the Pride, who they defeated last season, on March 21.
Five of the six remaining games on the schedule will be conference matchups for Stony Brook, beginning with Hartford on March 26. On Apr. 8, the Seawolves will play their final non-conference game of the season against the Princeton Tigers.
The Seawolves will wrap up their season against three conference teams they defeated in the 2016 regular season: Vermont, UMass Lowell and Binghamton.
Stony Brook defeated Vermont, 13-10, in the regular season but lost to the Catamounts when it counted the most, falling 10-9, in the first semifinal game of the America East Championship tournament. The Seawolves will have a chance for revenge on Apr. 15 in Burlington, Vermont.
Stony Brook head coach Jim Nagle named the team captains — three offensive-minded seniors — on Monday. Senior midfielder Alex Corpolongo, who erupted with a career-high 36 goals in 2016, two-time first team all-conference senior midfielder Jeff Reh and senior attack Ryan Bitzer, who recorded 23 goals and 18 assists in 2016, will lead the team.
