On the road for the second time in as many games, the Stony Brook football team traveled upstate to Hamilton, New York, to face off against Colgate. But, showing stark similarities to their last game, the Seawolves got off to a slow start and made some costly mistakes down the stretch, eventually dropping the non-conference game 23-13 and falling to 0-2 on the young season. ‘

In a first quarter that saw the Stony Brook offense start off slowly, the Raiders struck first, scoring on a 37-yard TD pass with less than a minute remaining in the quarter. The Seawolves were unable to get on the scoreboard early, gaining only 26 yards and heading into the second quarter trailing by a touchdown. ‘

But the second saw a more energized Stony Brook team on both ends of the field. Redshirt freshman Dominick Reyes (Hesperia, CA.) got the Seawolves going defensively, by disrupting two consecutive passes and bothering the Raiders’ offensive flow.’ On the offensive end, senior Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, NY.) kicked off Stony Brook’s running game, rushing for 16-yards, which turned to a 31-yard gain after a Raiders personal foul at the end of the play. ‘

And the Seawolves weren’t done. Sophomore Edwin Gowins (Bellport, NY.) added a 39-yard run of his own to put them on the scoreboard and even the score, tying it at 7 all. ‘

But the Colgate offense untied it soon afterward. After connecting on a 26-yard field goal, Raiders quarterback Greg Sullivan and wide receiver Pat Simonds connected for another TD pass, a 35-yarder that put the Seawolves in a 17-7 hole. The road team managed to chip into the lead, with two field goals from redshirt freshman Wesley Skiffington (Brandon, FL.) and went into the second half only down 17-13. ‘

Coming out of the halftime break, both teams turned up the defensive energy. The Seawolves did not give up another score, shutting out the Raiders and only giving up 46 yards. But Stony Brook couldn’t get on the board either, despite six first downs. The score held as the teams went into the fourth period still separated by only 4 points. ‘

In the last quarter, both teams kept up the defensive intensity and held each other scoreless until midway through the period. The Seawolves offense looked to get something going with a late drive that began at its own one-yard line. On a fourth and short, Stony Brook faked the punt and gave the ball to Cuttino, who rushed to pick up the tough first down. But the Stony Brook offense made two costly mistakes that made a comeback almost impossible. ‘

Sophomore quarterback Michael Coulter (Yorba Linda, Calif.) was intercepted two plays later, damaging the chances of a late Seawolves rally. Raider linebacker Garrington Spence returned the pick for an 11-yard TD run, creating a 23-13 gap. Shortly after, another Coulter pass was intercepted, completely eliminating the Seawolves’ chances of getting any closer. ‘

The Seawolves went on to lose to the defending Patriot League champion Raiders by the same 23-13 margin. In the loss, Gowins rushed for 108 yards and 17 carries, and Coulter completed 12 of his 29 pass attempts, finishing with 154 yards. ‘

Stony Brook looks to get in the win column on Saturday, as it hosts Brown University in its first game of the season at LaValle Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m. ‘

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