Stony Brook men’s lacrosse came into Tuesday’s matchup against its winless rival Hofstra in desperate need of a victory. Instead, the Pride tacked a 14-2 home loss onto the Seawolves’ record, extending their losing streak to four games. The last time Stony Brook scored just two goals in a matchup was 26 years ago in March of 1992, against a then-No. 12 ranked Navy.

The defeat was a low-point for Stony Brook, who was out-played in every category throughout the game, including being 44-20 to Hofstra. The Pride controlled  possession throughout the majority of the matchup, as they were able to dominate face-offs. The team won seven of the eight face-offs in the first half, including all four in the first period. Stony Brook was held to one face-off victory in the first half, which eventually resulted in a turnover as the ball went out-of-bounds.

The Seawolves currently sit at the bottom of the America East in face-offs with just 31 victories and 71 losses, a rate of 30 percent during draws.

Hofstra led the charge right from the start as sophomore attackman Ryan Tierney scored for the team off the opening face-off less than one minute in. Tierney would eventually lead the Pride offense with a game-high five goals along with two assists.

Freshman midfielder Dominic Pryor would also play a critical factor for Hofstra in the opening period as he notched two goals, putting his team up 3-0 at the end of the first.

Sophomore attackman Chris Pickel, Jr. registered  both of Stony Brook’s goals, both on man-advantages. His first was in the second period as he cut towards the net, caught a pass from Wayne White, and fired a shot past freshman goalkeeper Jacob Coleman, closing the Seawolves deficit to 3-1 with 5:59 in the first half.

Coleman was subbed into the matchup 30 seconds prior to the goal after starting senior goalkeeper Jack Concannon was called for a one-minute illegal body check. Pickel, Jr. is currently the team’s top scorer with eight goals and leads the team in points with eight.

The Seawolves had 12 man-advantage opportunities throughout the matchup and capitalized on two, compared to the Pride who scored twice as well, but on just half the opportunities at six.

Hofstra recorded  two more goals before halftime following Pickel, Jr.’s goal, including Tierney scoring his second goal of the game with 5:10 remaining in the first half.

The Pride’s offensive momentum grew in the second half. The Seawolves were outshot 14-2 and gave up five goals. Seven ground balls allowed for the Pride to hold on to possession and gain opportunities.

Despite Hofstra’s possession over the ball, penalties resulted in numerous opportunities for Stony Brook. Pickel, Jr. was able to score  his second goal of the matchup just 11 seconds after Hofstra was assessed a one-minute illegal body check penalty with 12:31 left in the third period.

Stony Brook’s defense was roughed up for the rest of the matchup, as the team conceded two goals in the span of a minute in two separate situations throughout the half.

Tierney earned his fourth goal of the game with his goal at 9:40 of the third period to put the Pride up 7-2. Junior attackman Jimmy Yanes followed just 54 seconds after with a goal of his own that was assisted by Tierney.

Yanes and Tierney both scored  goals before the end of the third period to put Hofstra up 10-2 headed into the fourth period of play. Hofstra added four more goals in the final 15 minutes of action, including two goals in the span 12 seconds, sealing the dreadful Stony Brook defeat.

Sophomore goalkeeper Michael Bollinger earned his first start of the year on Tuesday. The keeper gave up 13 goals and saved seven Hofstra shots. He was subbed out of the matchup with 8:05 left in regulation for senior goalkeeper Brandon Maciejewski, who gave up one goal.

Head coach Jim Nagle was not satisfied by his team’s performance and acknowledges that there is room for improvement for his young squad.

“This was a disappointing night for us, but I still believe in our guys and the character of this team,” Nagle said in a press release. “It’s a long season, it’s only February, and we have no choice but to move forward from here.”

Stony Brook starts off the year at 0-4 for the first time since the 2000 season, where the team finished off the year with a 5-11 overall record and a 0-6 record in conference play. The team looks to bounce back from the slump as it travels north to Fairfield, Connecticut, to take on a 1-3 Fairfield Stags team on Saturday, Mar. 3. The Stags were defeated by the Seawolves last season with a score of 9-6.

Correction: March 1, 2018

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Stony Brook faced then-No. 12 ranked Army in 1992. Stony Brook faced then-No. 12 ranked Navy.