The No. 14 Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team defeated the No. 2 seed Drexel 9-6 on May 4 to win the CAA Championship for the second consecutive year. The victory increased the Seawolves’ winning streak to 12 games in a row and secured their 11th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, a run that began in the 2013 campaign.
In programme history, Stony Brook has won nine conference championships at home in Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, including two CAA and eight America East titles.
En route to victory, the Seawolves were propelled by an exceptional defensive display that saw them restrict the Dragons to just six goals, fifteen shots, and eight shots on goal. Furthermore, Drexel’s leading scorer Corinne Bednarik was limited to only one goal and a season-high seven turnovers by the Stony Brook defence, which also caused 18 turnovers.
Midway through the second quarter, Stony Brook trailed 2-0. However, senior defender Clare Levy charged towards goal with all of his might and scored the game’s first goal for the Seawolves. Levy’s goal ignited the Stony Brook crowd, and the Seawolves used that energy to finish the first half strong.
After the teams traded goals to end the second quarter, Drexel led by a slim 3-2 at the half. Using a 6-0 run to take the lead and never look back, Stony Brook took command of the game in the second half.
Five different players scored goals during the run: Ellie Masera (who scored twice), graduate attack Morgan Mitchell, graduate midfielder Erin MacQuarrie, graduate attack Kailyn Hart, and graduate midfielder Charlotte Verhulst.
Masera pace the Seawolves’ scoring with a game-high three goals, leading all players in scoring. Hart scored two goals to record her 15th and 11th consecutive multi-goal game of the season. Levy, Verhulst, Mitchell, and MacQuarrie (above) each scored one goal.
With a season-high seven draw controls, Verhulst helped the Seawolves win the battle of the draws, enabling Stony Brook to outdraw Drexel, 12-5. Masera added two more draw controls, tying the Seawolves record for most draw controls in a single season with 136. With 135 draw controls in 2018, the senior surpassed Kerri McCarthy, who had previously held the record.
Hines continued to dominate on defence, forcing five more turnovers and setting a record for the Stony Brook single-season. Hines now has more created turnovers in a single season in programme history with 60, surpassing Brook Gubitosi’s record of 55 from 2017.
Four Seawolves were named to the All-Championship Team due to their exceptional performance during the competition. Masera won the title of Most Outstanding Performer, and Verhulst, Hart, and Levy were chosen to the All-Championship Team.
As Stony Brook’s head coach, Joe Spallina is currently 21-1 in conference tournament contests, and the Seawolves have won 20 straight under his leadership.
Next, as revealed during the Selection Show on May 5, the team will play MAAC Champion Niagara in Syracuse, New York, on May 10, at 2:00 p.m. in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. On May 12, the first-round victor will take on Syracuse, ranked third.
Topics #CAA Championship #SBU Sports #Second Time In A Row #Women's Lacrosse Wins
