SBU Sports: Womens lacrosse continues strong against Villanova
The Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team pulled away from Villanova early and earned a 12-5 victory over the Wildcats on Feb. 19 in Villanova, Pennsylvania to pick up the squad’s second consecutive win.
The Seawolves were paced by eight different goal scorers with Haydin Eisfeld notching a career-high three goals for her first collegiate hat trick. Alexandra Fusco added a pair of goals and assists while Charlotte Wilmoth scored two goals herself. Casey Colbert led Stony Brook with a team and career-high four assists.
Defensively, Avery Hines tallied a single-game program record with eight caused turnovers while adding a career-high five ground balls. Courtney Maclay recorded five draw controls to lead the Seawolves in the circle. In net, Ava Yancey got her first collegiate start, making three saves through 60 full minutes of play.
For Villanova, Sydney Pappas led the Wildcats with two goals, as Madison Freeman, Elena Torres, and Jillian Vaught each notched one. Goalkeeper Makenzie Fisher made 10 saves in net on a .445 save percentage.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Seawolves scored six straight goals in the span of 11 minutes to begin the contest, the first time since April 6, 2024, against Delaware. Julia Fusco capped the run with a woman-up goal dished out by her sister, Alex.
After a Villanova tally, Wilmoth struck again to put Stony Brook up 7-1 at the end of the first.
The Seawolves grabbed a 9-1 lead with 47 seconds to go in the half as Eisfeld scored in transition to keep Stony Brook on top.
Eisfeld scored again to open the third quarter, as the Wildcats responded and tallied a pair to close the gap, 10-3 heading into the fourth.
Villanova would score another two before Maclay and Kylie Budke capitalized on the Seawolves’ lead to secure a 12-5 victory.
“Really proud of our players and coaches, I always say you improve the most from game one to game two. Our defense was ready to go, holding a potent offense to just 11 shots in the game. That stat is incredible with the offensive power of Villanova. Offensively, we showed spots of brilliance but there’s still so much room for improvement. That’s the great thing about this group is that the ceiling is so high. Really awesome for Avery to set that Stony Brook record as she was so in tune with the scout and the tendencies of the Nova offense. It’s great to start out 2-0, but it’s all eyes on UAlbany Sunday,” noted head coach Joe Spallina postgame.
Next up, the team returns to action on February 23 as they head north to face in-state rival UAlbany. First draw is scheduled for 12 p.m. with coverage available on ESPN+. This will be the 31st meeting between the Seawolves and Great Danes in program history with Stony Brook leading 23-7 all-time.
