The Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team remains the only team left undefeated in the CAA as the Seawolves topped Drexel, 17-14, on April 18 to secure the No .1 seed heading into the program’s third-straight CAA Championship tournament.

The Seawolves’ offense was led by Riley McDonald who tallied five goals and a pair of assists with Charlotte Wilmoth following closely behind with four goals and one assist. Casey Colbert notched a career-high seven points on two goals and five assists.

Defensively, Avery Hines collected a team-high three caused turnovers as Alexa Constant had a career performance with four ground balls. In net, Natalia Altebrando played her seventh full 90-minute game of the season, making nine saves on a .409 save percentage.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Seawolves started off hot with a pair of goals from McDonald and Wilmoth before Drexel responded with one of their own in transition, off a turnover. Stony Brook then added two more courtesy of Casey Colbert and McDonald as the Dragons notched another from a free position opportunity. With 13 seconds remaining in the quarter, McDonald would tally her 11^th hat trick of the season to give the Seawolves a 5-2 lead early.

Stony Brook started the second quarter right where they left off outscoring Drexel, 7-4. The Seawolves won the initial draw control and scored an immediate goal from Isabella Caporuscio. Less than two minutes later, Alexandra Fusco would join in on the fun with a goal of her own to give the Seawolves a five-goal advantage. Drexel scored on yet another free position goal before a 4-0 scoring run powered the Seawolves to an eight-goal lead. The Dragons were able to piece together some offense, scoring three straight but Stony Brook performed a class act with back-to-back goals, dished out from Colbert to Wilmoth to close out the half and give the Seawolves a 13-6 lead at the break.

Drexel started the third quarter with an offensive push, scoring their fourth free position goal of the game on a woman-up opportunity and gaining momentum through the first nine minutes of the half. The Seawolves then burst onto the scene, going on a 3-0 scoring run with goals from Courtney Maclay, Colbert, and a behind-the-back beauty from Wilmoth to take their largest lead of the day, 16-7. The Dragons notched a pair of goals through the final three minutes of the quarter to get back within seven.

Drexel continued their push, getting back within four with three goals to start the fourth. As the Seawolves were held scoreless through six and a half minutes, but Maclay ended the drought finding a lane through the eight-meter right to the back of the net. With less than two minutes remaining, the Dragons would score their final goal with the Seawolves ultimately securing a 17-13 victory for their seventh CAA win of the season.

QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES

Up next, the team concludes the regular season next Saturday, April 26 at Hofstra for the Battle of Long Island. First draw is scheduled for 7 p.m. with coverage available on FloCollege. Stony Brook is 8-5 in the all-time series against the Pride, winning seven straight in a streak dating back to 2015.

Stony Brook softball took on the Charleston Cougars at University Field on March 23 and when it was all over, the Seawolves clinched a series win 5-4. Kyra McFarland capped off a perfect day at the dish with a walk-off homer. Down to their final out, the Cougars tied the game in the seventh, but it was McFarland’s heroics that ultimately decided the Sunday matinee on Long Island.

Crimson Rice made her second start of the weekend series on Sunday, starting her day with a 1-2-3 inning. Stony Brook’s offense put up three runs in the home half of the first. Alyssa Costello started things with a single through the middle, scoring on Mia Vannelli’s fielder’s choice. Emma Scheitinger plated a run on a single and a third run scored on a fielding error.  Rice worked around an error behind her to complete a second straight scoreless inning to start her Sunday.

After the Seawolves went down in order in the second, Charleston evened things at 3-3 with a three-run inning of its own. The Cougars loaded the bases with nobody out and pushed a pair of runs across before registering an out.

Gabrielle Maday entered in relief of Rice, who failed to record an out in the third and allowed the first five hitters to reach base. Maday allowed one inherited runner to score, but stranded a pair of runners to keep things tied. Stony Brook put runners in scoring position in the third, fourth and fifth innings, but could not capitalize on the opportunities.

Maday retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth, then worked around trouble to strand a pair of runners in scoring position in a tied game in the sixth.

Nicole Allen pinch hit to lead off the sixth, doubling down the left field line. Allen moved up 60 feet on a Kaiya Simpkins sacrifice bunt and then scored the go-ahead run on a Costello sacrifice fly.

Down to their final out, the Cougars tied things up on a Paradis double over Scheitinger’s head in right. Maday induced a grounder to limit the damage to one run and give her offense a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh.

McFarland did just that, slamming the second pitch she saw over the fence in center to walk it off.

“What a terrific ballgame. I think all around, all three parts of the game, our best game of the year,” head coach Megan T. Bryant said. “She’s a good hitter, she’s a fifth-year player. She works super hard in the weight room. She refused to lose there and that’s what you love to see out of a fifth-year veteran player,” Bryant added regarding McFarland’s walk-off homer.

The team hit the road for a mid-week doubleheader at Sacred Heart on March 25. The results were not available at press time but were posted online at www.tbrnewsmedia.com.