After the Stony Brook women’s soccer team won their first game of the season defeating Lafayette College (2-1, 0-0 Patriot League) 3-1 on Aug. 24 at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, they secured their second consecutive victory and first win on the road this season after defeating Merrimack College 2-1, at Matone-Mejail field in North Andover, Mass on Aug. 27.

After nearly 18 minutes of scoreless soccer, sophomore Gabrielle Côté shined bright for the Seawolves again after scoring the first goal of the game by making the most of a ball sent into the box that the Canadian used her fancy-footwork to put into the back of the net. 

Heading into the break, the Seawolves and Warriors were all tied up at 1-1. However, the Stony Brook offense was in control for most of the first half as they tallied six shots on goal, compared to the three shots on goal by the Warriors.

Making her first appearance of the season in net was Ava King and the sophomore did not disappoint. She tallied three saves in the second half, including a game-saving play at the 60th minute for her first save of the season that kept the match tied. The squad would break the draw in the 76th minute after sophomore Ashley Manor tallied her first goal of the season by launching a shot from nearly 35 yards away into the top of the net to give Stony Brook the lead and ultimately the 2-1 victory. This was th first-ever victory over Merrimack in program history.

“I’m proud of the team and the grit that we showed to get a result today. Away games are never easy. We had some good phases in the game and some phases we need to improve. Overall, I’m happy with the two wins this week,” said women’s soccer head coach Tobias Bischof.

The team is back on the road on Aug. 31 as they make the short trip to the Bronx to battle Fordham University at 6 p.m. The Seawolves will look to continue their recent success against the Rams after winning their previous three meetings and owning a 5-3-1 overall record against Fordham. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.