Fall, 1999

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Sixteen shots, almost one a game, that ricocheted off crossbars and goalposts sum up the 1999 Stony Brook men's soccer season--lots of chances, unlucky breaks and a lack of confidence that resulted in a 4-13-1 record in the program's first season of competition at the Division I level.

"Those sixteen shots are great from the standpoint that we were creating chances, but we wish we could have half of those goals," head coach Scott Dean said. "With a break here or there, that is a boost of confidence we could have definitely used with such a young team."

The season opened with high expectations and excitement over Stony Brook's first season at Division I. Although seven starters were missing from the season before, including the leading scorer, the combination of returning players and talented transfers and freshmen coming in led everyone to believe that the Seawolves' first season at Division I would be a success.

Independent Player of the Year Moses Sarr led the team in points and goals with 25 and 12, respectively. St. John's transfer Juan Serna made an immediate impact as a scorer and playmaker, and sophomore Johan Thomsson anchored the defense.

Six newcomers were regular starters for the Seawolves, and the team's lack of experience, coupled with a schedule of almost all new opponents, prevented USB from achieving as many wins as it would have liked in its Division I debut.

"Even some of our older players like Moses and Jon-Ander Beristain were only in the program for two years," Dean said. "We had so many new guys, and they had to develop an identity and a style.

"Expectations were higher from the standpoint of wins and losses," Dean said. "But I thought we competed with everyone we played against. We got more mature and more confident toward the end of the season."

The Seawolves took the field as a Division I team for the first time on Sept. 1, as Stony Brook traveled to face Lafayette. The game would be a telltale sign of things to come. Sarr put USB on the board first with a header and later broke a 1-1 tie on an unassisted goal in the 38th minute for another Seawolves lead. But the Leopards came back, tying the game and sending it into overtime, one of four overtime games on the season for Stony Brook. Lafayette scored the gamewinner nine minutes in, sending the Seawolves home with a hard-fought loss to open their season.

Stony Brook next traveled to Maryland to compete in the adidas Kick-Off Classic. The Seawolves' first opponent was host University of Maryland-Baltimore County. The Retrievers used four second-half goals to break open the game for a 5-1 victory. Freshman goalkeeper Luis Valenzuela made his debut in the game, notching 15 saves, an NCAA single-game high in 1999. Two days later Stony Brook took the field against Marist in the consolation and suffered another painful loss, 4-1.

The Seawolves then traveled to face St. Peter's but were still unable to notch their first win, this time falling 3-1.

Stony Brook finally picked up a 4-0 win in its home opener against Manhattan on Sept. 11. Sophomore Kwame Richardson opened the scoring just five minutes into the game, and junior Jaime Serna, along with brother Juan, netted the first goals of their Stony Brook careers. Sarr struck again as well, chipping in with his third goal of the season. Seawolf goalkeeper Brian McOmber, the USB starter in 14 games, registered his seventh career shutout in the win.

With newfound confidence, the Seawolves faced Sacred Heart at home in their next game in what would turn out to be one of the most controversial matches of the season. Sarr registered a hat trick, scoring all three USB goals, as the Seawolves outlasted the Pioneers 3-1 in an extremely physical and heated contest. In a game that included 48 total fouls, five Sacred Heart yellow cards and one Sacred Heart red card, it was the Pioneers' physical play that allowed the Seawolves to put the game out of reach. After being fouled hard in the box, Sarr connected on a penalty kick in the 80th minute to seal the victory, improving USB's record to 2-4 on the season.

Despite his wonderful performance, Sarr topped it in the very next game, scoring all four Seawolf goals in a 6-4 loss at home to Northeastern. In one of the most entertaining games of the season, USB opened up a 2-0 first-half lead. However, the Huskies countered with two goals of their own, tying the game at halftime. The second half began with a bang as five goals were scored in only seven minutes. After Sarr's goal in the 61st minute knotted the game for the third time, Northeastern netted the gamewinner just 14 seconds later to give the Huskies the lead for good. Petter Starnas, who notched a hat trick of his own, clinched the game with a goal in the 83rd minute for Stony Brook's fifth loss of the season.

Sarr's outstanding performances in both games led to Player of the Week and SoccerAmerica Team of the Week awards for the senior captain, whose 10 goals in only six games sent him soaring to the top of the list in scoring among Division I men's soccer players.

After three straight games of impressive play, the Seawolves slumped in their next two contests, dropping back-to-back 3-0 games to Columbia and Towson at home. The Seawolves saw three of their shots in the first 25 minutes against Towson bounce off the crossbar, and USB could never break the curse as Towson held on for the shutout.

USB hit the road again to participate in the Oneonta State Soccer Invitational, facing Albany on Oct. 2. Junior Alton Allen scored the first goal of his USB career for a 1-0 Seawolf lead. But the Great Danes responded with two straight goals, the second coming with 25 minutes remaining. The Seawolves were unable to counter until freshman Bryan Baracaldo provided last-minute dramatics, scoring with just 10 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. But Albany netted the gamewinner in the first overtime stanza to hand the Seawolves their fourth straight loss.

Things didn't improve as Stony Brook suffered its second straight overtime loss of the tournament the next day, dropping a 2-1 heartbreaker to Oneonta State. Although USB controlled much of the first half, the game was scoreless until the 45th minute when Oneonta scored for a 1-0 lead. Baracaldo's shot in the 50th minute was knocked into the net by an Oneonta defender, and Stony Brook was looking at its second overtime game in two days. Neither team could find the net until the 96th minute, when the Red Dragons scored the gamewinner on a controversial goal. Valenzuela, making his third start of the season, dove to make a save, and Oneonta's Lenny Camacho sent the ball past him to the opposite post. The ball never found the back of the net, but the linesman called it good, handing the Seawolves their second disheartening loss of the tournament and dropping their record to 2-9.

The Seawolves hoped to turn things around at Quinnipiac six days later, but instead came away with a 4-0 defeat. The Braves scored two goals within two and a half minutes in the first half and two goals in a span of only 59 seconds in the half to notch the win.

The Seawolves returned home to face Philadelphia and achieved a much-needed win, shutting out the Rams 2-0. Moses Sarr regained his shooting touch just 52 seconds into the game, scoring his first goal since the Northeastern contest. Freshman Mike Kokolakis added to the USB total in the 12th minute to close out the scoring.

Stony Brook controlled the tempo against Bucknell in its next outing but gave up a goal in the 81st minute for a 1-0 loss. The Seawolves suffered another shutout their next time out, falling 3-0 at Adelphi.

Stony Brook faced archrival Albany in a rematch on the last home game of the season. The contest marked the last game at Unversity Field for Moses Sarr, midfielder Oluwaseun Ajayi, midfielder Jon-Ander Beristain, midfielder Ricky Brown and defender Sean McCabe.

"With Moses, we can always replace the 12 goals he had," Dean said. "What's hard to replace is everything he's brought to this program off the field. He is a great individual and he has brought stability and recognition to our program."

The game was tied until the 64th minute, when Sarr's shot off a Baracaldo cross found the back of the net for the 2-1 victory, improving the Seawolves' record to 4-12.

After finally beginning to learn each other's style and gain confidence in their abilities, the Seawolves traveled to Holy Cross with hopes of a win. The Crusaders netted the game's first goal with only 30 seconds remaining in the first half. But Stony Brook battled back, as Keith Ginsberg tied the game in the 75th minute. The score remained tied at the end of regulation, and despite numerous shots on goal, the Seawolves were unable to capitalize, earning their first tie in their fourth overtime game of the season.

"Halftime of the Holy Cross game was definitely a turning point," Dean said. "The players finally came off the field with the level of maturity we had been struggling to find."

Stony Brook closed out the season at UPenn, and despite outshooting the Quakers 15-12, the Seawolves fell 2-0.

Despite what may seem to be an unprosperous season, not everything can be measured in terms of wins and losses. Although the average onlooker may see the 13 losses and call the season unsuccesful, there is a bright future ahead for Stony Brook men's soccer.

"We're definitely really happy with the group that we have and how we finished the season," Dean said. "People outside the team may make judgements based just on our overall record. But where it really counts is among our team members. They are on the verge of being a really good team and that's what is important to our program. We have the belief and the mentality that this team is a good team."