Sept. 10, 2001
The Matchup: Stony Brook (1-0-1) hits the road for the first time this season as the Seawolves take on Bihghamton (0-3) Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 4 p.m.
Series History: Binghamton leads the all-time series, 13-5-1, but the Seawolves had the upper hand last season, scoring four second-half goals en route to their 10th victory on the year.
Neither team could get any offense going in the first half, but Stony Brook came out on fire on the second stanza, scoring two goals in a three-minute span. Although the Seawolves were playing a man down due to injury, Everett Watts scored his fifth goal of the season when he took a pass from Shane Arikian at the 49:00 mark. Arikian didn't waste any time registering a goal of his own, as he took a cross from David Mittan and sent it into the left lower corner of the net in the 53rd minute.
The Seawolves added two other goals from a pair of seniors--Alton Allen and Keith Ginsberg--in a four-minute span later in the half. Allen scored his second goal of the year at 81:11, while Ginsberg got in on the action with a 25-yard free kick that found the back of the net in the 86th minute.
Stony Brook outshot the Bearcats 15-4, and Seawolf goalkeeper Dan Ferrin made two saves to record his ninth shutout of the season.
Last Time Out: After 120 minutes, Rider (0-2-1) and Stony Brook (1-0-1) settled for an overtime tie last Wednesday afternoon at University Field.
Stony Brook took a 1-0 lead when Everett Watts' cross was accidentally headed into the Rider goal by defender Jason Brockman. The Seawolves clung to the lead until the second half, but a persistent offensive attack by Rider finally paid off for the Broncs with a Jake Trainor tally in the 75th minute.
The teams battled back and forth but the score remained tied at the end of regulation. The Broncs had two excellent chances to come away with their first win in the first overtime period. With just under three minutes remaining, Robert Francis' shot caromed off the post, and when he collected the rebound to get off another potential gamewinner, SBU goalkeeper Dan Ferrin was there to make an outstanding save. Francis struck again just 50 seconds later, but Ferrin again saved the Seawolves from defeat. Stony Brook's Shane Arikian had a great opportunity of his own right before the buzzer, but his shot went just wide of the right post.
The second overtime stanza saw more great chances for each team. However, Bronc Cristhian Caicedo had a shot that bounced off the left post and out of the Stony Brook goal. Arikan had another chance with just five minutes left, but Gill thwarted the Seawolves' chances with his sixth save of the game.
Ferrin again provided crucial play between the pipes for Stony Brook, collecting seven saves. The Seawolves outshot Rider 12-11.
Scouting the Bearcats: Binghamton is 0-3 on the year and dropped a 3-2 overtime loss to Marist this past weekend. In that contest, Binghamton got on the board first and held a 2-1 lead until a Marist tally with just 1:45 remaining evened the game and forced overtime. The Red Foxes netted the gamewinner in the 97th minute for the win.
The Bearcats have been outscored 9-4 in their first three matches, with Mike Kaneric's two goals leading the team. BU has started a different goalkeeper in each of its three games. Collectively, the Bearcats have posted a GAA of 2.93, making 25 saves in 276:287 minutes of action.
Working Overtime: Although Stony Brook has not lost an overtime contest since 1999, the Seawolves have not been able to post a W either. In four of the Seawolves' last five overtime contests--dating back to the 1999 season--Stony Brook has come away with a tie. Last season, SBU earned a 2-2 tie with Albany and a 0-0 tie at Bucknell.
The victory in that span was a 3-2 come-from-behind triumph over Adelphi at home last season--one of the biggest wins ever in the program's history. The Seawolves face a rematch with the Panthers on Saturday, Sept. 15.
America East Exhibition: Binghamton is the first America East foe SBU will face this season, however, Tuesday's match does not count as a league contest.
Like the Seawolves, Binghamton was accepted into the America East this past summer. But by the time the university was extended an invitation, the athletic department had already finalized the fall schedules.
Binghamton's cross country team will be the first the officially compete in the conference.
Rotating Faces: The Seawolves continue to play with their lineup, inserting different faces into the starting 11. Junior transfer Randy Cyrus saw his first start as a Seawolf in the back, while freshman midfielder Dustin Tibbs got his first collegiate start. Last week in the season opener against NYIT, freshmen George Cobourne and Akil Jordan made their first career starts.
News and Notes: Sophomore forward Shane Arikian, the Seawolves' leading scorer in 2000, suffered a dislocated foot in the closing seconds against Rider last week, he is currently undergoing more tests and will be sidelined indefinitely . . . Stony Brook continues to struggle offensively, not counting last week's own goal, the Seawolves have scored just four goals in their last six games, dating back to last season . . . after three games in a six-day span this week, the Seawolves will have a 10-day lay-off before hosting Sacred Heart on Tuesday, Sept. 26.
