Sept. 12, 2002

The Matchup: Stony Brook is still looking for its first victory in 2002 after a tough setback in overtime last weekend. The Seawolves (0-3) fell to Holy Cross, 2-1, on Sept. 7 and hope to turn the tide against Stetson and South Florida this weekend at the South Florida Classic. Stony Brook first squares off against Stetson (0-4) on Fri., Sept. 13, and then faces the host Bulls (3-0) on Sun., Sept. 15.

Series History: The Seawolves have never played either Stetson or South Florida.

Last Time Out: Holy Cross' Matt Ney netted the gamewinning goal with just 13 seconds remaining in overtime as the Crusaders handed Stony Brook a 2-1 loss in the Seawolves' home opener at University Field.

The Crusaders came out firing in overtime, and it paid off with just 13 ticks left on the clock. Ney collected the ball after a scramble in front of the Stony Brook goal, and his header got past Seawolves goalkeeper Dan Ferrin and two SBU defenders to give Holy Cross the victory.

After an entertaining, fast-paced first half, the score remained 0-0 at the break. However, Holy Cross controlled the pace in the opening minutes of the second stanza and pulled ahead 1-0 10 minutes into the half.

The Seawolves responded, stepping up their offensive attack. In the 74th minute, freshman Payton Webb's pass found redshirt junior Shane Arikian, whose header bounced into the net to tie the game.

Despite the loss, goalkeeper Dan Ferrin again had an impressive performance, recording 11 saves on the afternoon.

Scouting Stetson: The Hatters opened the season with a 1-0 loss to South Florida and are also still searching for their first win with an 0-4 record coming into this weekend. Stetson has been shut out in three of the four losses; however, three of the losses have also been one-goal decisions. Junior Shannon Mays has scored Stetson's only goal this season. Sophomore goalkeeper Ian Landrum has played all 370 minutes, recording 15 saves and a GAA of 1.95.

Scouting South Florida: South Florida (3-0) has shut out all three of its opponents, including a 1-0 victory over Jacksonville in overtime on Tuesday. Freshman Hunter West leads the way with three goals, while senior midfielder Jeff Thwaites has tallied a goal and three assists. Senior Gabriel Salgado has added a goal and an assist. Junior goalkeeper Troy Perkins has logged all 271 minutes in the goal, recording seven saves.

Facing the Best: South Florida, which advanced to the second round of the College Cup last year, will be the third team with 2001 NCAA Tournament experience that the Seawolves have faced already this year.

Opponents UC-Irvine and 11th-ranked San Diego also advanced to the College Cup last year, providing a tough test for the Sewolves already this season.

End of a Streak: The 2-1 loss to Holy Cross marked the first time Stony Brook has lost an overtime game in three seasons. After a 2-1 overtime setback to Oneonta in 1999, the Seawolves went 5-0-5 in overtime games before Saturday's loss. It also marked the first time Stony Brook lost its home opener since 1997, when Southampton defeated Stony Brook 4-1at the Division II level.

Danny's Return: A bright spot for Stony Brook in the early going has been the play of junior goalkeeper Dan Ferrin. After a nagging foot injury that forced him to miss four games last year, Ferrin hasn't missed a beat so far this year. He has bettered his previous career-high of 10 saves already twice this season, including 12 against a lethal San Diego offense in the season opener. Ferrin then recorded 11 against Holy Cross last weekend.

Returning to Form: Ferrin isn't the only Seawolf who has continued to perform at a high level after recovering from an injury. Redshirt junior Shane Arikian has picked up right where he left off before he was injured in the second game of last season. The Seawolves' leading scorer as a freshman with seven goals and six assists, Arikian tallied a goal and an assist last year before a foot injury forced him to miss the rest of the year. Against Holy Cross, Arikian showed his knack for scoring is still very much intact, tallying the first goal of the year for Stony Brook.

Looking Ahead: Stony Brook returns home on Wed., Sept. 18, to host local rival Adelphi . . . the game will be played in Seawolves Stadium, Stony Brook's brand-new 8,254-seat, field turf stadium.