March 21, 2003

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Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook (2-3) men's lacrosse team plays its third nationally-ranked team this season when it hosts No. 12 Navy (3-2) on Saturday. The Seawolves aim to earn back-to-back wins for the first time this season and break an 0-for-7 drought against the Middies. The game will also feature a special halftime ceremony which will honor Stony Brook's 2002 America East championship team as each member of last year's squad will receive a championship ring to commemorate SB's first conference title and NCAA berth since the move to Division I. Face-off is 1 p.m.

Backdrop: The Seawolves face the No. 12 Navy Midshipmen in a non-conference matchup Saturday afternoon. It is the third nationally-ranked opponent that SB has faced this season -- UMass and Maryland were the other two.

Series Notes: Navy has won all seven meetings between the two teams. The Midshipmen earned an 11-10 triple overtime win over Stony Brook last season in Annapolis, Md. SB held a 10-9 lead late in the fourth quarter but the Middies tied it with two seconds to go in regulation. Greg Conklin won the game for Navy 1:32 in the third overtime.

Last Time Out: Stony Brook rallied from a 3-0 deficit to post an 8-6 win over Lafayette in Easton, Pa. on Wednesday afternoon. Back-to-back goals by Kevin Shea cut the Leopard lead to 3-2 before Adam Marksberry even the score at three in the second quarter. Two goals by Jason Cappadoro gave SB a 5-3 lead at halfime. SB clung to a 6-5 advantage heading into the fourth quarter before goals by Marksberry and Cappadoro sealed the win for SB.

Scouting The Mids: * The 3-2 Navy Midshipmen have lost two in a row heading into Saturday's game. * Ian Dingman is the team's leading scorer with 10 goals and five assists. He is one of three Middies with 10 or more points so far this season * Navy is yielding just over eight goals per game in 2003.

About The Seawolves: * George LaFlare leads the team in scoring with 14 points. He is the only Seawolf to record a point in all five games this season. * Stony Brook is without starting face-off man Dennis Nafte who is out with an injured elbow. He is expected to miss 3-4 weeks. * Rookies have accounted for a great deal of the Seawolves scoring punch. Jason Cappadoro has 10 goals, including six in the last two games, and classmate Adam Marksberry has three to his credit this season.

By George: Junior George LaFlare leads the team in scoring with six goals and eight assists for 14 points. He has scored a point in each of SB's first five games, the only Seawolf to do so. Last Wednesday, he notched six points against Binghamton. LaFlare totaled 19 points in 17 games last season.

The Rookie: Freshman Jason Cappadoro was named the America East Men's Lacrosse Rookie of the Week on Monday. Cappadoro notched his second hat trick of the season last Wednesday in the conference opener against Binghamton. He added a goal against No. 3 Maryland on Saturday. On Wednesday, he turned in his best effort in a Seawolf uniform, recording five points on three goals and two assists. He now has three three-goal games this season, including two straight.

News And Notes: Kevin Shea scored twice in the win over Lafayette. It was his third multiple-goal game of the season . . . Jamey Lacey scored his first collegiate goal in the win over Lafayette . . . D Kyle Pearl registered two assists and scooped up seven ground balls.