April 25, 2003

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook men's lacrosse team hits the road for a Saturday afternoon tilt with conference front-runner Hartford. SBU (4-9, 2-2) enters the game with a chance at being as high as the No. 2 seed in next week's America East Championship.

Series Notes: * Stony Brook owns a 10-4 series edge. * The last time these two teams met was a 7-6 overtime win on May 1, 2002 in the America East semifinals.

Last Time Out: Stony Brook fell to No. 14 North Carolina 13-7 at home on Wednesday night. The Tar Heels raced out to a 9-0 lead and never looked back. Stony Brook was led by Jason Cappadoro (2g, 1a) and George LaFlare (1g, 2a). Kevin Shea and Adam Marksberry each scored twice.

Jason Leads The Way: Freshman Jason Cappadoro registered his ninth multiple-point game of the season with three points against UNC. It was also his team-leading seventh multiple-goal game of the season. He is now six points away from equalling the Stony Brook single-season rookie record for points that he is currently held by Steve Conlon (41).

Uptown Pearl: Kyle Pearl was all over the field against the Tar Heels, scooping up a career-best 14 ground balls. It was the fourth time this season he has recorded 10 or more ground balls and he increased his team leading total to 89 on the season. His 6.8 ground balls per game average leads the America East and ranks among the top three in the nation.

Playoff Possibilities: By virtue of its win over Vermont, Stony Brook clinched a berth to the America East Championships and will now battle for its seed in next week's tournament. Here are the possibilites: * If Albany defeats Vermont; Stony Brook is the No. 3 seed and will play at Albany on April 30. * If Vermont defeats Albany and Stony Brook beats Hartford; Stony Brook is the No. 2 seed and will host Vermont on April 30. * If Vermont defeats Albany and Stony Brook loses to Hartford; Stony Brook is the No. 4 seed and will play at Hartford on April 30.

News And Notes: Kevin Shea has scored a point in his last six games . . . Stony Brook is 0-5 against nationally-ranked opponents in 2003 . . . SBU averaged 1,036 fans per game this season, a program best.