April 22, 2004

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook men's lacrosse team will take on UMBC in a pivotal America East matchup on Saturday afternoon in Baltimore. The Seawolves (6-5, 2-2) and the Retrievers (5-5, 3-1) are battling for playoff position as the regular season winds down. Face-off is 1 p.m.

Listen In: You can listen to all of the action live on SB's student radio station, WUSB 90.1 or on the internet at www.goseawolves.org

Conference Action: Stony Brook faces UMBC in a pivotal America East matchup that will help determine playoff position come May. The Retrievers are tied for second place in conference play while the Seawolves sit in the fourth slot. The top four teams qualify for the conference playoffs.

Versus UMBC: UMBC leads the all-time series 6-1.

Last Time Out: George LaFlare, Matt O'Connor and Adam Marksberry each scored three goals to lead Stony Brook past Hartford, 17-7, last Saturday. The Seawolves took control from the outset, taking a 4-0 lead and building it to 10-3 by halftime. Brendan Callahan made eight stops in goal to earn his sixth win of the season.

About the Retrievers: The Retrievers enter Saturday's matchup with a 5-5 mark following a 13-7 triumph over Loyola on Wednesday. Brendan Mundorf scored seven goals and added two assists in the win to up his team-leading point total to 33. Pat Muston is one of the nation's top face-off men, winning over 64 percent of his draws. Kevin Cepelak has started all 10 games in goal and has an 8.03 goals against average.

5 x 5: Sophomore Jason Cappadoro has recorded back-to-back five point games. After setting a new career high with five goals against Siena, Cappadoro followed that effort with two goals and three assists against Hartford to up his multiple-point scoring streak to 10 games. The sophomore attackman leads the team in scoring with 30 points.

That'll Do The Trick: Adam Marksberry, Matt O'Connor and George LaFlare all recorded hat tricks in the win over Hartford. It was the first career hat trick for LaFlare and O'Connor.

Playoff Implications: A Stony Brook win would pull the Seawolves even with UMBC in third place but would give SB the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Seawolves can clinch a playoff spot on Saturday with a win and a Vermont loss.

He's Number 1: Freshman goalie Brendan Callahan enters Saturday's game with stellar 6.07 GAA and .671 save percentage. Both marks rank first among all Division I goalies as Callahan moved back into the top spot after sitting at No. 2 for the last two weeks.

Key Matchup: One of the key matchups to watch will be in the face-off circle. UMBC's Pat Muston , who boasts a .648 winning percentage and ranks sixth in the nation, will square off against Michael Poch. Poch has done a credible job in his first full season as a face-off specialist, winning 53 percent of his face-offs.

In The Rankings: Stony Brook's scoring defense ranks 12th in the nation at a 7.64 goals against average clip. Its man-down defense is 20th.

News and Notes: Adam Marksberry ranks sixth in the America East with 1.73 goals per game. His 19 goals has eclipsed his goal total of 15 from last year with at least three games to play . . . the Seawolves take on Hofstra for the first time ever on Tuesday night . . . Kyle Pearl ranks 11th in the nation in ground balls per game (5.73).