April 24, 2009
Stony Brook - Albany game notes
Stony Brook, N.Y. -
Face-off
It is the regular season finale and Senior Night for Stony Brook lacrosse as the Seawolves host Albany. Much like last season, this game could be a preview of a semi-final game in next week's America East Championships. Coming into the game Stony Brook, Albany and UMBC are all tied for first-place in the conference standings and have clinched playoff berths. UMBC hosts Vermont and should the Retrievers win, the SBU/UA contest will be a battle for second and third in the final standings. In that scenario it boils down to which ever team wins, it will host the other in a semifinal next Wednesday. This will be the fifth time that Stony Brook has played a team ranked in the USILA poll this season and the second time it has played a ranked opponent in back-to-back contests. On Tuesday it was a tough one-goal loss at No. 9 Hofstra for Stony Brook, the third straight one-goal game in the rivalry. Jordan McBride scored four times, but Hofstra's six, fourth quarter goals did the trick for the Pride. A win against Albany will guarantee Stony Brook no worse than a second-place finish in the America East and snap a four-game losing to the Great Danes. Stony Brook will also be saying good-bye to a pair of seniors during pre-game ceremonies, Taylor Eason (Freeport, N.Y.) and Nick Maturro (West Islip, N.Y.).
A Look at the Great Danes
Albany has turned in another solid season, coming into the Stony Brook game with the same record as the Seawolves and a No. 20 national ranking in the USILA poll. The Great Danes won their last outing, a 9-6 decision at Vermont, but fell in the three games prior to that, with all the losses coming to ranked opponents, including a two-goal loss to No. 3 Syracuse. Three players have at least 22 goals for Albany, including 28 by team leader Joe Resetarits. Corey Small is close behind with 25, while Brian Caufield has 22 to go along with his team best 22 assists. Their scoring is a part of a potent offense that ranks No. 20 in the nation with an average of 10.33 goals per game.
The Series
One of the most played series in the Stony Brook lacrosse record book, the Seawolves and Great Danes have played 18 times in the past, with Albany winning the last five to take a 12-6 lead in the all-time series. Last season the two teams played back-to-back at the end of the season, once at Albany in the regular season finale, and once in the America East Championships at UMBC. The Great Danes won at home 10-7, and then won by three again the next week, 12-9. The last Stony Brook victory came in 2006 when the Seawolves scored a 13-11 win at Albany. Oddly enough, Stony Brook has never defeated Albany in LaValle Stadium; the last win at Stony Brook for the Seawolves was in 2001, two years before the first lacrosse game in LaValle Stadium.
