Sept. 16, 2010

Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (2-2-0) at Stony Brook Seawolves (2-4-0)

Friday, Sept. 17  |  LaValle Stadium  |  Stony Brook, N.Y.  |  7 p.m.

LIVE: STATS | VIDEO

Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (2-2-0, 0-0-0 Northeast Conference)
Head Coach: Shaun Green, 26th season
Career Record:
Record at CCSU:

Stony Brook Seawolves (2-4-0, 0-0-0 America East)
Head Coach: Cesar Markovic, seventh season
Career Record: 146-123-31
Record at SBU: 50-56-19

The Matchup
Stony Brook looks to build momentum as conference play is creeping closer with a non-conference match against Central Connecticut State. Despite not being too far from each other (CCSU is in New Britain, Conn.), this is just the second-ever matchup between the two programs. The clubs tied 2-2 on Sept. 23, 2005, the same season Stony Brook won the America East title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. This is the Seawolves' home opener at LaValle Stadium and will play each of the next three at home as well.

Scouting the Opponent
Central Connecticut State is 2-2-0 to start the season, and the Blue Devils' schedule has been chock full of America East teams. So far, CCSU has beaten Vermont and lost to New Hampshire and Hartford. The team's most recent match came Wednesday, a 3-0 win at Yale. Through four games, CCSU has either shutout its opponent or been shutout. Sophomore forward Terrell Whitting is CCSU's leading scorer with two of the team's four goals this season. CCSU is coming off a 6-10-1 campaign in 2009 and last made the NCAA Tournament in 2007.

Beating One of the Best
Last Sunday, the Seawolves knocked off Dartmouth 1-0 on its home field in the Dartmouth Classic Tournament. Stony Brook got a goal from Berian Gobeil in the 34th minute and keeper Stefan Manz made four saves to preserve the shutout. The victory was big for SBU considering that Dartmouth was receiving votes in last week's NSCAA/hendrickcars.com National Rankings and was fourth in the Northeast Region poll.

Looking For Two Straight
Last season was a magical one for Stony Brook as the Seawolves finished the regular season with a five-match unbeaten streak to get into the America East Tournament, where they dispatched Hartford and UMBC to win the conference title, just the second in program history. This season's squad will look to replicate that success and bring the Seawolves back to the NCAA Tournament. Picked to finish second in America East, Stony Brook opens conference play Oct. 2 against Boston University at LaValle Stadium.