2012 Stony Brook Men's Soccer
Game #4: Stony Brook Seawolves (2-1-0) vs. No. 7 Charlotte 49ers (2-0-1)
Kentucky Invitational
Fri., Sept. 7 • UK Soccer Complex • Lexington, Ky. • 4:30 p.m.
Game #5: Stony Brook Seawolves (2-1-0) vs. Saint Joseph's Hawks (1-2-0)
Kentucky Invitational
Sun., Sept. 9 • UK Soccer Complex • Lexington, Ky. • 12 p.m.
FRIDAY LIVE: STATS
SUNDAY LIVE: STATS
Stony Brook Seawolves (2-1-0, 0-0-0 America East)
Head Coach: Ryan Anatol, second season
Career Record: 12-7-4
Record at SBU: same
Charlotte 49ers (2-0-1, 0-0-0 Atlantic 10)
Head Coach: Kevin Langan, first season
Career Record: 2-0-1
Record at Charlotte: same
Saint Joseph's Hawks (1-2-0, 0-0-0 Atlantic 10)
Head Coach: Don D'Ambra, third season
Career Record: 5-32-0
Record at SJU: same
The Matchup: Stony Brook, fresh off an exciting overtime win last weekend, faces perhaps its stiffest challenge in 2012 as it takes on No. 7 ranked Charlotte in the first game of the Kentucky Invitational, held in Lexington, Ky. The Seawolves have never faced the 49ers before, but the team is familiar with programs from the Atlantic 10 Conference. Last season, SB played Duquesne to a 1-1 tie. A win over Charlotte would be Stony Brook's first over a nationally ranked opponent since 2005.
The Second Matchup: After playing Charlotte, Stony Brook will then face Saint Joseph's on Sunday in the first-ever meeting between the two soccer clubs.
Charlotte: Charlotte is coming off its most successful season in program history, advancing to the NCAA Tournament final for the first time ever. It was the first time any Charlotte program reached an NCAA title game. The 49ers return eight starters from last season's team, including Giuseppe Gentile, the 2011 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and Soccer America National Freshman of the Year. Charlotte was picked to finish first in the 16-team Atlantic 10 and has had an interesting start to the 2012 season. The team has played three consecutive double overtime games to open the year, beating Denver and Coastal Carolina and tying Alabama-Birmingham.
Saint Joseph's: The Hawks return eight starters from last season's team that is under a rebuilding effort with third-year head coach Don D'Ambra. Despite the eight returning starters and 20 returning letterwinners total, the Hawks have just two seniors on their team, making them the youngest team in the Atlantic 10. The Hawks were picked to finish last in the 16-team league.
Last Time Out: After a grueling 90 minutes of scoreless soccer, Stony Brook and Lehigh went into overtime for the second straight season. This year, Raphael Abreu sent the Seawolves home happy as his goal 3:43 into the extra period gave Stony Brook a 1-0 win over the Mountain Hawks at LaValle Stadium on Aug. 31. Abreu got his opportunity to score on a pair of passes from Kyle Schlesinger and Leonardo Fernandes. Abreu beat his defender on the Schlesinger pass, and the Lehigh goalkeeper made an attempt to snatch the ball away, but Abreu got to the ball first and had an open net for the goal.
What a Start: Freshman Alejandro Fritz scored a goal on his first collegiate shot, and it represented the game-winner in a 5-0 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Aug. 24. The effort netted Fritz America East Rookie of the Week honors.
Leo the Lion: Leonardo Fernandes has firmly placed himself in the upper echelon of collegiate soccer. A two-time America East Midfielder of the Year, Fernandes was named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List and was named a third-team preseason All-American by College Soccer News. Fernandes has 23 goals and 12 assists in his 59-game career with the Seawolves.
Strong Offense: Stony Brook led America East with 31 goals scored last season and should continue its strong offensive ways. The team returns 94 percent of its goal scoring from last season.
Preseason Pick: Stony Brook goes into 2012 as the favorite to repeat as America East champion. The Seawolves were picked first in the preseason coaches poll, receiving six out of a possible seven first-place votes.
Tough Schedule: Stony Brook has a tough 17-game schedule that includes nine matches against teams that finished in the top 100 in RPI last season.
Openers: Friday's win over Fairleigh Dickinson represented the earliest regular season game in Stony Brook history. SB improved to 22-23-5 all-time in season openers.
Up Next: After Sunday's game vs. Saint Joseph's, the Seawolves return home for a jam-packed weekend, facing Fordham on Sept. 14 and Buffalo on Sept. 16 at LaValle Stadium.
