Nov. 1, 2013
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Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook women's soccer team (11-5-1) will look to advance to its second straight conference final when it welcomes Maine on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Semifinal round of the America East Championship.
Ticket Information
All Stony Brook students will be admitted for FREE with a valid student ID. Adult admission will be $8, while youth (14 and under) admission will be $5. All tickets will be sold on gameday at Gate 2 at LaValle Stadium; there will be no ticket presale for this event.
#AEChamps
The top four seeds in the America East Championship remain after No. 3 Maine and No. 4 Hartford advanced from the Quarterfinals on Thursday. The Black Bears used two early goals to down No. 6 Binghamton, 2-0, while the Hawks rallied from a goal down to knock off No. 5 Vermont, 2-1. Hartford will now head to No. 1 UMBC on Semifinal Sunday, while Maine will take on No. 2 Stony Brook.
You Again?
Stony Brook will be facing Maine for the second straight game as the Seawolves defeated the Black Bears, 2-1, in double overtime to close out the regular season on Oct. 27. Freshman Elise Pratt (Sicklerville, N.J.) netted the game-winner on a header in sudden death off a cross by sophomore Priscilla Wiggins (Princeton, N.J.). Redshirt junior Ashley Castanio (Oceanside, N.Y.) made a career-high 13 saves to backstop Stony Brook to victory, despite a heavy shot advantage (28-9) in favor of Maine.
Scouting Maine
The Black Bears (9-5-4) are one of the stingiest defensive teams in the conference as the team allows just 0.89 goals per game. The back line is led by the America East Defender of the Year, Maggie Malone, who also has eight points at the offensive end this season. Midfielder Lisa Bijman was named first-team All-Conference, while fellow midfielder Charlene Achille was named a second-team performer. Striker Eve L'Abbe paces the team with five goals and 13 points, while goalkeeper Lauren Swant owns an impressive 0.87 GAA and five shutouts.
Semifinal Rematch
Sunday's contest will be a rematch of last year's America East Semfinal, which the Seawolves won, 2-1, in Orono, Maine. The Black Bears scored just 45 seconds into the match, before Stony Brook tied things up on a free kick midway through the opening half. Then, with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation, Sarah Darmanin (Miami, Fla.) chipped the Maine keeper on a breakaway to give the Seawolves the decisive goal. Stony Brook would go on to win the America East Championship the following weekend.
Goalkeeper of the Year
Redshirt junior Ashley Castanio (Oceanside, N.Y.) was named the America East Goalkeeper of the Year on Wednesday. Castanio leads all America East keepers with 86 saves this season and owns a 1.09 GAA in over 1,500 minutes played.
All-Conference
Castanio was one of seven Seawolves to be honored as an All-Conference selection. Senior Larissa Nysch (Dresher, Pa.) and sophomore Stella Norman (Lakewood, Colo.) joined Castanio on the All-Conference First Team, while sophomore Tessa Devereaux (Fayetteville, N.Y.) was named to the Second Team. Stony Brook also had three freshmen named to the All-Rookie Team in Christina Fluman (Pittsford, N.Y.), Maxie New (Clayton, N.J.) and Leah Yurko (Cumberland, Md.).
Second Half Seawolves
Through 17 games, Stony Brook has scored 23 of its 34 goals after halftime. Of those 23 goals, 21 have been scored between the 51st and 83rd minutes of play, which represents 62% of the team's total scoring output.
Nysch Nets Again
Senior Larissa Nysch (Dresher, Pa.) is having one of the greatest single seasons in Stony Brook's Division I history. The striker leads the America East with 10 goals and 24 points and is the first Stony Brook player to score 10 goals in a season since Kerri McCabe in 2000.
Set Piece Specialist
Sophomore Stella Norman (Lakewood, Colo.) has established herself as one of the most dangerous set-piece takers in the America East. Norman has four free kick goals this season against Fairfield, Wagner, Binghamton and Maine, and had another free kick knocked into the net for an own goal against UMBC. Norman has also set up four goals on set-pieces, including two on free kicks and two on corner kicks. The sophomore leads all America East defenders with five goals and 16 points this season.
Spreading the Wealth
One of the deepest teams in the America East, Stony Brook has received goals from 13 different players this season. Six players have two goals or more and five players have found the back of the net at least three times. Larissa Nysch and Stella Norman have combined for 15 of the team's 34 goals, accouting for 44% of the Seawolves' total scoring output.
Familiar Foe
Stony Brook will be hosting its first America East Semifinal game since 2010, when the Seawolves also faced Maine. The Seawolves will be looking for a better result this time around as the Black Bears dealt Stony Brook a 3-1 defeat at LaValle Stadium, despite a goal from Colleen McKenna. Three players on the current roster (Larissa Nysch, Caitlin Pfeiffer and Julianne Palm) played in that game as well.
#RoundTwo
Last year, Stony Brook became the first team in conference history to win the title as a No. 6 seed. The Seawolves knocked off the top three seeds in the America East on the road, including No. 1 Hartford in the title game. Stony Brook went on to face Maryland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and gave the No. 9 Terrapins all they could handle in a 2-0 defeat.
