Stony Brook, N.Y. - In 2011, the Stony Brook women’s soccer team snapped its four-year streak of making the America East Conference Tournament with a 4-12-1 record. The following year it won its first ever America East title. The 2015 Seawolves are hoping for a similar result after missing the America East Playoffs for the first time since 2011 last fall. Stony Brook returns 17 members from last year’s team, including nine players who made at least one start, while also welcoming many new additions.

“We have a lot of new faces joining us this fall,” said head coach Sue Ryan. “We have two new coaches on staff in Alex Mendolia and Danny Grimes, 10 new freshmen and a transfer student in goal. The first week of preseason has been fantastic with the team gelling and bonding. It’s been competitive and there has been a lot of passion in our play, so we are very optimistic.”

Senior Danielle Fuller (Staten Island, N.Y.) says the talented freshmen class is already fitting in nicely with the team.

“We are really trying to bring that family bond back,” said Fuller. “The freshmen already know each other well and are going a great job of getting to know the upperclassmen. It is nice for the freshmen to be able to lean on the upperclassman and for the upperclassmen to be able to lean on the freshmen. It’s a nice dynamic and the team chemistry is good right now.”

Forwards

Stony Brook’s top two returning goal scorers from 2014 return in redshirt junior Raven Edwards (West Orange, N.J.) and sophomore Maddie Good (Palmyra, Pa.). Edwards led the team with four goals, including a two-goal game vs. Siena and a game-winning goal vs. Fordham. In two seasons, she has netted nine career goals, making her Stony Brook’s active career leader.

Good comes off a freshman campaign that saw her finish second on the team in goals (3) and points (9). She scored the game-winning goal vs. Delaware State to earn America East Rookie of the Week.

Senior Emily Murrer (Aptos, Calif.) could see time up front or in the midfield as could returning junior Lindsay Hutchinson (Millersville, Pa.). Murrer scored a career-high three goals as a sophomore in 2013, while Hutchinson has logged 31 career games.

Sophomore Manuela Corcho (Norwalk, Conn.) will also contribute up top after playing in 15 games as a freshman as will sophomore Christen Cahlill (Pembroke, Mass.).

Ryan hopes the additions of freshmen Maggie Luke (Stewartsville, N.J.), Paige Buscaglia (Akron, N.Y.) and Steffi Page (Herndon, Va.) will make the Seawolves more dangerous going forward. All three enjoyed standout high-school careers and have a knack for finishing in front of goal.

Midfield

The midfield unit will be led by senior and America East first team all-conference selection, Tessa Devereaux (Fayetteville, N.Y.). Her seven assists in 2014 tied for the conference lead and her 16 career assists rank sixth in school history. She will need six assists in 2015 to break Noreen Heiligenstadt’s school record of 21.

Fuller may slot back into a midfield role with Devereaux after filling in admirably as a center back in 2014. Her defensive presence in the midfield should free up Devereaux in the attack.

Like Fuller, juniors Christina Fluman (Pittsford, N.Y.) and Lauren Kovalchuk (Belle Vernon, Pa.) are candidates to play as holding midfielders or central defenders. Fluman was an America East All-Rookie selection in 2013, scoring a goal and adding three assists.

Hutchinson and Murrer could also be key pieces to the midfield as could sophomores Sam Goodwin (Westbury, N.Y.) and Kendall Machak (Pompton Plains, N.J.) and freshmen Katelyn Neuman (Huntington Station, N.Y.) and Annie Boros (Woodbridge, Va.).

Defense

Senior Priscilla Wiggins’ (Princeton, N.J.) return from injury will present a huge boost to the Stony Brook defense. Wiggins missed all of the 2014 season with an injury, but with 35 career games under her belt, should stabilize a back line that conceded 28 goals in 2014. She can play as a left back or in a more central role.

Junior Hannah Groth (Cedarburg, Wis.) converted from left-back to center back in Wiggins’ absence, which proved to be a good move. She started all 17 games in central defense, scoring her first career goal vs. Vermont. She will likely be joined by Fuller, Fluman or Kovalchuk to make up the center back tandem.

Sophomores Sydney Vaughn (Ballwin, Mo.) and Franki Priore (Merrick, N.Y.) locked down the starting outside back jobs as freshmen in 2014 and present Ryan with two more experienced options. Vaughn was selected to the All-Rookie team after starting all 17 contests, while Priore came on strong late in the year, starting the last 14 games.

Freshmen Julie Johnstonbaugh (Neshanic Station, N.J.), Kaitlin Loughren (Huntington, N.Y.), Nia Fountain (Fredericksburg, Va.) and Allyson Baner (Farmingdale, N.Y.) will push the returners for playing time.

Goalkeepers

With three-year starter and 2013 America East Goalkeeper of the Year Ashley Castanio gone, the starting goalkeeping position is up for grabs heading into fall camp.

The coaching staff is high on freshman Cara Gallagher (Massapequa, N.Y.), who led Massapequa High School to state titles in 2014 and ’15. Castanio’s replacement could come from the former starters hometown of Oceanside, N.Y. Junior Emily Doherty (Oceanside, N.Y.) enters her first year in the Stony Brook program after transferring from Temple, where she saw action in two games. She will compete with Gallagher for the starting spot with sophomore Shannon Robinson (Stony Point, N.Y.) nursing an injury.

Schedule

Seven of Stony Brook's 10 non-conference opponents finished 2014 with winning records with the 10 teams combining for a .570 winning percentage. The out-of-conference schedule consists of four teams from the Northeast Conference, including the conference champion CCSU Blue Devils, two from the MAAC, including regular-season champion Fairfield, two from the CAA, including in-state rival Hofstra, who won 13 games in 2014, Yale from the IVY League, who finished 2014 with an 8-4-4 record, and St. John's from the Big East. Also on the schedule is Fairleigh Dickinson, coached by former Stony Brook assistant Eric Teepe. The Knights went 14-5-1 in 2014.



The conference slate features a road game vs. last season's America East regular-season champion Hartford Hawks on Thur., Oct. 1, as well as a home game vs. conference champion New Hampshire on Sun., Oct. 11. The Wildcats are coached by former Stony Brook assistant Steve Welham.