Stony Brook, N.Y. - The 2016 Stony Brook men's soccer team will battle for bragging rights of Long Island on Friday night, Aug. 26, when it welcomes Hofstra for its season opener at 7 pm. The Seawolves will be back in action on Sunday, Aug. 28, at Seton Hall. Kickoff is also slated for 7 p.m.
Scouting Hofstra
Hofstra, an NCAA Tournament team in 2015, enters the 2016 receiving votes in the NSCAA Coaches' Poll. The Pride return all of its top players from its CAA championship squad including NSCAA second team All-American Joseph Holland, who had eight goals and nine assists last season. Second-leading scorer Meshack Eshun Addy, who had six goals and three assists, and Mani Walcott (four goals and two assists), also return.
Scouting Seton Hall
Seton Hall will try to bounce back from an 0-15-1 season. Leading goal scorer Danny Bartok (four goals) returns as does Andres Arcila. Stony Brook and Seton Hall have split the all-time series 2-2, with the Pirates winning the last meeting 3-2 in 2009.
Last Meeting vs. the Pride
Stony Brook knocked off no. 17 Hofstra 3-0 in 2015, the highest-ranked opponent they have defeated in program history.
Vince Erdei(Budapest, Hungary) netted two goals and
Tom McMahon (Nassau Bay, Texas) notched the shutout victory.
Erdei on the Mark
The aforementioned Erdei moved from midfield to forward in 2015. It proved to be a good move as he led the Seawolves with eight goals and four game-winning goals, netting second team all-conference honors.
Surgin' Serge
Sophomore Serge Gamwanya (Trondheim, Norway) made an immediate impact for the Stony Brook program as a freshman, notching America East Rookie of the Year and second team all-conference honors after scoring three goals and dishing out a team-high five assists.
Experienced Group
Stony Brook showed marked improvement in 2015, hosting an America East Quarterfinal match. Stony Brook returns eight starters from that team. The experience showed last spring, when they won all five of their matches against Division I opponents without allowing a goal.
