STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Gabriel Fernandes remained on the bench for most of an intrasquad scrimmage during his freshman year with the Stony Brook men's soccer team.

Then, with seven minutes remaining, he entered for the team of reserves in the match against the starters.

He proceeded to score the game-winning goal.

"You see Gabe?" head coach Ryan Anatol told the team afterward. "He wasn't even starting on a bench team, comes in, scores a goal."

Then, addressing Fernandes directly, Anatol added: "Gabe, if you do that every day, you'll have a great career." 

Fernandes, twin Gustavo and their older brother Leo have combined to appear in 143 matches for Stony Brook since 2009.

Now, with Fernandes' graduation after the upcoming spring season, the family's storied tenure on the field for the Seawolves soon will be over — at least for this generation.

Leo, a three-time America East Midfielder of the Year, played at Stony Brook from 2009 through '12. He now plays midfielder for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the United Soccer League Championship.

Gustavo, who completed his Stony Brook career last season, now plays defender for Forward Madison in USL League One.

Both have been influential in their brother's career, including his decision to come to Stony Brook.

Since Fernandes grew up in nearby North Babylon and would always watch Leo's games at Stony Brook, it was an easy decision for him to commit to the Seawolves.

Still, despite the family link, Fernandes knew he needed to earn his playing time, since there were limited spots in the middle of the field in Stony Brook's 4-4-2 formation.

After speaking with Anatol, Fernandes opted to redshirt his freshman year rather than play limited minutes. While absent from games, he continued to mature while seeking advice from his siblings.

"Leo would always tell me to just keep going — 'if you're going to do something, do something right,'" Fernandes said.

As for Gustavo's influence, Fernandes has admired the way his twin brother approaches the game and the passion with which he plays.

"He felt like soccer was his world and there was nothing else," Fernandes said.

With the added pressure of his brothers' legacy at Stony Brook, Fernandes tries to play soccer with a similar attitude.

The challenge has made him a better player.

In a match against UAlbany in 2018, Fernandes scored with 40 seconds remaining to tie the score at 1. Stony Brook ultimately won the match in overtime to turn around its season.

Last season, Fernandes scored the game-winning goal against UAlbany in overtime to keep an 11-year unbeaten streak alive in the rivalry. 

Although winning an America East championship with the Seawolves is the ultimate highlight of Fernandes' collegiate career, he also is thankful for the journey.

From playing 2v2 with Leo and Gustavo as children, Fernandes is now looking forward to this final season and then trying to follow his brothers into the professional ranks.

"I want to leave saying I know I did everything I could," Fernandes said.