STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Two goals in 45 seconds saw Stony Brook's strong five-goal lead turn into a three-goal advantage, but the Seawolves found another gear, scoring the next nine and posting a second-half shutout to knock off CAA Champions Drexel 16-4 in the first round of the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship at LaValle Stadium on Friday afternoon.
Led by a second-half hat trick from
Ellie Masera and a pair of tallies from
Kailyn Hart, the Seawolves ripped off a nine-goal scoring run to seize control and extend its home NCAA Tournament winning streak to six games. Masera finished the day with six points, scoring five goals on six shots, and adding an assist. Hart had a four-goal day to join Masera as the two Stony Brook players with hat tricks on the day.
Morgan Mitchell and
Jaden Hampel added four-point days and
Charlie Campbell went the distance with a nine-save effort to help anchor a Stony Brook defense that forced 17 turnovers.
Stony Brook eased away in the first half, scoring four of the first five goals and seven of the first nine, as back-to-back goals from Mitchell made it 7-2 with 6:55 to play in the second quarter. The Dragons' goals at the 4:05 and 3:20 marks of the quarter cut the lead to three, but that was the closest it would be the rest of the way.
STATS AND NOTES
- The Seawolves' nation-leading defense held Drexel scoreless for the final 33:20 of the game. The Dragons entered the day averaging over 13 goals per game. They held their opponents to single digits for the 13th time this season and to five or fewer tallies for the ninth time.
- Stony Brook has won its last six NCAA Tournament games at LaValle Stadium, a streak that dates back to 2017.
- The squad won its 13th straight game of the year, the third-longest streak in the nation. They also won their 27th consecutive at home, the second-longest home winning streak in the country.
- With 16 today, the Seawolves have hit the 15-goal plateau for the eighth time in the last nine tries and 11th time this season.
- Campbell's nine saves are the second-most for the campaign and most since her 12-save performance in the season-opener at Syracuse.
- Masera's five-goal game is her fifth such performance of the season and first since tallying six at Binghamton on April 19. She has now tallied a goal in 15 consecutive games, the team-high.
- Levy set a season high with three caused turnovers on the day. She has eight over the last five games. She also had four draw controls.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
UP NEXT
The Seawolves will take on the winner of Rutgers and Saint Joseph's at Noon on Sunday at LaValle Stadium. Tickets are on sale now!
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