STONY BROOK, N.Y. — A tied game at half, the Stony Brook men's soccer program found another gear in the second 45, recording a trio of goals to run away from Saint Peter's 4-1 on Monday night at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.
Jonas Bickus recorded a pair of goals for his first collegiate brace, while
Moses Bakabulindi provided the winner in the 50th minute and
Kameron Blaise added 90th-minute insurance to provide Stony Brook with a home-opening victory.
It was Bickus who started the scoring in the 21st minute, securing possession in the box before a calm, left-footed finish into the bottom corner.
After Saint Peter's tied it going into the break on a set piece, Bakabulindi broke the tie for good as the Centereach, N.Y. native sent a free kick into the far netting to give his side the lead for good.
Bickus and Blaise would add goals later in the frame, with Jonas breaking free for an open net goal after a beautiful passing play and Kameron converting a 1v1 against the keeper to put icing on the cake.
Stony Brook controlled the run of play on the night, not allowing a Saint Peter's corner for the full 90 minutes while outshooting them 15-8.
Curtis Copenhaver recorded his first career win, making four saves on the night.
STATS AND NOTES
- A native of Center Moriches, N.Y., Copenhaver made his first start since the Spring 2021 campaign, an April 2 selection against NJIT. Tonight marked Copenhaver's first collegiate win between the posts.
- The 2021 America East Rookie of the Year picked up right where he left off, recording his first multi-goal game in a Seawolves uniform. He has six goals in 17 starts this season.
- Blaise's goal is the second of his career and his first since the Spring 2021 campaign when he fired one home against NJIT on April 2.
- The Seawolves are undefeated in three straight home openers and five of their last six dating back to the 2017 campaign.
- Stony Brook's four goals are the most since a 6-0 win at Hartford on October 27, 2018.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"I thought the first half was a little tentative. It's still early in the season so we are trying to find a rhythm. We want to be a little more aggressive and I think we did a much better job of that in the second half. We were able to disrupt them a little bit further up the field and scored some goals. Overall, I'm pretty happy. It's a positive step forward and we're looking to continue that." - head coach
Ryan Anatol
UP NEXT
The Seawolves open up conference play on Saturday afternoon, hosting Long Island rivals Hofstra for a 2 p.m., kickoff at LaValle Stadium.
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