WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The Stony Brook University men's soccer team played to a scoreless draw against William & Mary in the regular-season finale on Friday evening. Edmond Kaiser made eight saves, keeping the Tribe off the scoreboard and helping the Seawolves secure a much-needed point to close the regular season.
The story of the match was undoubtedly Kaiser's play in net. The graduate keeper from Germany stood on his head, turning away tries from the Tribe time after time. Three of his eight saves on the evening came during the first half, with two of the three being turned away in the opening 25 minutes of play.
After a scoreless first half of action that saw the Seawolves muster just two shots on goal, the Tribe turned it on. William & Mary kept the pressure in the offensive third, but never could get one past Kaiser. The Stony Brook keeper was right back into action early in the second half, stopping a near-side try from a charging William & Mary attacker.
Perhaps his best save of the night came on a scramble in the box that led to a right-footed rocket of a shot that Kaiser got a hand on.
Not only did William & Mary have no luck in beating Kaiser directly, they also saw a pair of shots clang off the post and crossbar in the second half. When all was said and done, the Seawolves would walk away with a point in a road showdown in Virginia.
STATS AND NOTES
- Kaiser's eight saves are his most since stopping nine at Hofstra in September. His eight stops in goal helped him notch his fourth shutout of the season.
- Stony Brook registered just three shots on goal, one each from Olsen Aluc, Moses Bakabulindi and Amit Magoz.
- The Seawolves were outshot 19-6 in the contest and 12-1 in the second half.
- With the point, Stony Brook moves into sole possession of first place in the CAA heading into the final day of the regular season. The Seawolves entered play in a three-way tie with Hofstra and Monmouth, with the Pride and Hawks each owning the tiebreaker over the Seawolves for the first and second spots in the table.
- Stony Brook is guaranteed a top-three finish in the CAA, regardless of tomorrow's results around the league. The top-three finish is the program's best since winning the 2018 America East Regular Season Championship and earning the No. 1 seed.
NEXT UP
The Seawolves, who have already clinched a spot in the 2023 CAA postseason, await the results of Hofstra and Monmouth's matches tomorrow, respectively, to determine which seed Stony Brook will earn. If either program loses tomorrow, Stony Brook would clinch at least the No. 2 seed, a bye and home-field advantage in the CAA Semifinals. If both Hofstra and Monmouth win tomorrow, the Seawolves will enter the postseason as the No. 3 seed and face the No. 6 seed on Thursday, November 2 at the No. 2 seed's campus. If both Hofstra and Monmouth were to lose, Stony Brook would be crowned the 2023 CAA Regular Season Champions.
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