STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Stony Brook defended its home turf, defeating No. 3 Elon 2-1 on Sunday in the semifinal round of the 2024 CAA Women's Soccer Championship. The Seawolves earned a spot in the CAA Final and will face top-seeded Monmouth next weekend with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stony Brook broke the ice when Reilly Rich scored from the penalty spot in the 30th minute. Gabrielle Côté drew a foul in the box to create the opportunity for Rich, who converted to open the scoring on Sunday.
The Seawolves tacked on another score on a goal from Linn Beck -- her ninth goal of the season -- in the 40th minute. Aneta Sovakova played a picture-perfect ball into the box and behind the defense for Beck, who headed it home to pad Stony Brook's lead.
Stony Brook's defense limited Elon to just two shots in the first half, both of which were off target. The Seawolves' offense generated eight chances, three of which were on net, as well as five corners in the opening 45 minutes of action.
The Phoenix finally tested Nicolette Pasquarella in the 76th minute, but the senior keeper was up to the task on Kennedy Jones' shot. Elon got on the scoreboard with less than three minutes to play, cutting its deficit in half. The Seawolves did not allow another shot after the goal, closing out the victory in the CAA Semifinal.
STATS AND NOTES
- Stony Brook advances to its first-ever CAA Final and the sixth conference championship game in program history.
- The Seawolves improved to 8-0-1 at LaValle Stadium. Stony Brook's eight home wins are the program's most at LaValle Stadium since winning nine in 2019.
- Stony Brook picked up its 13th total victory, one shy of matching the program record, set in 2019 and 1989.
- The Seawolves earned their sixth straight win and ninth straight result.
- Rich registered her fourth penalty kick goal of the season. She has now scored in three straight matches and has earned a point in six straight matches and seven of her last eight appearances.
- Beck tallied her ninth goal of the season, the second-most on the team.
- Sovakova assisted on Beck's goal, which proved to be the game winner. Sovakova is up to eight assists this season, the most on the team. Her eight assists are the most in a single season by a Seawolf since 2000 (Sarah Greenberg).
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"All year, since we got together in July, we prepared for those kind of games. When we started, we set a goal to make the championship game and win a championship. It always feel good to accomplish a goal," head coach Tobias Bischof said. "Overall, I was very happy with the win."
UP NEXT
Stony Brook will face top-seeded Monmouth on Saturday, November 9 at 7 p.m. in the CAA Championship in West Long Branch, New Jersey. The match will stream live on FloFC.
For an inside look at the Stony Brook women's soccer program, be sure to follow it on Facebook, X and Instagram.
