ELON, N.C. — Stony Brook men's soccer fell to top-seeded Elon, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon in the CAA Final at Rudd Field. An own goal in the early going put Stony Brook in a hole that it could not climb out of, falling to the Phoenix in the championship match.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stony Brook had a wonderful scoring chance in the eighth minute, but a Sebastian Drummond shot off a corner set piece was turned aside on a one-handed save by Elon's Jackson Leavitt. The counter by the Phoenix led to Elon's first shot on target, which Heidar Hermannsson stopped with a sprawling save to keep things scoreless.
The scoring started in the 10th minute when Elon played a cross into the box that came off of a Stony Brook defender and over the goal line. The Seawolves defenders nearly cleared the danger, but a frantic scramble saw the ball cross and left Stony Brook at a 1-0 disadvantage less than 10 minutes into play on Sunday.
Hermannsson made back-to-back stops in the 15th minute, keeping things where they were. Elon's attack was persistent however, and it paid off with a 28th-minute goal that padded the home team's lead to 2-0. The long cross towards the top of the box was headed home to put Elon comfortably ahead.
Elon's lead was anything but comfortable, knowing what Stony Brook had done just a week prior at Hofstra. Stony Brook pushed forward and earned a multitude of chances via corner kicks and set pieces, but could not break through in the first half.
Stony Brook's pressure led to early second-half chances by Caleb Danquah and Bruno Penney. Danquah's try was saved and Penney's chance never made it towards net, being blocked and cleared from danger.
Hermannsson continued to make saves, keeping Stony Brook and its faithful that made the trip to North Carolina hopeful. As time dwindled, the Seawolves' aggression increased. It led to a solid chance for Ryan Farr, but his header was snatched out of the air by Leavitt in the 81st minute. The offensive aggression led to a breakout chance for Elon, resulting in a third goal for the Phoenix, this one coming in the 88th minute to ice things.
Stony Brook's memorable season, and run through the CAA postseason, came to a close at the hands of Elon, who remained undefeated on its home pitch to earn the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
STATS AND NOTES
- Stony Brook's CAA Final appearance was its first since becoming a member of the conference in 2022.
- It also marked the Seawolves' return to a conference championship game for the first time since making back-to-back appearances as an America East member in 2011 and 2012.
- Hermannsson made four of his five saves in the first half.
- Elon finished with a 10-6 advantage in shots and a 7-3 edge in shots on goal.
- Leavitt stopped all three Stony Brook shots he faced, two of which came during the final 45 minutes of action.
- Stony Brook finished with seven corner kicks. Six of the Seawolves' seven opportunities came in the first half.
- Three Seawolves were named CAA All-Tournament: Alex Fleury, Jamie Orson and Bruno Penney.
- The meeting between Stony Brook and Elon was the fifth all-time and the second in a conference tournament. The Seawolves fell to 1-4 all-time against Elon.
- Stony Brook's season comes to a close at 9-5-5 overall. The Seawolves nine wins are the most since winning nine contests in 2016. Stony Brook's nine wins are tied for the third-most in a season during Ryan Anatol's tenure.
- The Seawolves were regionally recognized throughout the season, climbing as high as No. 5 in the United Soccer Coaches Atlantic Region Poll.
For an inside look at the Stony Brook men's soccer program, be sure to follow it on Facebook,
X and
Instagram.
