ALBANY, N.Y. – A trifecta of four or more goal performances propelled the Stony Brook women's lacrosse team to victory on Sunday afternoon over upstate rival UAlbany. The Seawolves defeated the Great Danes 16-10, improving to 3-0 for a third consecutive season.
Isabella Caporuscio continued her impressive start to the season, pacing the Stony Brook offense with six points on four goals and two assists. Riley McDonald made her presence felt on the offensive end, tallying a game-high five goals, including her first as a Seawolf. Charlotte Wilmoth had herself a day, also notching four goals for her third straight multi-goal game and second hat trick of the season.
Alexandra Fusco added a pair of goals and an assist, while Julia Fusco notched a goal and an assist for the first multi-point game of her collegiate career. Casey Colbert led Stony Brook with a game-high three assists.
The Seawolves' offense feasted on woman-up and free-position opportunities, scoring seven woman-up goals and three free-position.
On the defensive end, the Seawolves caused three turnovers and scooped up 13 ground balls. In the circle, Caporuscio recorded a game and career-high 11 draw controls. In net, Francesca Viteritti recorded a career-best six saves in a full 60 minutes of play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After Stony Brook scored the game's opening goal, UAlbany rattled off four straight goals to take a 4-1 lead late into the first.
- The Seawolves promptly responded with a 4-0 run of its own to retake the lead in the second, jumpstarted and capped off by goals from Caporuscio.
- Big-time play on both ends helped Stony Brook outscore the Great Danes 7-2 in the second quarter and give the Seawolves a 10-6 advantage heading into the half.
- Quick goals from McDonald and Alexandra Fusco gave Stony Brook a 12-6 lead early in the third.
- A 4-1 UAlbany run cut its deficit to 13-10 with 7:25 remaining in the fourth. Stony Brook immediately answered with goals from Wilmoth, Caporuscio, and McDonald to put things out of reach for the Great Danes.
STATS AND NOTES
- Caporuscio led the squad with six points via four goals and two assists. Her 11 draw control victories set a new career-high.
- McDonald tallied a game-high five goals. Her five-goal performance marks her first multi-goal game and hat trick as a Seawolf.
- Wilmoth scored four goals to record her third consecutive multi-point game as a member of Stony Brook. She has tallied two or more points in 19 straight games dating back to last season at UMass.
- In her first career start, Julia Fusco notched her career multi-point game on one goal and one assist.
- Viteritti made a career-best six saves in the win.
- Stony Brook had an advantage over UAlbany in shots (34-21), clears (16-17), and draw controls (18-11).
- As a team, Stony Brook scored seven woman-up goals and three free-postions.
- With the win, the Seawolves extend their winning streak to 19 straight victories over UAlbany. Stony Brook now leads the all-time series 24-7.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"Proud of our team to travel north and to play in a rivalry game on the road is not easy. We dug an early hole and played at a different level after the first quarter timeout. 3-0 is a nice start as we head into our home opener against a team that beat us last year in Johns Hopkins," head coach
Joe Spallina said.
UP NEXT
Stony Brook will resume play on Saturday, March 1, for its home opener against No. 10 Johns Hopkins. First draw is scheduled for 11 a.m. and will stream live on FloCollege.
For an inside look at the Stony Brook women's lacrosse program, be sure to follow it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
