STONY BROOK, N.Y. - A valiant comeback effort by Stony Brook fell just short on Saturday afternoon, falling to No. 18 Rutgers, 14-11, at LaValle Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Seawolves opened the day's scoring as Brendan Marino notched a goal early in the first, giving Stony Brook a 1-0 lead. Rutgers promptly responded with two goals in less than two minutes to take the lead with 11:10 left to go in the quarter. After Stony Brook evened things up six minutes later, the Scarlet Knights closed out the first period with three of the next four goals, giving them a 5-3 lead heading into the second quarter.

Rutgers carried its late-quarter momentum into the next, scoring the first two goals of the second. Will Birney scored the lone Seawolf goal in the quarter, as the Scarlet Knights notched the final two to take a 9-4 advantage into the break.

Stony Brook shifted the momentum in the third quarter, emerging from the locker room aggressive and scoring two quick goals (Tanner Williams and Justin Bonacci), reducing the gap to 9-6 with 11:15 remaining. Rutgers responded with two rapid goals, extending their lead to 11-6 with 9:26 left in the third. The Seawolves then rallied later in the quarter, scoring four consecutive goals to whittle the deficit down to one. Rutgers finished the third with a late goal in the final seconds, carrying a 12-10 lead into the final quarter of regulation.

Scoring was hard to come by in the fourth, as each team tallied just one goal over the first 10 minutes of action. The Scarlet Knights notched the final goal of the game with 2:10 left to go, securing the 14-11 victory at LaValle Stadium.

STATS AND NOTES

• Bonacci led the Seawolves' attack in points with four via three assists and a goal on the day.
• Marino scored a team-high three goals. Today's hat trick was the fifth of his career.
• With his goal in the third quarter, Jack Cavalieri notched his first career collegiate goal.
• In net, Tommy Wilk made 11 saves on the day.
• Rutgers won 16 face-offs, compared to Stony Brook's 12 wins at X.
• Freshman Luke Forde did not start, but finished the contest 10-17 on face-offs.
• Stony Brook went 20-of-23 on clear attempts.

UP NEXT
Stony Brook will welcome another ranked opponent, Virginia, to LaValle Stadium on Saturday, February 21. Action is scheduled to begin at noon and will stream live on FloCollege.

For an inside look at the Seawolves men's lacrosse program, be sure to follow them on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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