STONY BROOK, N.Y. - Stony Brook women's lacrosse fell to Northwestern 13-12 on Saturday in a highly contested, ranked matchup at LaValle Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Northwestern opened the day's scoring, taking a 2-0 lead with 12:46 to go in the first. A little over two minutes later, Reese Hjertaas would convert a free position opportunity to put Stony Brook on the board. Each team would then score a goal in the next few minutes, with the Wildcats leading 3-2 with 6:50 remaining in the opening quarter. Following another Northwestern goal to make 4-2 in its favor, the Seawolves tallied three straight goals in less than two minutes, taking a 5-4 lead with 3:03 in the first, following a jumping goal from Isabella Caporuscio.

Northwestern would draw things even 37 seconds into the second quarter. Stony Brook regained its lead less than two minutes later after Mirabella Altebrando capitalized on a turnover and scored. The Wildcats responded by scoring the next four goals, taking a 9-6 lead at the 7:25 mark of the second. The final two goals of the half were scored by the Seawolves, bridging the gap to 9-8 heading into the third quarter.

Stony Brook came out of the lockerroom fast, scoring straight goals, putting it in front 11-9, not even three minutes into the third quarter. Northwestern scored the next goal, but the Seawolves answered right back with a woman-down goal by Keira Martin, making it 12-10 Stony Brook with 8:37 left to play in the third. The Wildcats then had several scoring opportunities, but Natalia Altebrando consistently denied them, making four saves and keeping the two-goal Seawolf lead intact going into the fourth.

Northwestern would score the first two goals of the fourth, bringing the score to 12-12 with 8:05 left to play. Both offenses were held in check for a while until the Wildcats converted on a free-position opportunity with 1:39 on the clock, taking a 13-12 lead. The Seawolves would fire off a shot in the final seconds that was wide as Northwestern closed out the win.


STATS AND NOTES

• Caporuscio paced the Stony Brook offense with three goals and two assists.
• Hjertaas and Martin both posted four points on two goals and two assists.
• Julia Fusco scored three times for the third hat-trick of her career.
• Mirabella Altebrando and Haydin Eisfeld both scored a goal.
• For the third time this season, Hailey Huebner caused three turnovers.
• Stony Brook outshot Northwestern 33-24.
• The Seawolves scooped up 14 groundballs to the Wildcats seven.

UP NEXT
Stony Brook is back in action on Friday, March 6, when it takes on Denver at LaValle Stadium. Opening draw is scheduled for noon and will stream live on FloCollege.


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