FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Stony Brook men's lacrosse fell in the 2026 season opener on the road at Sacred Heart, 16-11.
Kian McCoy,
Tanner Williams and
Collin Williamson all tallied a pair of goals, while
Tommy Wilk stopped 18 shots in a losing effort to the Pioneers on Friday afternoon across the Sound.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Williams lifted the lid in the 2026 opener with a goal less than three minutes into the action in Connecticut. Ryan Barker and McCoy added first-quarter tallies, but Sacred Heart scored twice in the final three-plus minutes of the opening stanza to even things at 3-3 after one quarter.
Will Birney opened the second quarter with a goal, this time less than a minute into the second quarter. The two sides continued to trade goals back-and-forth, but the Seawolves maintained the lead thanks to tallies from Williamson and Brendan Marino. Sacred Heart closed the half with back-to-back goals, grabbing its first lead of the afternoon and carrying a 7-6 advantage into the intermission.
Williams' second of the afternoon started the second-half scoring, evening the contest at 7-all. After trading goals, the Pioneers strung together three straight goals to build an 11-8 lead. McCoy notched his second goal of the afternoon in the final minute to make it a two-goal deficit, which Stony Brook took into the final 15 minutes of regulation.
Sacred Heart used another three-goal run, this time constructing a 15-10 advantage with just 6:30 minutes to play. Justin Bonacci netted his first goal of the season, snapping nearly an eight-minute scoring drought to make it 15-11 with 4:37 remaining. Sacred Heart added one more insurance tally and held the Seawolves off the scoreboard to pick up a season-opening win over Stony Brook.
STATS AND NOTES
- Wilk stopped 18 shots in the contest, the third-most in a single game in his career. 12 of Wilk's 18 saves came during the first half.
- McCoy, Williams and Williamson netted two goals apiece for the Seawolves. Williams dished out two assists, totaling a team-high four points.
- Five other Seawolves, all returners, tallied goals: Barker, Birney, Bonacci, Marino and Yeung.
- Ryan Dodge grabbed a team-high three ground balls.
- Birney, Bonacci and Marino each caused a turnover.
- As a unit, Stony Brook finished 8-30 at X. Declan Mitchell won a team-best seven face-offs. Newcomer Kyan East won one.
- Stony Brook moves to 8-4 all-time against Sacred Heart. It marks the second time in the series history that the Pioneers have won back-to-back meetings.
UP NEXT
Stony Brook hosts Rutgers on February 14 to begin a seven-game home slate. To purchase single-game tickets,
click here, call:
631-632-WOLF or email:
seawolvestickets@stonybrook.edu.
Bring your group out to Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium and enjoy the thrill of gameday and exclusive group benefits, including pregame and halftime fan tunnels, birthday parties and more. Group tickets are available at a discounted rate ($9.50 per ticket).
Click here or contact the Stony Brook Athletics ticket office at
631-632-WOLF or
seawolvestickets@stonybrook.edu for more information.
For an inside look at the Seawolves men's lacrosse program, be sure to follow them on
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