TOWSON, Md. — Stony Brook men's lacrosse outlasted No. 2 Drexel en route to a 9-7 victory in the CAA Semifinals.
Tommy Wilk shined, saving 14 shots to propel Stony Brook into the CAA title game for the second time in program history.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Wilk started early, stopping the first five shots he faced to keep Drexel off the scoreboard deep into the first quarter. The Dragons finally broke through, breaking the ice with the first goal of the contest with 2:40 to play in the first stanza. Sean Carlo provided an answer offensively, opening the scoring in the final minute of the first frame.
Kian McCoy netted a goal to give Stony Brook its first lead of the evening, though it was short lived after Witt Crawford responded. Back-to-back goals from leading scorers Collin Williamson and Justin Bonacci granted the Seawolves a two-goal lead more than halfway through the first half. In true back-and-forth fashion, Drexel responded with a pair of goals of its own to even things at 4-4 heading into the intermission.
The Seawolves started the scoring in the second half but soon after found themselves down 6-5, but goals from Carlo and McCoy again gave Stony Brook a one-goal advantage. A late goal from Drexel sent things to the fourth quarter once again even on the scoreboard.
It was all Stony Brook to start the fourth quarter. McCoy completed his hat trick to put the Seawolves in front, then Caleb Yeung scored in front to provide an insurance marker with less than three minutes to play. Wilk continued his dominance in the cage, stopping the three shots he faced in the final frame and held Drexel scoreless for the final 16-plus minutes of action to hold off the Dragons and send the Seawolves into the championship game.
STATS AND NOTES
- Wilk made 14 saves, posting a season-best .696 save percentage. He and the Stony Brook defensive unit held Drexel scoreless for the entire fourth quarter and the final 16-plus minutes of action.
- McCoy paced Stony Brook's offense with three goals. He matched a career-best effort offensively with the hat trick, the third of his career.
- Williamson matched McCoy's three points, scoring a goal and assisting on two more.
- Carlo (two goals) and Tanner Williams (goal, assist) were Stony Brook's other multi-point scorers.
- Stony Brook avenged a regular season loss to Drexel, moving to 3-3 all-time against the Dragons.
- For the second time in program history, Stony Brook defeated Drexel to earn a berth into the CAA Championship Game.
UP NEXT
The third-seeded Seawolves will meet the top-seeded and 16th-ranked Towson Tigers in the CAA Championship on Saturday, May 2. The title game is set for a 3:30 pm start at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Maryland, streaming live on FloCollege.
