TOWSON, Md. — The Stony Brook men's lacrosse team grinded out a 13-11 victory over top-seeded and No. 16 Towson to capture the program's first-ever CAA title and punch its ticket into the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Tommy Wilk stopped 17 shots and posted a .607 save percentage, claiming Most Outstanding Player honors.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Towson opened up an early two-goal lead, scoring twice to break the ice. Unwavered, Stony Brook responded with four unanswered goals, with four different Seawolves finding the back of the net to build a 4-2 lead less than six minutes into the contest. Ronan Fitzpatrick put one past Wilk to make it 4-3 before Stony Brook answered with two more to close the quarter out with a 6-3 lead.
The Seawolves' run continued into the second quarter, scoring twice more to balloon their lead to five goals, 8-3. Mikey Weisshaar ended a Towson scoring drought that eclipsed more than 14 minutes of game action and featured four saves from the eventual Most Outstanding Player, Tommy Wilk.
Towson closed the half strong, adding another goal and holding Stony Brook off the scoresheet for the final nine-plus minutes of play. The nationally-ranked Tigers started the scoring in the second half, whittling Stony Brook's lead back down to two goals, 8-6. The Seawolves were again unphased, punching back and ending the quarter on a 4-0 run behind a pair of goals from Justin Bonacci and additional tallies from Carson Boyle and Kian McCoy. The run pushed Stony Brook's lead to six goals, the largest lead of the afternoon, heading into the final 15 minutes.
Towson did not go quietly, answering back with four goals of its own to again make it a two-goal game with six minutes remaining in regulation. After conceding goals on four of the five shots he faced during that run, Wilk came up with huge stops in the cage on back-to-back Towson possessions, leading to an insurance marker on the other end courtesy CAA All-Rookie honoree Jack Cavalieri, pushing Stony Brook's advantage to three goals, 13-10, with 3:58 to play.
Stony Brook held Towson to just one more shot on goal from that point on, holding off the late surge from the defending CAA champions and emerging victorious to punch its ticket to the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
STATS AND NOTES
- Stony Brook earned its first-ever CAA Championship and notched the fourth conference championship victory in program history (2026, 2012, 2010, 2002).
- Wilk made 17 saves, one shy of his season-best mark set in the season opener at Sacred Heart, to earn Most Outstanding Player honors. He posted a .607 save percentage. Wilk has made double-digit saves in 12 of Stony Brook's 15 games this season and posted a save percentage of at least 60 percent in six contests.
- Bonacci paced Stony Brook offensively with four points, netting his fifth hat trick of the season. He added four ground balls.
- Boyle, Cavalieri and Collin Williamson registered a pair of goals apiece.
- Kian McCoy finished with three points, scoring a goal and assisting on two more.
- Robbie Smith won 11 face-offs, scooping up a team-high seven ground balls.
- Will Birney was all over the field, matching Smith with a team-best seven ground ball pickups. He also caused two turnovers, matching a career-best mark.
- Birney, Brian Bradley and Williamson joined Wilk on the CAA All-Tournament Team.
UP NEXT
Stony Brook will make its return to the NCAA Tournament and will learn of its dancing partner during Sunday night's Selection Show, airing live on ESPNU at 9:30 pm.
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