Stony Brook men's lacrosse team survives Hofstra's comeback attempt

They came running off the bench in ones and twos when the horn groaned to dogpile upon each other.

This was a celebration. Of what they had accomplished. And for staying united when they were punished by others for decisions they did not make.

“It’s just a credit to those guys [who] have been through a lot,” Stony Brook men’s lacrosse coach Anthony Gilardi said after the Seawolves survived Hofstra, 11-10, at James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead on Saturday night.

Stony Brook (8-6, 5-3) clinched third place in the Colonial Athletic Association in the program’s first year in the conference and will meet second-seeded Drexel (8-5, 5-2) on Thursday night in the second of two semifinals. Towson (6-8, 5-2) will face Delaware (10-4, 6-1) in the first game.

Because the school announced last year that it was going to leave the America East, the conference barred Stony Brook from participating in spring sports conference championship tournaments.

“It a very tough and sad thing to hear that we couldn’t compete in the conference championships,” said Matt Anderson, who had four goals and an assist for Stony Brook. “But [to] join a new conference and make the playoffs, it’s huge for the program. It’s huge for us. And we couldn’t be more pumped up.”

Entering the game, the stakes in the 13th all-time matchup between the Nassau County and Suffolk County programs were high. The winner would advance to the CAA Tournament next weekend in Newark, Delaware, and the loser’s season would come to an end on a rain-soaked field. The win-and-in scenario was set up by Towson’s 15-10 upset win over conference-leading Delaware earlier in the day.

So the significance of the matchup between Long Island programs was clear. And its subtext was fascinating, as the game was a matchup between the CAA’s second-highest- scoring team (Stony Brook) and the team that yielded the second-fewest goals in the conference (Hofstra).

The Pride’s game plan was to clog the midfield, collapse around goalkeeper Mac Gates (nine saves) in the defensive zone and force the Seawolves into playing a deliberate, clock-draining game.

“We knew that was going to be their recipe,” Gilardi said.

Entering the third quarter, the score was tied at 4. Fifteen minutes later, the Seawolves began the fourth quarter with an 8-5 lead thanks to goals by Anderson, Jonathan Huber, Noah Armitage and Will Button.

Huber and Dylan Pallonetti finished with two goals each and Button, Armitage and Robbie Smith tallied a goal apiece for the Seawolves. Goaltender Jamison MacLachlan made 11 saves. “We knew if we took a lead, that kind of messes with their offense,” Anderson said.

Stony Brook extended its lead to 11-6 2:10 into the fourth, but Hofstra (5-9, 3-4) scored five times in a span of 10:08 to close to within one.