Hofstra men's lacrosse ends Stony Brook's postseason hopes thanks to hat tricks from John Madsen and Anthony Mollica

It was, as Anthony Gilardi would acknowledge lamentfully, one more missed opportunity in a season full of them.

This one will hurt more than the others.

Because of what could have been.

“We had another chance, another chance to be together as a team,” Stony Brook’s men’s lacrosse coach said after his charges’ 11-9 loss to Hofstra in the regular season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at LaValle Stadium.

Many of the 1,279 in attendance on Senior Day came with the hopes that the Seawolves would clinch the fourth seed in the upcoming CAA men’s lacrosse championships.

Alas, the loss ended Stony Brook’s (4-10) season. Top-seeded Towson will meet fourth-seed Drexel in Thursday’s first semifinal game, and Delaware will host Fairfield in the 2-3 matchup in the second contest.

“The expectation (was) to win this game,” Gilardi said. “With a lot on the line that (was) the expectation and that’s the standard, and we didn’t live up to the standard.”

In part because Hofstra (6-9) forced the Seawolves into playing their brand of lacrosse.

The 14th all-time Battle of Long Island was a contrast in styles. Entering the game, Hofstra’s .575 faceoff winning percentage ranked 11th in the nation, while Stony Brook was tied for 45th at .473.

By comparison, the Seawolves specialized in scoring man-up goals. Stony Brook had scored 19 in 13 games, whereas the Pride recorded 12 in 14 games.

Essentially, Hofstra is an amalgamation of a NHL team whose strength is winning faceoffs and an NBA team who specializes in half-court offense. By comparison, Stony Brook is akin to an NHL team who needs to play special teams-dominated games in order to be successful.

“We have a certain brand,” Hofstra coach Seth Tierney said. “Today it came together.”

It certainly did. Although Stony Brook did score three man–up goals, all three occurred in a span of 1:37 late in the fourth quarter with the Seawolves trailing 10-6.

Noah Armitage, Dylan Pallonetti, and Christian Lowd tied for the team lead with two goals each. CJ Harris, Nick Dupuis, and Will Button also scored. Goalkeeper Tommy Wilk made 13 saves.

Hofstra, on the other hand, scored nine of its goals at even strength.

John Madsen and Anthony Mollica each recorded hat tricks for the Pride. Griffin Turner finished with two goals, and Trevor Natalie, Sam Lufti and Justin Sykes added a goal apiece.

Sean Henderson stopped 15-of-24 shots for the Pride.

“He made saves,” Gilardi said of Henderson. “Credit to him.”

Hofstra never trailed, and twice enjoyed four-goal advantages. However, the Pride needed Turner’s man-up goal with 1:30 remaining to put away their second straight win.

“The result of this game will have an impact on our program,” Tierney said. “I’m awfully proud of us.”