Stony Brook Travels to Gardner-Webb in Battle of Undefeated Big South Teams

Stony Brook - Gardner-Webb game notes
Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's football team will be heading out of town for its Halloween festivities this weekend as it heads south for it's first-ever game in the state of North Carolina where it will play at Gardner-Webb University. It will be a key matchup between the Seawolves and Runnin' Bulldogs, as SBU (3-0) and GWU (2-0) both enter the contest undefeated in conference play. All of the action can be heard live on WUSB (90.1 FM), with the pregame show starting at 1:15 p.m.
KickoffBack on the road for the sixth time this season, Stony Brook will make its first-ever visit to Gardner-Webb for a key matchup in the Big South. With both teams coming into the game with undefeated conference records, the winner of the game could place itself alone in first place depending on the outcome of Liberty's (which is also undefeated in Big South play) game against Presbyterian. A win for the Seawolves will keep them in control of the conference race, regardless of the Liberty outcome, and also give the team a season best three-game win streak as well as back-to-back road wins. On a windy, rainy afternoon in front of a regional TV audience, Stony Brook handled both the weather and its opponent last week in a 16-10 win over Coastal Carolina. For a second straight week it was Conte Cuttino who put the winning points on the board for the Seawolves, this time taking a screen pass 28 yards in the fourth quarter for his first career TD reception. He also led the SBU ground game with a season-high 96 yards. Chris Tyler also hauled in a TD pass for SBU, the second of his career, in the second quarter. Defensively, Stony Brook shut down Coastal Carolina, holding it to just 157 yards, the first time this season the defensive unit has held an opponent under the 200-yard mark. In terms of passing efficiency Stony Brook is the top team in the Big South on both sides of the ball, leading the league in passing efficiency and passing defense efficiency. The game against Gardner-Webb will feature the top two passing attacks in the Big South.

The Opponent Winners of two straight and three of their last four, Gardner-Webb is one of three teams (Stony Brook & Liberty) that are currently undefeated in the Big South Conference. Coming in at 5-2 overall, the Bulldog's only two loses both came to FBS opponents (N.C. State and Buffalo). Last week the Runnin' Bulldogs rolled to an easy 68-0 win over NAIA opponent Southern Virginia. Boasting the top offense in the Big South, the pass happy Bulldogs are averaging nearly 400 yards per game, 230 of which come through the air. Quarterback Stan Doolittle has completed over 63 percent of his pass attempts and has been picked off just twice all season in 212 attempts. His favorite target is wide out James Perry III who has caught 36 balls for 457 yards and three scores this season. Gardner-Webb is no slouch on the ground either, with five players at or near 200 yards for the season led by Patrick Hall and his 281 yards. The last two Big South Defensive Player of the Year selections, Mario Brown and Jeffrey Williams, anchor a defense that is No. 2 in the Big South against the run, giving up an average of just 125.9 yards per game.
The Series This will be the second meeting between Stony Brook and Gardner-Webb. In the first meeting last season on Long Island, the Seawolves saw a 26-14 first half lead disappear in the second half in a 34-33 loss to the Bulldogs. Conte Cuttino and Ed Gowins combined for 330 yards on the ground, but Gardner-Webb threw for 394 yards to counter the SBU rushing attack. James Perry III caught nine passes for 153 yards to lead GWU.

Women's Soccer Defeats Albany, 2-0, To Advance To America East Semifinals

Seawolves to take on top-seeded Boston University in America East tournament semifinals on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Freshman Meghan Gilley (Macungie, Pa.) scored the game-winning goal in the 68th minute to lead the Stony Brook University women's soccer team to a 2-0 victory over the Albany Great Danes in an America East tournament quarterfinal game on Thursday night at LaValle Stadium. Stony Brook will now travel to take on top-seeded Boston University in the semifinals on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Seawolves improved to 7-9-2 with the victory as they advanced to the America East semifinals for the third straight season. Senior goalkeeper Marisa Viola (Cutchogue, N.Y.) made four saves in net for the Seawolves as she posted her fifth shutout of the season and the 26th of her career.
Junior Sarah Dwyer (Laurel, Md.) set up Gilley's goal as she drilled a pass from midfield in to Gilley, who received the ball on the right side of the six-yard box and then drilled it off Albany keeper Cate Crenson and into the net. It was the team-leading sixth goal of the season for Gilley.
Albany (8-10-1) nearly tied the game just over 10 minutes later as Chelsea DeVerna ripped a shot from six yards out on the left side. But her shot hit the right post and bounded off to the right.
The Seawolves capitalized on the missed opportunity right away as freshman Taryn Schoenbeck (Newark, Del.) got free on a breakaway just beyond midfield. She carried the ball to the top of the 18-yard box where she was met by Crenson, who knocked Schoenbeck down as she tried to maneuver towards the net.
The play resulted in a foul on Crenson and a penalty kick for Stony Brook. Freshman Sa'sha Kershaw (Baltimore, Md.), took the kick and hit it off the right post and into the top right corner of the net to put SBU on top 2-0 with 10:06 remaining in the game. Albany was unable to push across a goal over the final 10 minutes as the Seawolves went on to the victory.

DeVerna nearly gave Albany the lead early in the game as she headed a cross towards the right corner of the net. But Viola made a diving save to keep the game scoreless.
The game headed to halftime still scoreless, with Albany outshooting the Seawolves 4-2. Crenson made one save in the first half and two for the game. Viola made three stops in the opening period.
SBU almost scored in the opening minutes of the second half as sophomore Colleen McKenna (Manorville, N.Y.) sent a cross in from the left side. Sophomore Gabriella Petralia (West Hempstead, N.Y.) ran onto the cross but Crenson was able to knock the ball away.
McKenna came close to setting up a goal once again just minutes later as she again sent in a cross from the left side. But sophomore Holly Razzaghi (Bloomsburg, Pa.) just missed touching it into the right corner of the net and the ball skidded out of bounds.

Women's Basketball Picked Seventh In America East Preseason Poll

Seawolves open their season November 13th

Hartford, Conn. - Stony Brook University's women's basketball team has been picked to finish seventh in the America East this season, according to the conference's preseason coaches' poll. The poll was released today during the 2009 America East Basketball Tip-Off Event in Hartford, Conn.
Head coach Michele Cherry has four returning starters in a lineup that will be looking to improve upon last season's seventh place finish. Junior Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y enters the season just 350 points shy of 1,000 and 179 rebounds away from 500, while junior Misha Horsey (Wyncote, Pa.) has started all 60 games of her career.
Defending league champion Vermont just edged Hartford for the top spot in the preseason poll. Binghamton was picked third and New Hampshire and Boston University finished in a tie for fourth. UMBC finished one spot in front of the Seawolves while Maine and Albany rounded out the poll.
Stony Brook's first home game will be November 13 against Princeton and it will open America East play on January 2 on the road at Hartford.
2009-10 Preseason Poll
1. Vermont (5) 61
2. Hartford (4) 60
3. Binghamton 45
4t. New Hampshire 38
4t. Boston Univ. 38
6. UMBC 35
7. Stony Brook 23
8. Maine 13
9. Albany 11

Men's Basketball Picked Fourth In America East Preseason Coaches Poll; El-Amin Named To Preseason All-Conference team

Seawolves receive highest preseason ranking since joining the America East in 2001

Hartford, Conn. - Stony Brook University's men's basketball team was picked to finish fourth in the 2009-10 America East preseason coaches poll, which was unveiled at the conference's Basketball Tip-Off Event on Wednesday afternoon at the Connecticut State Capitol Building in downtown Hartford. It was the Seawolves highest preseason ranking since joining the America East in 2001. In addition, senior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) was voted onto the preseason all-conference team.
Stony Brook returns nine letterwinners, including four starters, from last year's squad that finished 16-14 overall and 8-8 in the America East, tying for fourth in the final regular season conference standings; the Seawolves best-ever America East finish. The 16 overall wins and eight conference victories were the most for SBU in its eight years in the America East Conference.
A 2009 second team all-conference selection, El-Amin becomes just the second Stony Brook men's basketball player to earn a spot on the preseason All-America East team. El-Amin was seventh in the America East in scoring last season, averaging 15.7 points per game. The 6-5 guard also ranked second in free-throw percentage (.822) and fourth in three-point percentage (.384) and scoring during conference play (17.0 ppg.).
The Seawolves open the 2009-10 season on Friday, Nov. 13, traveling to take on Maryland-Eastern Shore. SBU kicks off its home schedule on Monday, Nov. 16, hosting Mount St. Mary College at Pritchard Gymnasium.
All Stony Brook basketball season ticket packages are now on sale and can be purchased at the Stony Brook University ticket office, by phone at 631-632-WOLF or online at www.goseawolves.org.
The athletic ticket office is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and is located in the left corner of the atrium in Stony Brook Arena. Fans can also reach the ticket office by email at SeawolvesTickets@StonyBrook.edu.

Stony Brook Basketball Hosts Second Annual Meet the Team Night

More than 300 students attend B-Ball Madness

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's Athletic's Department hosted the second annual Meet the Team Night on Wednesday in Pritchard Gymnasium where more than 100 new and current season ticket holders picked their seats for the 2009-10 season and were introduced to the men's and women's teams. Head coaches Steve Pikiell and Michele Cherry addressed the crowd, previewing their upcoming seasons.
Following Meet the Team Night, more than 300 students were welcomed into Pritchard Gymnasium for the first-ever B-Ball Madness. The students were entertained by the Stony Brook Red Hot Marching Band, the dance and cheerleading teams and had a chance to meet and compete in shooting contests with the men's and women's players. Fans were then treated to a buffet and were able to watch Game 1 of the World Series on a big screen in Pritchard Gymnasium.
Stony Brook's women's team will host the first game of its season on November 13 against Princeton with the men's team playing at home three days later against Mount Saint Mary.
All Stony Brook basketball season ticket packages are now on sale and can be purchased at the Stony Brook University ticket office, by phone at 631-632-WOLF or online at www.goseawolves.org.
The athletic ticket office is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and is located in the left corner of the atrium in Stony Brook Arena. Fans can also reach the ticket office by email at SeawolvesTickets@StonyBrook.edu.

Women's Soccer To Host Albany In America East Tournament Quarterfinals on Thursday

Fourth-Seeded Seawolves will host fifth-seeded Albany on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's women's soccer team will be the No. 4 seed in this week's America East tournament and will open against fifth-seeded Albany in a quarterfinal game on Thursday at LaValle Stadium. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Stony Brook finished the regular season 6-9-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the America East. The Seawolves went 2-1-1 at home during conference play this season including a 2-1 victory over top-seeded Boston University. This will be the third straight season the Seawolves have hosted an America East tournament game.
Freshman Meghan Gilley (Macungie, Pa.) scored a team-high five goals for the Seawolves during the regular season while freshman Sa'sha Kershaw (Baltimore, Md.) added four goals and two assists. Senior goalkeeper Marisa Viola (Cutchogue, N.Y.) was spectacular in goal once again for the Seawolves as the 2008 America East Goalkeeper of the Year posted four shutouts during conference play.
SBU advanced to its first America East title game since 2002 last season. This will be the first ever America East tournament meeting between Albany and Stony Brook.
Albany lost its final two games of the regular season and is 8-9-1 overall and 3-4-1 in the America East. The Great Danes defeated SBU, 2-0, at LaValle Stadium in the only meeting between the teams this season.
Check www.goseawolves.org on Monday for ticket information. The winner of Thursday's game will travel to take on top-seeded Boston University in the semifinals on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m.

Cuttino’s Fourth Quarter Score Lifts Stony Brook Past Coastal Carolina, 16-10

Stony Brook University’s football outlasted Coastal Carolina, 16-10, on a soggy Saturday afternoon at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. For the second-straight game, senior Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, N.Y.) scored the game-winning touchdown for the Seawolves, taking a fourth quarter screen pass from sophomore Michael Coulter (Yorba Linda, Calif.) 28 yards for the score. With the victory, Stony Brook remains undefeated in Big South Conference play with a 3-0 record while evening its overall record at 4-4. Coastal Carolina now stands at 3-4 overall, 1-2 in the Big South. 

“It’s a four-quarter game,” said Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore. “I expected it to be a close game. When we had the wind in the fourth quarter I was confident that in our ability to move the ball and get us in position to score. We had a beautiful 80-yard drive that was executed perfectly by a lot of different people. That is how you win football games.” 

Neither team managed to get much going offensively as the game opened up with three straight punts. Coastal Carolina seized the first good field position of the day when E.J. Brown intercepted a pass attempt from Coulter at the Coastal 44 yard line and returned it 26 yards to the Stony Brook 30. A penalty on the interception return backed the Chanticleers up to the 40, but their offense was able to advance to the Seawolves’ 29 before stalling and sending in the field goal unit. Kicking into the wind, Coastal’s Justin Durham pushed the kick just a tad to the right as it bounced off the upright and fell into the end zone, leaving the game scoreless. 

Following an SBU punt, the Chanticleers opened the second quarter with the ball on their 30-yard line. Senior Tyler Santucci (New Kensington, Pa.), who finished the game with eight tackles, picked up the teams first sack of the night, wrestling Coastal’s Zach MacDowall down to the ground for a 13-yard loss. Two plays later, the weather caused havoc for the Chantilceers’ special teams unit again as punter Ben Erdman could not get the punt off against the SBU rush and wound up fumbling, with redshirt freshman Jordan Gush (Richardson, Texas) falling on it at the Coastal four-yard line. 

A false start penalty and rush of negative five yards backed Stony Brook up to their own 14. The Seawolves bounced back quickly, though, as Coulter found sophomoreMatt Brevi (Tampa, Fla.) for five yards before throwing a nine-yard touchdown pass to senior Chris Tyler (Rocky Hill, Conn.) for the game’s first score. 

Following a series of punts, Coastal started its longest drive of the game from their own 36-yard line with 3:42 remaining in the second quarter. After two rushes for negative three yards, MacDowall broke off a 12-yard scamper to put the Chanticleers in a crucial fourth-and-one situation. Following right behind his center, MacDowall plunged forward to pick up the yard and keep the drive alive. On the next play, Santucci was flagged for roughing the passer which gave Coastal an extra 15 yards and advanced it into Seawolves’ territory. Six plays and six yards later, Durham lined up for his second field goal attempt of the night, a 48-yarder just right of the center of the field. For the second time in as many tries Durham’s kick bounced off the right upright, falling harmlessly to the turf. 

Stony Brook opened the second half on its own 16-yard line and after a four-yard run from Cuttino, the Seawolves had back-to-back big plays which accounted for 41 yards. Coulter first found Brevi for 19 yard before Cuttino broke off a 29-yard run to the Coastal 32. Four-straight runs netted the Seawolves 12 more yards before the offense stalled. Redshirt freshman Wes Skiffington (Brandon, Fla.) then converted on his school-record 12^th field goal of the season, a line drive from 37-yards out, to give SBU a 10-0 cushion. 

Three drives later, Coastal finally broke into the scoring column as back-up quarterback Jamie Childers took off on a nine-yard dash, diving into the end zone to pull the Chanticleers within three. Childers completed three passes during the drive for 21 yards while picking up 16 with his legs. 

While it took Coastal nearly 26 minutes to scores its first points of the game, it needed less than four before to strike for a second time. A second interception by Coastal, this one by Carlton Mitchell, gave the Chanticleers a short field to work with, starting this time at the SBU 32. Stony Brook’s defense stood tough, limiting Coastal to just 11 yards on seven plays, but the third time was the charm for Durham, as he knocked in a 38-yard field goal attempt to knot the score at 10-10. 

That would not be the case for long, however, as the Seawolves marched 80 yards in the ensuing drive for a touchdown. Stony Brook picked up three-straight first downs at one point, highlighted by a 13-yard completion from Coulter to senior Josh Auerbach (Langhorne, Pa.). Three plays later, Coulter threw a screen pass to Cuttino who shrugged off a few would-be tacklers on his way to a 28-yard touchdown. A fumbled snap on the extra point attempt left the door open for Coastal, however, as the Seawolves led 16-10. 

A 27-yard kickoff return by Tre Henderson gave Coastal solid starting field position at its own 40. A diving 20-yard reception by Brandon Whitley highlighted a drive of 37 yards which put the Chanticleers at the Seawolves 31 yard line. But on third-and-eight junior Joseph Kirkpatrick (Athens, Texas) came up with a huge sack of 11 yards which drove Coastal back to the 42 and forced a punt. 

Stony Brook knocked 4:24 off the clock with its ensuing drive and freshman Drew Evangelista (Cedar Grove, N.J.) came up with another key special teams play for the Seawolves as he pinned the Chanticleers at their own three yard line with a perfectly placed 40-yard punt. 

After a pair of runs which netted just one yard, Childers scampered up the middle for five yard before fumbling the ball, which senior Arin West (Toms River, N.J.) fell on, icing the game the Stony Brook. 

Cuttino finished with a season-high 96 yards rushing on 20 carries for Stony Brook. Senior Melaquan Saffold (Syracuse, N.Y.) pulled in four passes for 51 yards to lead the Seawolves’ receivers, with Coulter finishing 10-for19 for 144 yards and two scores and two interceptions. The Stony Brook defense came up with a season-high five sacks, with Kirkpatrick getting one while making a total of three stops behind the line of scrimmage. Stony Brook out gained Coastal by a 257-177 margin, with the Chants total yards the fewest allowed by SBU this season. 

Stony Brook will be back on the road next week for a key Big South matchup, traveling south to take on Gardner-Webb on Oct. 31 in a game between Big South unbeatens. Game time will be at 1:30 in Boiling Springs, N.C. 

McBride, Duch Selected to Canadian National Team

Duo Will Play at 2010 World Lacrosse Championships

Toronto, Ontario - Two of the 30 players recently selected to play for Team Canada in next year's World Lacrosse Championships have direct connections to the Stony Brook University men's lacrosse team. Junior Jordan McBride (New Westminster, B.C.) and former standout Rhys Duch '08 have both been named to the 30-man roster that will compete for Team Canada in next year's world championships that will be held in Manchester, England in July.

"I am happy to see Jordan and Rhys made the Canadian National Team," commented Stony Brook head coach Rick Sowell, who will be an assistant coach for the US team at the championships. "Rhys had a wonderful career here at Stony Brook and is doing very well in the NLL where he broke the rookie scoring record on his way to being named Rookie of the Year. Jordan, currently a junior is on pace to rewrite the Stony Brook scoring record books. I wish them both the best of luck next summer in England when playing against everyone except Team USA!"

A first team all-America East selection in 2009, McBride had another strong season for Stony Brook from his attack position. He helped lead an offense that averaged 11.2 goals per game to rank 9th in the nation. McBride, who finished with a team-high 42 goals, reached the 40-goal level for a second straight season and finished second in the nation in goals per game. He will enter the 2010 season eighth all-time in goals for the Seawolves with 86.

One of Stony Brook's all-time leading scorers with 106 points, Duch was named the National Lacrosse League's Rookie of the Year in 2009 after an outstanding first season with the San Jose Stealth. The #3 overall pick in the 2008 NLL Entry Draft, he set a new rookie scoring record with 89 points (35g, 54a), breaking the previous mark of 82 points set in 2002. 

Stony Brook Hosts Coastal Carolina on Saturday

Key Big South Game Will Be Carried Live On WUSB and MASN

Stony Brook's football team returns home for the first time in three weeks on Saturday when it hosts Coastal Carolina in a Big South Conference matchup. Saturday's game will also mark the start of a new tradition at Stony Brook, Communiversity Day, which will become an annual fall community relations event. It will also be the Ray Downey Heroes Classic and will be featuring the 100th anniversary of the Stony Brook and Setauket Fire Departments, with an antique vehicle and apparatus competition. In addition, the University is hosting SBU Commuter Student Day and SBU Parent and Family weekend, featuring a moon bounce, giveaways and much more. At halftime of the game Stony Brook's new President, Samuel L. Stanley, Jr., MD will be honored in recognition of his inauguration as Stony Brook's fifth president. The game will be televised live on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), which is available in the New York area on Dish Network (Ch. 432) and Direct TV (Ch. 640). The game will also be carried live on WUSB (90.1 FM), with the pregame show starting at 3:15 p.m.
Kickoff Stony Brook returns home this week for just the third time this season as it hosts Coastal Carolina in a televised, Big South match-up. The Seawolves will be looking to stay perfect at home, where it has won both games this season, and in the Big South where it is 2-0 after tak¬ing a 27-20 come-from-behind win at VMI last week. A win for SBU this week would give it back-to-back victories for the first time in 2009 and keep it atop the Big South standings as well as give it three straight Big South wins since joining the league last year. Last week the Seawolves won a game with a touchdown in the final minute for the second time this season when Conte Cuttino scored with 52 seconds left from 13 yards out to lift SBU to the win at VMI. Cuttino finished with a team-high 85 yards, which was also his high for the season. The Seawolves passing game continued to click as well, with Michael Coulter going over the 300-yard mark for the second time in three games with a 316-yard, two TD performance. Stephan Towns caught 11 balls, including three straight on the game-winning drive that set up Cuttino's score. The Stony Brook offense now boasts the Big South's top rusher, Ed Gowins, and passer, Coulter. After 446 yards at VMI, the Stony Brook offense is now No. 2 in the Big South and No. 31 in the nation with an average of 367 yards per game of offense.

The Opponent Winners of two straight going into last week's game at Liberty, Coastal Carolina took one on the chin against the Flames in Lynchburg by a 58-13 score. The loss dropped the Chanticleers to 3-3 and 1-1 in the Big South. Prior to the Liberty game the Coastal defense had allowed just 13 points over the previous two games. Liberty racked up 575 yards of offense in the game, 300 of which came on the ground. The loss also dropped the Chanticleers to 0-3 on the road in 2009. The Stony Brook game is the second of a season-high three straight away from home. On offense Coastal is led by quarterback Zach McDowell who is aver¬aging 153 yards per game passing, but has been picked off six times to only four TD passes. On the ground Eric O'Neal leads the team with 341 yards on the ground, while Brandon Whitley has 17 catches for 290 yards and a pair of scores to lead the receivers. Defensively Coastal Carolina has allowed just 151 yards per game passing, tops in the Big South.
The Series This will be the second meeting between Stony Brook and Coastal Carolina. In the first meeting last season at Coastal, the Seawolves took advantage of four turnovers by the Chanticleers, turning three of them into scores to take a 28-24 win on the road. Dwayne Eley caught three touchdown passes while Conte Cuttino ran for 141 yards and one score. Zach McDonald threw for 306 yards to help Coastal to a 505-yard total offense night. The trip to New York will be a first for the Coastal Carolina program. Stony Brook has won both game it has played against teams from South Carolina.

Cuttino's Late TD Lifts Stony Brook Over VMI, 27-20

Seawolves Remain Undefeated In Big South With Road Victory

Lexington, Va. - In a hard fought Big South Conference football game that came down to the wire, senior Conte Cuttino's touchdown run with 52 seconds left erased a VMI comeback and gave the Seawolves a 27-20 win. Cuttino finished with 85 yards while sophomore Michael Coulter threw for 316 yards and two scores as the Seawolves remained undefeated in the Big South at 2-0, improving to 3-4 overall. VMI fell to 1-5 and 0-3 with the loss.

"It was a well played game," said Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore. "We knew that they were a good team going in. We came through when it counted and made big plays. We needed that win from a conference perspective and I think we needed to win one that way; you need to be able to come back and win games. It was a good win for us."

After both teams were stopped on their opening dive, Stony Brook took over on its own 20 after a VMI punt into the end zone and drove the length of the field. Coulter finished off the 80-yard drive with a 20-yard pass to redshirt freshman Jordan Gush (Richardson, Texas), his fourth TD reception of the season. The extra-point was missed, however, leaving SBU with a 6-0 lead with 7:35 left in the quarter.

A pair of mistakes, one by each team, then played a part on the next two possessions. VMI drove deep into Stony Brook territory, but a bad pitch was recovered by redshirt freshman Dominick Reyes (Hesperia, Calif.) at the Seawolves' 19. VMI stopped the Stony Brook drive and then came up with a big play, blocking the SBU punt attempt and recovering the ball on the SBU 19. The Keydets wasted no time as Tim Maypray took it in on the next play; with the ensuing kick giving VMI a 7-6 lead.

Stony Brook's offense, which held the ball for 20:02 and gained 292 yards in the first half, answered the VMI score on its first possession of the second quarter. The Seawolves drove 69 yards in 12 plays, getting a four-yard scoring toss from Coulter to sophomore Matt Brevi(Tampa, Fla.) that put the Seawolves back on top by a 13-7 margin at the 9:49 mark. The rest of the quarter the Stony Brook defense, which held VMI to 121 yards, kept the Keydets in check and held them in their own end of the field. Getting the ball back with less than two minutes left in the half, Coulter's passing put the Seawolves in position for a field goal and redshirt freshman Wesley Skiffington (Brandon, Fla.) came through, knocking a line-drive through from 24 yards out to push the SBU advantage to 16-7 at the half.

After a scoreless third quarter that saw Stony Brook gain just 51 yards and VMI 81, the Keydets struck quickly early in the fourth quarter when they picked up good field position near midfield after an SBU punt and took just three plays to score. It was Maypray that victimized the SBU defense, scampering 30 yards to pull his team to within in two at 16-14 with 14:53 to play

Skiffington came back and booted another field goal, this one from 21 yards away to increase the SBU lead to five with 6:47 left. The kick was a record setter, as it was Skiffington's 11th of the season, tying the old mark of 11 held by Bob Burden '89 during the 1986 season.

On VMI's next possession, Maypray returned the kickoff 19 yards out to the VMI 31. After a 22-yard run by Howard Abegesah, VMI quarterback Kyle Hughes accounted for the final 47 yards of a Keydet scoring drive, 28 through the air and 19 on the ground, and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 2:56 left on a one-yard sneak. The VMI attempt for two failed, however, leaving the Keydets just a one-point lead at 20-19.

Brevi put Stony Brook in excellent field position when he took the kickoff back 31 yards into VMI territory at the 49. From there Coulter hit Cuttino for a first down pass play. After an incompletion, Coulter hit senior Stephan Towns (San Diego, Calif.) on three straight plays, getting the Seawolves down to the VMI 13 with 52 seconds left. Cuttino then found a hole in the left side of the line and took it in from there for what turned out to be the game-winning score. Coulter hit junior Donald Porter (Charles Town, W.Va) for the two-point conversion that made it 27-20.

VMI did not go away, however, as the Keydets drove the ball into Stony Brook territory down to the 35, but a sack by senior Ryan Sollazzo (Tampa, Fla.) forced VMI into a pass attempt in the final 10 seconds that was intercepted by senior Chris Richards (Quartz Hills, Calif.) that sealed the win.

Towns led the Stony Brook receiving corps with career highs of 11 catches for 112 yards. Brevi finished with 70 yards in receptions and 72 in kick returns for the Seawolves, while Reyes led the defense with 11 tackles. Sollazzo finished with three tackles for losses totaling eight yards. Maypray led VMI with 86 yards on the ground and 124 yards in kick and punt returns.

After two games away, Stony Brook returns home next week when it will host Coastal Carolina at 3:30 in LaValle Stadium. The game will be carried live on TV on the Middle Atlantic Sports Network (MASN).

Stony Brook University Men's Basketball Announces 2009-10 America East Schedule

Seawolves announce 16-game America East Schedule

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Coming off a record-setting season in which it won a program best eight conference games, the Stony Brook University men's basketball program announced its 16-game 2009-10 conference schedule today. The Seawolves tied for fourth place in the league standings last year, its best finish in the school's eight years in the America East Conference.

Stony Brook opens its America East slate on Jan. 2 with a road contest at Boston University in a rematch of the Seawolves four-overtime classic at BU from a season ago. SBU then returns home for a two-game home stand, hosting Hartford on Jan. 7 before taking on New Hampshire on Jan. 10.

The Seawolves then hit the road for three of their next four games beginning with contests against Binghamton (Jan. 12) and Maine (Jan. 16). Stony Brook then welcomes UMBC to Pritchard Gymnasium on Jan. 18 before heading to Burlington to take on last year's co-regular season champion on Jan. 21.

Albany (Jan. 24) and Boston University (Jan. 30) then visit Stony Brook before SBU makes the short trip to Connecticut to take on Hartford on Feb. 3. Following a one-week break, the Seawolves will return home to play against Maine (Feb. 10) and Binghamton (Feb. 13).

SBU then hits the road to take on UMBC (Feb. 16) and Albany (Feb. 19), which will complete a stretch in which the Seawolves play four games in nine days. Stony Brook concludes the home portion of its schedule on Feb. 24 against Vermont. The Seawolves wrap up the regular season on Feb. 28 at New Hampshire.

The 2010 America East Tournament will be held at the University of Hartford's Chase Family Arena on March 4-7 as the conference's men's and women's basketball tournaments will be held in a combined format for the first time in the league's history. The title games will both be held the following weekend. The men's championship game will be held on Saturday, March 13 at the campus site of the highest remaining seeds.

All 29 Seawolves men's basketball regular season games as well as any additional postseason contests will be aired live on WUSB 90.1 FM. Pregame for all WUSB broadcasts will be 15 minutes before tipoff.

Stony Brook Resumes Big South Schedule at VMI

Seawolves Make First-Ever Visit to Lexington, Virginia

Stony Brook, N.Y. - For a second straight week it will be another long road trip for the Stony Brook football team as it ventures south for this week’s matchup with VMI. After traveling all the way to North Dakota and back last week, the Seawolves will make the 475-mile trek to Lexington via bus starting on Thursday, making the trip the longest of the season in terms of time away from campus. For Stony Brook the game will be a resumption of Big South Conference play as the Seawolves go for a 2-0 record in the league as it begins the second half of the season.
KickoffFor a second straight week it will be another long road trip for Stony Brook as it ventures south for this week's matchup with VMI. After traveling all the way to North Dakota and back last week, the Seawolves will make the 475-mile trek to Lexington via bus starting on Thursday, making the trip the longest of the season in terms of time away from campus. Stony Brook will be trying to break into the win column on the road for the first time this season at VMI, having dropped its first four games away from home this season. Last week at North Dakota the Seawolves won the battle of the statistics, out gaining the Sioux 438-309, but three turnovers proved costly to SBU in a 31-24 setback. North Dakota turned all three turnovers into touchdowns and erased an early 7-0 SBU lead with 21 straight points. An interception that was run back for a score with less than a minute left in the first half gave the Sioux their first lead of the game and the Seawolves could never get closer than seven points the rest of the way. Quarterback Michael Coulter threw for 277 yards and a pair of scores and is now rated as the top quarterback in the Big South Conference. Running back Ed Gowins finished tied with Conte Cuttino with 73 yards on the ground and continues to lead the league in rushing with his 82.2 yards per game average. This week's game has the potential to be an offensive show, with Stony Brook averaging over 500 yards in offense over the last two games and VMI coming in with the No. 1 ranked rushing attack in the Big South.

The OpponentVMI comes into the game with a 1-4 overall record and is still in search of its first Big South win, with its conference mark standing at 0-2. At this point of the Big South season it is the only school to have played two league games in 2009. Last week the Keydets scored on their first possession at Coastal Carolina, but that turned out to be it in a 20-6 setback to the Chanticleers. Running its trademark option attack, VMI is tops in the Big South and 10th in the nation with its rushing average of 202 yards per game. Howard Abegesah leads the team from his running back position with an average of 61 yards per game. Quarterback Kyle Hughes averages 45 yards rushing and 83 yards passing and has thrown for four scores. The Big South preseason Offensive Player of the Year, Tim Maypray does it all for VMI. He has rushed for 174 yards, has 119 yards in receptions and 518 return yards and is the Big South's all-time leader in all-purpose yards with over 5,000 for his career. Defensively VMI is led by Byron Allen who has 49 tackles and Kris Ware who is among the league leaders with 3.5 sacks.
The SeriesThis will be the second meeting between Stony Brook and VMI. In the first meeting last season at SBU, the Seawolves broke open a three-point game in the third quarter with consecutive scores and went on to take a 40-26 victory in the final game of 2008. The two teams combined for 986 yards, 811 of which came on the ground. The Seawolves unleashed a rushing attack that saw Gowins and Cuttino tie their own NCAA FCS record by combining for 483 rushing yards. Abegesah had 109 for the Keydets with Maypray adding 99 more, including a 60-yard TD run.

Men's Basketball Hosts Fifth Annual Fun Run

Seawolves begin official practice on Friday, October 16.

Stony Brook, N.Y. - A record 70 people participated in the Stony Brook men's basketball team's Fifth Annual Fun Run on Wednesday afternoon. The run served as the final preseason conditioning activity for the Seawolves before official practice for the 2009-10 season begins on Friday, Oct. 16.
Stony Brook's Coordinator of Recruiting and Eligibilty, Mathew Franck, finished the four-mile course in first place for the second straight year with a time of 23:48. Franck finished just behind the course record of 23:08 that he set last year. Senior Eddie Castellanos (Jersey City, N.J.) was the first men's basketball player to cross the finish line with a time of 25:28.
Sophomore Jackie Gentile (Old Bethpage, N.Y.) of the Stony Brook women's lacrosse team was the first woman to cross the finish line with a time of 26:10. Gentile set the course record for a female, breaking the record she set last year by one second.
In addition to the entire men's basketball team, participants included members of the women's lacrosse team, Stony Brook Director of Athletics Jim Fiore, athletic department administration, Facilties Department, Athletic Communications Department, Equipment Room, Student Athlete Development, Strength and Conditioning and External Services programs as well as Stony Brook Director of Athletic Bands John Leddy.
The Seawolves open the 2009-10 season on Friday, Nov. 13, traveling to take on Maryland-Eastern Shore. SBU opens up its home schedule on Monday, Nov. 16, hosting Mount Saint Mary College at Pritchard Gymnasium at 7 p.m.
Fifth Annual Men's Basketball Fun Run ResultsMathew Franck - 23:48Eddie Castellanos - 25:28Lenny Hayes - 26:00Jackie Gentile - 26:10Muhammad El-Amin - 26:37Nick Kolb - 26:44Bryan Dougher - 26:56Melissa Rotante - 27:52Jay Young - 28:19Matt Larsen - 28:45Steve Clacherty - 28:48Tommy Brenton - 29:05Marcus Rouse - 29:10Eric McAlister - 29:12Preye Preboye - 29:51Andrew Goba - 30:09Kelley Sweeney - 30:11Jim Fiore - 30:24Jackie Hughes - 30:29Justyne Passarelli - 30:29Dave Van Dyke - 30:33Pat Dame - 30:48Courtney Bertolone - 31:03Susan Abbott - 31:13Phil Hess - 31:17Dallis Joyner - 31:19Jennifer Williams - 31:34Chris Martin - 31:44Cori Kennedy - 31:55Victoria Cable - 32:23Bridget Callahan - 32:43Abby Ford - 32:45Kaitlyn Harrison - 33:17Nicolle Moran - 33:23Keira Smith - 33:34Paul Schlickmann - 34:01Jessica Romano - 34:04Dan Rickard - 34:20Courtney Sanfelippo - 34:26Adam McLeod - 34:40Melissa Cook - 35:29Mickey Cahill - 35:57Jeremy Cohen - 36:05Andrea Lebedinski - 37:32Rachael Lyall - 37:32Desmond Adedeji - 37:48Kerry Kresse - 37:49Matte Scully - 37:58John Carpenter - 38:26Sam Kornhauser - 39:00John Leddy - 39:00Hannah Perruccio - 43:58

Stony Brook Basketball Season Tickets On Sale Now

Seawolves will hold their 2nd Annual Meet the Team Night on Wednesday, October 28th from 6 p.m. -

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Season tickets for 2009-10 Stony Brook University men's and women's basketball are now on sale. Both full and partial season ticket plans are available, giving Seawolves fans the opportunity to see their hometown team in action at historic and intimate Pritchard Gymnasium.
Coming off the best season in its 10-year Division I history, the men's team will play 13 home games. Head coach Steve Pikiell will lead the Seawolves into action against an exciting non-conference schedule which includes a match-up against in-state rival Columbia and a New Year's Eve matinee against Holy Cross. The Seawolves will also face off against a challenging eight-game America East schedule that includes match-ups with Albany, Vermont and Boston University.
The 2008-09 season saw the men's team finish 16-14 overall and 8-8 in the America East Conference, tying for fourth-place in the final regular season conference standings, the Seawolves best-ever America East Conference finish. The 16 overall wins and eight conference victories are the most for Stony Brook in its eight years as a member of the America East Conference.
Head coach Michele Cherry and Stony Brook's women's team will play 15 games at Pritchard Gymnasium including a Nov. 15 matchup with Big East opponent, St. John's. The Seawolves home conference schedule includes contests against defending regular season champion Boston University and NCAA tournament participant, Vermont, who won the 2009 America East tournament.
The women's team opens up its home schedule on Friday, Nov. 13 against Princeton while the men's team will take on Mount St. Mary in its home opener on Monday, Nov. 16.
Please note that ALL season ticket packages are now open to the general public and can be purchased at the Stony Brook University ticket office, by phone at 631-632-WOLF or online at www.goseawolves.org.

The athletic ticket office is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and is located in the left corner of the atrium in Stony Brook Arena. Fans can also reach the ticket office by email at SeawolvesTickets@StonyBrook.edu.
Individual game tickets will go on sale on Nov. 1.
Men's Basketball Season Ticket PackagesCourtside VIP Package(Includes courtside seat, VIP parking pass, access to catered VIP area and subscription to Coach's e-newsletter)(13 games) - $600
VIP Package(Includes all the amenities of a Courtside VIP but not a courtside seat)(13 games) - $350
Benchback Package(Includes chairback seat and subscription to Coach's e-newsletter)(13 games) - $140
Super 7 Pack Season Ticket Plan - $50(Includes chairback seat and subscription to Coach's e-newsletter)Create your own season ticket package by choosing the 7 games that you would like to attend.
Women's Basketball Season Ticket PackagesCourtside Package(15 games) - $120
General Admission or Reserved(15 games) - $60
Single Game TicketsMen's BasketballChairback/Benchback- $10General Adamission- $8Seniors (65+), children under 16 and Stony Brook Faculty/Staff/Alums with ID- $5Children four and under- Free
Women's Basketball

General Admission- $5

Volleyball Rallies For 3-2 Victory Over New Hampshire

Three Seawolves record double-doubles

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Trailing two sets to one, Stony Brook University's volleyball team rallied back, winning the final two sets, on the its way to a 3-2 (25-17, 16-25, 22-25, 25-17, 15-13) victory over New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon in Pritchard Gymnasium. The Seawolves received double-digit kills from four different players and had five individuals dig ten or more balls. Senior Harmonie Calinda (Huntington, N.Y.) (24k, 18d), senior Lisa Doremus (Glendale, Ariz.) (15k, 10d) and freshman Corinne Perry (Northport, N.Y.) (47a, 12d) all recorded double-doubles. The win is SBU's eighth-straight and moves it to 10-8 (2-0 America East) on the season, while UNH drops to 8-13 (0-4 America East).

Stony Brook opened an early 10-4 lead to start the match, receiving half its points off miscues by the Wildcats. While UNH did pull within four at 15-11, the Seawolves stretched their lead to as many as nine at 23-14, receiving five kills and seven digs from Calinda. Stony Brook's defense, which picked up 20 of its 90 total digs in the opening frame, kept the Wildcats to a match low .179 attack percentage. Junior Ashley Headen (Alexandria, Va.), who finished with 11 kills and a .375 attack percentage, closed the set out with a kill, giving the Seawolves the early 1-0 lead.

Following a kill from Doremus, Stony Brook held an early 5-3 lead in the second frame before things started to click offensively for New Hampshire. Behind three kills from Lindsay Fogarty, the Wildcats scored ten of the next 15 points to jump in front 13-10. Stony Brook struggled offensively, committing a match-high six errors, as UNH knotted the score at one set a piece.

Similar to the second set, SBU led early in the third before UNH clawed its way back. However this time, the Seawolves fought off the rally, scoring six of seven points to move ahead 13-8 on a kill by freshman Greta Strenger (Woodbury, Minn.). With the Seawolves still leading 20-15, the Wildcats mounted a second comeback, receiving three straight aces from Jessy Dick to pull within on at 20-19. UNH would tie the score at 22-22 on Taylor Dressing's sixth kill of the match and then score three-straight to pull off the 25-22 win.
In a match that saw a combined 20 service aces, it was two-consecutive ones from senior Lindsey Gordon (N. Patchogue, N.Y.) that gave the Seawolves a five point cushion at 7-2 in the fourth set. After leading by as many as seven early on, the Seawolves allowed UNH to pull within two at 17-15 before closing the set out on 8-2 run. While Stony Brook's offense did record 17 kills, including five each from Calinda and Headen, it was the defense that lead the way. Junior Jeanette Gibbs (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) recorded a team-best seven digs as SBU dug 24 attacks as a team.

After a back-and-forth start to the deciding set, Stony Brook scored three straight points to seize a 7-4 advantage. New Hampshire tied the score at 9-9, but the Seawolves reopened their three point cushion at 13-10 on a kill by Gordon and held on from there for the 15-13 victory. Despite UNH recording 11 fewer attacks in the fifth set than it did in the fourth, Gibbs had a repeat defensive performance, leading the Seawolves with seven digs. Offensively, Calinda paced SBU with five kills as the team committed just one error on its way to a match-high .393 attack percentage.

Perry's 12 digs were a career high, while Gibbs led the way with 26. Sophomore Bianca Hernandez (East Moriches, N.Y.) was the fifth Seawolf with double-digit digs, picking up 15.

Stony Brook heads back to the road on Friday when it travels upstate to take on Albany. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.

Stony Brook Drops Close, 31-24, Decision At North Dakota

Sophomore Michael Coulter throws for 277 yards and two touchdowns.

Grand Forks, N.D. - Stony Brook's offense had another solid day in terms of yardage, but three turnovers proved costly on the road as the Seawolves fell at North Dakota by a final of 31-24. Sophomore Michael Coulter (Yorba Linda, Calif.) threw for 277 yards and two scores, but was intercepted twice, with one of the interceptions returned for a score. Senior Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, N.Y.) and sophomore Edwin Gowins (Bellport, N.Y.) each ran for 73 yards for SBU.

"We made way too many mistakes to win a football game," said Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore. "That is where it lies - you can't make those mistakes and win."

In a first half that turned out to be more of a defensive battle it was Stony Brook (2-4, 1-0 Big South) that picked up the first score of the game on its second drive. After holding North Dakota (3-2, 1-0 Great West) to a three and out on its first possession the Seawolves took over on their own 48 and proceeded to march down the field on a nine-play drive that consumed 5:55 of the clock. Stony Brook picked up a key first down when Coulter hit senior Josh Auerbach (Langhorne, Pa.) with a 21 yard completion down the right sideline that put SBU inside the 10 with a first and goal. Coulter finished off the drive with a nice, nine-yard scoring toss to sophomore Matt Brevi (Tampa, Fla.) that gave Stony Brook the early advantage.

That proved to be the only long scoring drive of the first half. Still leading 7-0 going into the second quarter, Stony Brook saw a pair of Coulter interceptions give North Dakota what turned out to be a 14-7 lead at the half. Early in the quarter Coulter was picked off, giving the Fighting Sioux a first down at the SBU 22. Four plays later Jarrel Davis scampered around the left side and into the end zone from three yards out to tie the game. With a less than a minute left in the half Coulter again was intercepted, and this time the Sioux capitalized right away when Dominique Hawkins ran it back 35 yards for the score.

Stony Brook held a 183-67 edge in total yards in the first half, but trailed on the scoreboard thanks to the two turnovers.
The second half opened with the teams trading touchdowns on their respective opening drives. North Dakota scored first on a 21-yard pass play from Jake Landry to Ismael Bamba at the 11:29 mark, with Stony Brook countering with a 32-yard run by Gowins three and a half minutes later. Consecutive sacks forced North Dakota to try a field goal, but senior Chris Richards (Quartz Hills, Calif.) blocked the attempt. On SBU's ensuing drive, Cuttino fumbled deep in North Dakota territory to thwart the SBU chance to tie the game.

Like they did at the start of the third quarter, the two teams traded scores to start the fourth. North Dakota took a two-touchdown lead when Landry sneaked it over from the one in the first minute before Stony Brook countered on an eight-yard pass from Coulter to junior Donald Porter (Charles Town, W.Va.).

Despite out gaining North Dakota 438-309 for the game, the Seawolves could not get any closer than seven points the rest of the way. The two teams traded field goals over the final half of the quarter, but after redshirt freshman Wes Skiffington's (Brandon, Fla.) 32-yard field goal pulled Stony Brook back to within a touchdown with 3:16 remaining, North Dakota was able to run out the clock to preserve its win.

Fernandes Leads Men's Soccer To 1-0 Win Over Binghamton

Freshman forward scores game-winner three minutes into second half

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Freshman Leonardo Fernandes (North Babylon, N.Y.) scored the game-winning goal three minutes into the second half as the Stony Brook men's soccer team topped New York State rival Binghamton, 1-0. It was Fernandes' team-leading fourth goal for the Seawolves, who beat the Bearcats for just the second time in nine games. Stony Brook is 2-9-2, 1-2-0 America East while Binghamton is 6-5-1, 1-1-0.
In the 48th minute, sophomore Wilber Bonilla (Brentwood, N.Y.) found himself with space and slipped a pass to Fernandes, who turned, faced the goalie and with one dribble to his left, sent a shot past Binghamton keeper Jason Stenta's left for the score. It was only the 11th goal allowed by Stenta, who entered the game among the nation's best in goals against.

Neither keeper was tested that often as Stenta finished with one save and Stony Brook redshirt freshman goalie Anthony Rogic (Boonton, N.J.) had two.

Stony Brook continues its three-game home stand with a match against Albany next Saturday evening. Kick-off against the Great Danes is scheduled for 7 pm.

JOE NATHAN '97 WINS ROLAIDS RELIEF MAN AWARD WITH RIVERA

According to the New York Post, Minnesota Twins and former Stony Brook University player Joe Nathan '97 and New York Yankees Mariano Rivera, opposing closers in this ALDS, were the first ever to share the Rolaids Relief Man Award. It's the first tie in the 33-year history of the award. It's Rivera's fifth Rolaids honor, tying Dan Quisenberry for the most ever.

Women's Soccer Cruises To 5-0 Victory Over UMBC; Viola Sets Shutout Record

Women's Soccer Cruises To 5-0 Victory Over UMBC; Viola Sets Shutout Record
Seawolves stretch unbeaten streak to four.

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Sophomore Dominique Adamo (Ramsey, N.J.) and freshman Meghan Gilley (Macungie, Pa.) scored first half goals and senior goalkeeper Marisa Viola (Cutchogue, N.Y.) made four saves to record the shutout as the Stony Brook University women's soccer team stayed unbeaten in America East play with a 5-0 victory over the UMBC Retrievers on Thursday night at LaValle Stadium. It was the 24th career shutout for Viola, who passed Cindy Bennett '05 for the program's career shutout record. Stony Brook improves to 4-7-2 overall and 3-0-1 in the America East with the victory while UMBC falls to 1-10-1 and 0-3-0.

Adamo gave the Seawolves a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute as she received a cross from junior Morgan Sims (Ambler, Pa.) and then chipped the ball over the head of UMBC goalkeeper Mo Van Vlerah from 10 yards out. It was the second career goal for Adamo, who was named Stony Brook's America East Player of the Game.

The Seawolves stretched their lead to 2-0 in the 31st minute as Gilley stole the ball from a UMBC defender on the left side of the 18-yard box and then ripped a shot into the lower right corner of the net. It was the team-high fourth goal of the season for Gilley.

Stony Brook went into the half with the two-goal advantage, outshooting the Retrievers 8-2 in the period. Viola was forced to make just one save in the first half.

Sophomore Gabriella Petralia (West Hempstead, N.Y.) stretched the Seawolves lead to 3-0 just over four minutes into the second half as she struck a shot from 20 yards out that just got over the outstretched hands of Van Vlerah. It was the second goal of the season for Petralia.

The Seawolves put the game away in 60th minute as junior Dana Adamkiewicz (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) drove a free kick from midfield into the 18-yard box. Junior Debbie Aller (Stony Brook, N.Y.) got a head on it and knocked it to Sims, who touched the ball just inside the right post.

Senior Kelly Grant (Fairfax, Va.) added her second goal of the season in the 69th minute for the Seawolves final score of the game. Viola made three saves in the second half as she posted her third shutout in the last four games.

SBU stretched its unbeaten streak to four with the victory and has outscored its opponents 9-1 over that stretch. Stony Brook finished the contest with a 19-8 shot advantage.

The Seawolves return to action on Sunday, Oct. 11, traveling to take on Vermont. Game time is set for 1 p.m.

Stony Brook Football Heads West To Face North Dakota

Seawolves Will Take Part In The Annual Potato Bowl Game

Stony Brook, N.Y. -

It will be back on the road for Stony Brook this week as it takes one of the longest road trips in the history of the program with its visit to North Dakota. The Seawolves got back into the win column last week with a convincing 52-14 homecoming win over Presbyterian that gave SBU its first Big South Conference win of the season and its first win in a Big South opener in its two years in the league. Stony Brook racked up season bests in points, total yards, rushing yards and passing yards in the victory. The Seawolves broke open the game in the second half when it turned seven consecutive Presbyterian turnovers into 29 points. Quarterback Michael Coulter threw for a career-high 321 yards, including scoring passes of 59 and 60 yards to Donald Porter. Starting the first game of his career, Ed Gowins ran for a season best 138 yards and one score and now leads the Big South in rushing with his 84.5 average. Coulter also tops the league, leading in passing efficiency at 135.8, while linebacker Tyler Santucci tops the conference with 7.5 tackles for loss. Placekicker Wes Skiffington earned national and conference honors after booting a school record four field goals against the Blue Hose. This will be the final non-conference game of the season for Stony Brook, which returns to Big South play next week at VMI.

The Opponent
The second straight opponent for Stony Brook that is in the midst of the change from DII to DI status, North Dakota has started the season 2-2 and is coming off a 27-12 victory over South Dakota in its homecoming game, which was also its first home game of the season. Redshirt freshman Mitch Sutton provided the bulk of the offense against the Coyotes, running for 190 yards and three scores. Sutton leads the team with a 79.2 yards per game average on the ground. The Fighting Sioux have been averaging nearly 200 yards per game passing, led by quarterback Jake Landry who has completed 66 of his 104 attempts for 757 yards and five scores. He has been intercepted just twice. On defense UND gave up 374 yards to South Dakota, but have given up an average of 474 per game, including over 300 through the air.

The Series
This will be the first meeting between North Dakota and Stony Brook on the football field as well as the first meeting between the two in any sport. The game will be the first for Stony Brook in the central time zone and the first against a team from the Great West Conference.

Stony Brook Blows Past Presbyterian, 52-14

Seawolves Roll to 610 Yards of Offense

Stony Brook, N.Y. - After a close first half, Stony Brook scored 29 unanswered second half points tonight on its way to a 52-14 football victory over Presbyterian College in the Big South Conference opener for both schools. Stony Brook set season highs in points and total yards in the victory, with sophomore Edwin Gowins (Belloport, N.Y.) rushing for a season-high 138 yards and a score and sophomore Michael Coulter (Yorba Linda, Claif.) throwing for a career best 321 yards and two scores. The Seawolves defense chipped in with four interceptions and three fumble recoveries in front of a large homecoming crowd at LaValle Stadium.

"We put some things together today at times that we have worked hard," said Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore. "We hit some big plays in terms of yardage - a lot of them were play-action passes that we were able to take advantage of some the coverages. We had those in the game plan and when you execute your game plan they work sometimes."

Stony Brook (2-3, 1-0 Big South) wasted no time at the start, getting the ball near midfield after Presbyterian (0-5, 0-1 Big South) misfired on an attempted onside kick. Gowins carried the ball five times, including a 31-yard gain to the PC five, and senior Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, N.Y.) finished off the drive with a five-yard run up middle to give the Seawolves the early 7-0 lead. Presbyterian missed a field goal on its first possession, but the Blue Hose answered the SBU score on its next try, driving 91 yards in just seven plays and tying the game on a four-yard run by Trandon Dendy.

That was where the score stayed as the second quarter started, but it did not stay that way long as Gowins broke free on a 44-yard jaunt down the left side on the first play of the quarter that put Stony Brook back on top 14-7. After the Seawolves' defense held the Blue Hose to a three and out, the PC punt pinned Stony Brook back on its own five. The Seawolves worked the ball out to its own 41 on the strength of 4-for-4 passing from Coulter. His fifth straight completion was the big one as he found junior Donald Porter (Charles Town, W.Va.) streaking down the middle of the field. His pass hit him in stride and Porter took it in for the 59-yard score. Presbyterian blocked the extra-point attempt, however, making it 20-7 at the 7:35 mark.

Presbyterian took advantage of a pair of personal foul penalties on its next drive and crept to within a score when Brandon Miley hit Dendy on a 13-yard scoring toss with 5:55 left in the half that made it 20-14. That proved to be as close as the Blue Hose would get however.
Stony Brook was not quite done in the first half and in the final minute Coulter hit junior Michael Lepore (Brick, N.J.) with a 29-yard pass and senior Stephan Towns (San Diego, Calif.) for 26 more to set up a 22-yard field goal by redshirt freshman Wesley Skiffington (Brandon, Fla.) as time expired in the half. Skiffington was another Seawolves player that had a big night, as he went on to boot three more field goals in the second half to set a school record with four field goals in a game.

At the start of the second half things began to fall apart for the Presbyterian offense. After not committing a turnover in the first 30 minutes, the Blue Hose saw a Miley pass picked off by senior Benjamin Clements (Glen Burnie, Md.) on its third play of the half. It was the first of what turned out to be seven consecutive possessions by the Blue Hose that ended in turnovers, three via fumbles and four interceptions, and Stony Brook capitalized by turning each miscue into points on the board. Skiffington connected from 22 and 37 yards away after the first two turnovers to increase the SBU advantage to 29-14 midway through the third.

On PC's next possession, Miley was sacked by senior Ryan Sollazzo (Tampa, Fla.) and fumbled on the play. Sophomore Michael Marino (Middle Island, N.Y.) recovered and four plays later Coulter took it in himself, diving over the goal line to finish a six-yard run and put Stony Brook up 35-14.

Stony Brook put the finishing touches on the victory in the fourth quarter, getting another Skiffington field goal before Coulter and Porter hooked up again, this time on a 60-yard play just two minutes into the quarter. Senior Cory Giddings (Ocean, N.J.) finished off the scoring when he came up with his second interception of the season and returned it 63 yards for the score.

Coulter finished with a career night by going 16 for 26 for 321 yards. It was the first 300-yard game for Stony Brook quarterback since T.J. Moriarty '05 threw for 322 against Central Connecticut State in 2004. Porter finished with 156 yards on just four catches while Gowins' 138 yards was his second 100-yard effort of the season. The Seawolves rolled up 623 yards of offense, the third time over the last seven games going back to last season that SBU has hit the 600-yard mark in offense.

On defense Clements would wind up with a pair of interceptions as well as a team-high seven tackles. Junior Arin West (Toms River, N.J.) had the other interception for SBU, his third of the season. Senior Chirs Richards (Quartz Hills, Calif) and junior Chevar Rankins (Middletown, Conn.) had fumble recoveries.

Presbyterian was held to 240 yards of offense, just 55 of which came in the second half. The Blue Hose were led by Dendy on the ground with 59 yards and a score while Miley threw for 146 yards and a score.

Stony Brook will return to the road next week as it steps outside of conference play one last time as it travels to North Dakota for the programs first-ever game in that state. Kickoff against the Fighting Sioux will be at 2 p.m. Eastern time next Saturday, October 10.

Stony Brook Hosts Presbyterian Saturday for Homecoming

Stony Brook University's football team returns home this weekend for its Big South Conference opener as it hosts Presbyterian College on Saturday in LaValle Stadium. The game will also be a part of the annual Homecoming celebration and reunion weekend known as "Wolfstock." The Wolfstock Village will open at noon and will be followed by the gridiron clash between the Seawolves and the Blue Hose at 3:00 p.m. The game will be carried live on WUSB 90.1 FM, with the pregame show beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Kickoff After putting a scare in 15th-ranked Massachusets on the road last week, Stony Brook returns home to LaValle Stadium for the start of its second season of Big South Conference action as well as hosting the school's annual Homecoming, known at SBU as Wolfstock. Despite its 1-3 start, Stony Brook has progressed well to this point of the season and will be looking to get a good start on conference play this week. At Umass, Stony Brook held a 10-7 lead in the first quarter but could not hold on in a 44-17 setback. The Seawolves were hampered by not having their top-two backs in the game, as Conte Cuttino was injured on the first series and could not come back in and Ed Gowins did not make the trip due to injury. Michael Coulter threw a pair of TD passes to Jordan Gush and Wes Skiffington booted a 43-yard field goal for SBU, which trailed by just seven at the half. Freshman linebacker Kenny Tuiloma made his first collegiate start and came up with 12 tackles and an interception that set up a touchdown, earning Freshman of the Week honors in the conference. The game against Presbyterian represents an expansion of the Big South schedule from five to six games in 2009, as the Blue Hose are now fully eligible mem¬bers of the conference.

The Opponent Located in Clinton, South Carolina, Presbyterian College is beginning its first full season as a football member of the Big South Conference as it transitions from a Division II program to a Division I FCS one. The Blue Hose have played all of their games so far against teams from the always tough Southern Conference, with the result an 0-4 mark coming into its first Big South game of the year. Last season Presby¬terian finished with a 4-8 record, including a 31-28 upset of Liberty, and played every team in the Big South except Stony Brook, going 1-4 in those games. A team that lives by the pass, the Blue Hose have almost double the yardage through the air as they do rushing. Quarter¬back Brandon Miley has thrown for 650 yards and two scores, but has been intercepted five times. Patrick McKoy is the top target among the receivers with 18 catches for 249 yards and a score. Running back Trandon Dendy averages 72.5 yards per game on the ground, the top mark in the conference, running for a career-high 147 yards last week in a 46-21 loss at The Citadel. Defensively the Blue Hose have had a hard time stopping opponents and have surrendered over 40 points in three of their four games, giving up an average of 485 yards of offense per game.
The Series This will be the first meeting between Presbyterian and Stony Brook on the football field as well as the first meeting between the two in any sport. Presbyterian will also be the smallest school that Stony Brook plays this season, with an enrollment of just 1,200 it is one of the smallest Division I schools in the nation.