Seawolves earn first bid to NCAA Tournament since 2002Final Stats
Stony Brook, N.Y. - Behind junior Kevin Crowley's (New Westminster, British Columbia) three goals and senior Charlie Paar's (Huntington, N.Y.) 18 saves, top-seeded Stony Brook claimed its first America East Men's Lacrosse Championship title since 2002 with an 11-7 win over third-seeded Albany (5-11) on Saturday afternoon at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.
The win gives the Seawolves, the sixth-ranked team in the country, an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which will announce its pairings Sunday night on ESPNU at 8:30 pm.
Senior Tom Compitello (Hauppauge, N.Y.) had two goals and an assist and junior Jordan McBride (New Westminster, British Columbia) added two goals, breaking Kevin Pall's school record of 133. Sophomore Robbie Campbell (Delta, British Columbia) tallied a goal and an assist.
"Our goal was to get back to this game after losing to UMBC a year ago," head coach Rick Sowell said. "Maybe we didn't play our best, but I guess it makes it sweeter that we were tested and came out on top."
Paar, the Championship's Most Outstanding Player, set an America East Tournament record with 34 saves in two games. "As a goalie, it's always about making the next play," Paar said. "Our defense has been great the last few games, and I was able to do my part."
Stony Brook (12-3) jumped out to a 6-0 lead. Five of the Seawolves' first six goals were unassisted, with sophomore Jared LeVerne (Syosset, N.Y.) and junior Vonzel LeGall (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), a pair of defensive midfielders, connecting on a fast-break attempt that resulted in LeVerne's second of the season.
Albany, which outshot Stony Brook, 53-28, took 11 shots in the first quarter, but Paar kept the Great Danes scoreless as he made seven saves.
Dwayne Stewart scored an unassisted goal at 11:09 of the second quarter to get the Great Danes on the scoreboard. It was the first goal scored by Albany against Stony Brook in over 78 minutes of game action.
Albany scored three straight to make it a 6-3 game with 5:27 left in the first half. McBride answered a minute later, scoring off a pass from Campbell. It was McBride's first goal since scoring a pair of goals at Albany on April 24. "If I can't score, it's my job to help out the other guys any way I can," McBride said. "Whether it's setting picks or setting up teammates, at the end of the day it's about winning."
Goals from Matt Johnson and Mike Kehoe cut the Stony Brook lead to 7-5. At 8:41 of the third quarter, McBride scored his 48th of the season to break the school record. The feat stood for eight seasons, and coincidentally, that was the last time Stony Brook was in the NCAA Tournament.
But the Seawolves didn't score a goal for the next 12 minutes of action, and Albany capitalized, getting as close as one, 8-7. Paar and the Stony Brook defense stepped up though, holding Albany scoreless in the final 12:51. Compitello's goal made it 9-7 and Crowley added another for good measure.
Sophomore Kyle Belton (Langley, British Columbia) capped the day's scoring, taking a pass from senior Steven Waldeck (Levittown, N.Y.), the nation's leading long pole scorer, and putting home.
Waldeck and Crowley each finished with five ground balls.
Despite winning just 4 of 13 face-offs in the first half, junior Adam Rand (Niantic, Conn.) controlled the `X' in the second half, taking 8 of 9 chances.
Paar, Crowley, Waldeck and Campbell were Stony Brook's representatives on the All-Championship Team.
