On a cold February afternoon, Virginia and Stony Brook played postseason-type lacrosse, conjuring memories of last May when the two met in an NCAA quarterfinal game at La Valle Stadium.
Top-ranked Virginia was victorious, 11-10, in overtime, but Stony Brook once again served notice that it is a whisker away from the sport's elite teams.
"I wouldn't say frustrating as it is disappointing,'' senior midfielder Kevin Crowley said of the loss in the season opener. Crowley scored four goals, but the bigger star this day was Virginia's Steele Stanwick, who scored five and added two assists.
Stanwick tallied the game winner 44 seconds into overtime as he picked off an errant pass and drilled the ball into the net, igniting a big celebration by Virginia (3-0). Stony Brook had erased two three-goal deficits and put together a six-goal fourth period.
Virginia had a 10-8 lead with 1:12 in regulation, but Crowley scored with 21 seconds left and Russ Bonanno tied it with just three seconds left to force sudden death.
Adam Rand won the critical faceoff in overtime, but shots by Robbie Campbell and Crowley missed the cage and Virginia regained possession. Stony Brook momentarily took the ball back in Virginia's end, but could not maintain control. "There was a scrum for it,'' Stony Brook goal keeper Rob Camposa said. "I tried to get behind the goal to be an outlet, [we] tried to save it, it went to Steele and he finished it.''
Stanwick said, "I think it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. A little bit of luck. I was glad to be there.''
Thus ended another monumental effort by Stony Brook to topple one of the sport's perennial powerhouses. Despite the calendar and temperature, the game drew 4,312 in a veritable rematch from the quarterfinal, when Virginia won, 10-9.
"Obviously," Crowley said, "We would have liked nothing more than to get away [by winning] with that home crowd that came out and supported us.''
But, as Stony Brook coach Rick Sowell pointed out, "Unlike a year ago, we've only just begun.''
Midfielder Timmy Trenkel added, "It's not about how you start the season, it's how you finish.''
Virginia played without twins Rhamel and Shamel Bratton. The senior midfielders from Huntington were suspended for one game for what coach Dom Starsia termed, "A little violation of team policy. The issue has been resolved.'' He said both would return for practice today.
"There's probably a little dropoff without those two,'' Sowell said of the Brattons. "But not much. They still have a lot of good players.''
Stony Brook was without playmaker Tom Compitello, who was ill. Usually high scoring attack Jordan McBride only had two shots. Teammate attack Brett Drost had three goals and an assist. Stony Brook led in the key categories of faceoffs (17-9), ground balls (34-26) and shots (34-32)
The biggest compliment on Stony Brook's effort came from Starsia, who said, "This team is not a secret here by any stretch of the imagination.''
