When Kevin Crowley envisioned his record-breaking performance, he couldn't have imagined the evening going quite like this.
The senior midfielder became Stony Brook's all-time points leader, but the No. 12 Seawolves were trounced by 10th-ranked Cornell, 17-9, at home last night.
Crowley, who finished with two goals and two assists, has 202 career points, one more than 2006 graduate Jason Cappadoro. Crowley passed Cappadoro on an unassisted goal with 11:58 remaining in the fourth quarter.
"Obviously it would have been nice to come under different circumstances," the British Columbia, Canada, native said. "But all I want is to do what I can to help the team."
There wasn't much that could help the Seawolves last night. Their 20-10 loss to Virginia in the 2009 season opener was the last time they gave up more than 17 goals or lost by more than eight. After Saturday's 9-8 upset loss at Towson, Stony Brook has lost two straight in falling to 3-3.
For a team ranked as high as fourth in the country by some publications in the preseason, it's not what it would have envisioned at the midway point of the regular season.
"We're scuffling at this point," coach Rick Sowell said. "This is about as low as we can get. We're at a crossroads. Hopefully this was just an aberration."
The contest was billed as a faceoff between Tewaaraton Award candidates Crowley and Cornell's Rob Pannell, who are the nation's active career scoring leaders. Pannell, a Smithtown West alum, got the better of the matchup, tying his career high with eight points on four goals and four assists.
Pannell, a junior, has 187 career points, but this season has a 40-24 advantage over Crowley and is the NCAA leader in points per game (5.7).
"I have a lot of respect for him," Crowley said of his counterpart at Cornell (5-2). "But for me, it's not about the other team, it's about what I can do for my team."
Not exactly how Crowley drew up his record-breaking night.
