March 7, 2008

Stony Brook, N.Y. -

Stony Brook's men's lacrosse team plays its 2008 home opener tomorrow, taking on the Siena College Saints. The Seawolves and Saints will face off at Noon at LaValle Stadium. Stony Brook comes into the contest as the top offensive team in the America East, averaging over nine goals per game, while Siena has scored at least 12 twice in three games this season. For ticket information please call (631) 632-WOLF (9653).

Last Time Out

Tied at halftime 4-4, the Stony Brook men's lacrosse team saw Harvard score five straight to start the second half that was enough to carry the Crimson to a 9-6 victory over the Seawolves. Senior Ryan Hughes (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) led SBU with three goals, including scoring the final two of the game. Harvard started the game by scoring three goals over the first six minutes to take the early lead. Late in the first senior Bo Tripodi (Hauppauge, N.Y.) got Stony Brook on the board, taking a pass from freshman Jordan McBride and beating the Harvard goalie for his second score of the year. Senior Bobby Trenkle (Commack, N.Y.) made it two-in-a-row less than 1:30 later and the Seawolves were within one at the end of the quarter. In the first three and a half minutes of the fourth Harvard put in two more goals, taking a 9-4 advantage after a score by Dean Gibbons. Stony Brook rallied with a pair of goals, both by Hughes in a three-minute span, but the Seawolves were shutout over the final five minutes as Harvard went on to the win.

About Siena

Siena is off to a great start in 2008, cruising through its first three games without a loss. The Saints have picked up wins over Presbyterian, Harvard and Vermont. Siena has been doing it with a combination of defense and offense; the Saints held both Presbyterian and Vermont to three goals and scored at least 12 in each. The last time out Siena knocked off Vermont on Tuesday, 12-3, getting three goals apiece from Matt Girsh and Mike Lasho. Girsh leads the team in scoring with 13 points on a team-high eight goals and five assists. Ryan Duggan paces the squad with nine assists and is second to Girsh with nine points. Goalkeeper Brent Herbst has a stingy 3.27 GAA mark.

Versus The Saints

This will be the fifth straight season that Stony Brook and Siena have met in lacrosse. The last four meetings have been the only ones between the two schools and the Seawolves have come out on top in all to lead the series 4-0. Last season Stony Brook won a thriller in overtime, taking a 10-9 win at Siena behind senior Owen Adams' (Norwalk, Conn.) four goals. Adams scored the game winner with just 1:42 left in the OT. In the two previous contests at LaValle Stadium, Stony Brook has outscored Siena by a 30-13 margin.

Starting Hot

Senior Ryan Hughes has started his final campaign in a Stony Brook uniform in fine style, leading the team in goals in each of the first two outings of the season. At Virginia he matched his previous career-high with four scores and then turned in a hat-trick at Harvard last week. His seven scores so far give him 43 for his career, just six shy of moving into the top-20 all-time at Stony Brook. Hughes is No.1 so far in the America East with his 3.5 goals per game.

Canadian Connection

Last season Stony Brook's Canadian connection consisted of just one player, senior Rhys Duch (Victoria, British Columbia). This season the group from north of the border has grown by two with the addition of sophomore Kevin Crowley (New Westminster, British Columbia) and freshman Jordan McBride (New Westminster, British Columbia) to the roster. So far the trio has been effective, accounting for eight goals and seven assists, nearly half of the team's points. Crowley was named the America East Rookie of the Week for his game at Virginia when he scored three goals and handed out four assists.