April 22, 2003

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook men's lacrosse team welcomes the nationally-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels to town Wednesday night in the final regular season home game of 2003. It is Stony Brook's fifth matchup this season against a Top 20 opponent and fourth night game of the season. Face-off is 7 p.m. inside Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.

Series Notes: * North Carolina holds a 5-0 series edge. * The last time these two teams met was on April 26, 1998 - 13-7 win for UNC at Seawolves Field * The Tar Heels are the only No. 1 team that Stony Brook has ever faced. UNC was number one in the nation on April 21, 1991.

Last Time Out: Stony Brook snapped a four-game slide with a 6-4 win at Vermont on Saturday. With the game tied at 2 heading into the fourth quarter, the Seawolves struck for four goals to earn their second conference win of the year. Jason Cappadoro racked up four points, all in the fourth quarter, to pace the Stony Brook attack.

Scouting The Tar Heels: * UNC comes into the game ranked No. 14 in the latest USILA Top 20 Poll * The Tar Heels have lost four straight games after knocking off No. 2 Maryland back on March 22 - two of those losses have come in overtime to Johns Hopkins and Virginia. * UNC boasts a potent man-up squad as the Tar Heels have converted over 43 percent of their man-up opportunities.

About The Seawolves: * The Seawolves face their fifth nationally-ranked opponent this season * Jason Cappadoro was named America East Co-Rookie of the Week on Monday. * Errol Wilson made his first start in goal since the season opener vs. Vermont and will get the nod against the Tar Heels.

Jason Leads The Way: Freshman Jason Cappadoro registered his eighth multiple-point game of the season against Vermont. The rookie exploded for four points in the fourth quarter and scored the game-winning goal. On Monday, he earned his second America East Rookie of the Week honor this season.

Facing-Off: Senior face-off specialist Dennis Nafte has been dominating his opponents in the last two games. The crafty veteran has won 29 of his last 34 face-off attempts (.852) to lift his season win percentage to .664. His .664 winning percentage is good enough to rank him second in the nation. He is also averaging 5.1 ground balls per game, second best on the team.

Wilson's Back: Sophomore netminder Errol Wilson made his first start in goal since the season opener and made 13 saves while allowing only four goals to notch his first collegiate win. The performance upped his save percentage to .603 and dropped his goals against average to 7.47.

Playoff Possibilities: By virtue of its win over Vermont, Stony Brook clinched a berth to the America East Championships and will now battle for its seed in next week's tournament. Here are the possibilites: * If Albany defeats Vermont; Stony Brook is the No. 3 seed and will play at Albany on April 30. * If Vermont defeats Albany and Stony Brook beats Hartford; Stony Brook is the No. 2 seed and will host Vermont on April 30. * If Vermont defeats Albany and Stony Brook loses to Hartford; Stony Brook is the No. 4 seed and will play at Hartford on April 30.

SBU's Ground Attack: Kyle Pearl has led the way for the Seawolves this season, scooping up a team-best 75 ground balls through 12 games. He currently leads the America East at a 6.25 per game clip which also places him seventh nationally. Dennis Nafte is not far behind at 5.1 ground balls per game and against Vermont Michael Poch stood out in the win as he recorded a career-best eight ground balls in the win.

News And Notes: Kevin Shea scored twice in the win over Vermont. He now has a team-best 20 goals for the season, 13 of those goals have come in the last five games.