Oct. 28, 2001

Stats

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Jamie Gaither closed out his Senior Day in style, scoring the gamewinner in overtime to lead Stony Brook to a 2-1 comeback victory over Drexel in the Seawolves' home finale Sunday afternoon. The win gives Stony Brook 10 points in league play to improve its chances for a conference playoff spot.

Drexel (6-10, 2-7 America East), which had won its last two games, struck first. The sluggish Seawolves saw Dan Mentrikoski serve the ball to Dan Zajac who was streaking up the left side. Zajac's shot to the far post gave the Dragons a 1-0 edge in the 40th minute.

Stony Brook (6-6-2, 3-5-1 America East) came out more energetic in the second stanza, and the Seawolves' efforts paid off at the 61:42 mark. Akil Jordan's free kick bounced off a Dragons defender, and Ivan Perez collected the ball and fired it past Drexel goalkeeper John Hutchins for the equalizer.

In a volatile second half that saw seven yellow cards issued, including five for the Dragons, Drexel had its chances to pull ahead. However, Stony Brook's Dan Ferrin made several key saves to prevent Drexel from scoring. The game remained 1-1 at the end of regulation, and the Seawolves faced their fifth overtime game of the season.

Gaither, whose goal led Stony Brook to a 1-0 upset over Hofstra on Friday, needed less than five minutes to earn his fourth gamewinner of the year. Kevin Cameron's initial shot was blocked by a Dragons defender, and Gaither took the rebound and sliced it past Hutchins into the lower right corner of the net for the win.

Ferrin made six saves for his sixth victory of the season, while Drexel's Hutchins stopped two shots.

Stony Brook hopes to extend its winning streak and keep its quest for postseason play alive this weekend, when the Seawolves travel to face Vermont and Hartford to close out America East play.