Courtesy: Stony Brook Athletic Communications
STONY BROOK, N.Y. -
Junior Kevin
Crowley and senior Tom
Compitello each tallied three goals to lead
eighth-seeded Stony Brook past Denver, 9-7, in an NCAA Tournament
first-round game. Senior Charlie
Paar made nine saves, eight in the second half,
as the Seawolves advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in
school history.
The Stony Brook win marks the third time in the last four years an America East team has won an NCAA game. Albany and UMBC each posted victories in the 2007 tournament.
Crowley, who now has 49 goals on the season, has scored at least
three goals in seven of the last eight games. One of five
student-athletes named as a 2010 Tewaaraton Award finalist, given to the
nation's most outstanding collegiate lacrosse player, Crowley is one
goal shy of tying the school record in a season (Kevin
Pall - 50).
Stony Brook (13-3) has won nine straight games and the 13 wins
this season is the most in school history. The Seawolves have not lost a
game since falling to Cornell, 12-9, on March 23.
Mark Matthews led Denver (12-5) with four goals and an assist.
Alex Demopoulos added two goals and four assists.
"Denver has had our number the last few years, and we knew we had
to play 60 minutes," head coach Rick
Sowell said. "Our games against Denver have come down to the final
minutes, and tonight we made a few more plays. I think this game lived
up to the expectations."
Senior Steven
Waldeck (Levittown, N.Y.), who finished with 11 ground balls, got
Stony Brook going with his ninth goal of the season, which leads all
long-pole scorers this season. "We started to come together as a whole
the last five or six games," Waldeck said. "With our slides and
rotations, we're definitely on the same page."
Denver answered 1:30 later, as Matthews scored on the door step off a
pass from Demopoulos. A man-up goal from Flint gave the Pioneers a 2-1
advantage at the 5:55 mark.
Crowley, the unanimous choice for America East Player of the Year,
tied the game at 2-2, taking a pass from junior Timmy
Trenkle (Commack, N.Y.) and putting it top right past Pioneers
goalie Peter Lowell.
Denver took its biggest lead, 4-2, after Matthews and Demopoulos
each tallied goals midway through the first half. But on the ensuing
face-off, junior face-off specialist Adam
Rand (Niantic, Conn.) won the draw, scooped up the ground ball, and
scored his first goal of the season.
Compitello, who had 68 points coming into the game after 39 in
two seasons, scored back-to-back goals to regain the lead for the
Seawolves. "Playing in this type of game is the reason I came to Stony
Brook," Compitello said. "Personally, this is a dream come true."
Demopoulos made it a 5-5 first half after scoring with 1:36 left in the
second quarter.
The Pioneers didn't score another goal until two minutes into the fourth
quarter.
Sophomore Kyle
Belton (Langley, British Columbia) scored just in front of the
crease at 1:08 of the third quarter to make it 6-5.
Matthews tied it at 6-6 with a man-up tally. After a flag was
thrown giving a Stony Brook a free opportunity, Crowley backed his man
down, and unleashed a shot over his right shoulder without looking at
the net for the score.
Compitello's goal with 9:29 left in the fourth quarter made it
8-6. Matthews, who scored all four of his goals on assists from
Demopolous, made it 8-7 with 6:05 left in the game.
Denver scored just two goals in the second half, with both coming
in the fourth quarter.
Crowley capped the game's scoring, with the final tally coming at
3:37 unassisted.
"This team is just excited to be here," said Paar, who made five
fourth-quarter saves. "We want to keep playing. Every game going
forward is uncharted territory."
The Seawolves turned the ball over only 12 times, their lowest
output of the season.
SBU, which played in just one NCAA Tournament game (L, 12-3 to
Cornell in 2002) will face Virginia next Sunday in an NCAA Quarterfinal
game in Stony Brook. Cornell, which topped Loyola, 11-10 in 3ot, will
face the winner of Syracuse-Army, to be played tomorrow, in the other
quarterfinal.
For tickets and more information, please call (631) 632-WOLF or
visit Stony Brook's official athletics website, GoSeawolves.org.