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As AmericaEast.TV announced No. 6 Stony Brook's 10-7 win over Johns Hopkins after overcoming a three-goal halftime deficit, the Seawolves stormed the field in celebration, huddling around rookie goalie Anna Tesoriero as they avenged their last meeting with the Blue Jays, a 7-5 loss for its only blemish in the 2015 regular season.
Stony BrookAfter dropping three of their first five games, including a pair of 7-6 defeats at the hands of Florida and Northwestern, the Seawolves were due for a big win. It came in the form of a 17-7 rout of Stanford on March 26 in the midst of the program's longest winning streak. Stony Brook finished the regular season with 14 straight wins, avenging their 2015 loss to Johns Hopkins and winning their fourth consecutive America East crown against Albany. Only time will tell if they've truly turned a corner.
First Round: Stony Brook vs. Boston CollegeDespite hosting Friday afternoon’s action, Stony Brook will technically be the “home” team as they enter the action ranked ahead of the Eagles. The meeting between the pair of non-traditional foes is just the fourth in all-time history and first since 2006, and the Eagles have won all three meetings. The Seawolves are led by the nation’s leading goal scorer in Courtney Murphy (95g, 14a), and the America East Attacker of the Year is flanked by fellow Tewaaraton nominee Kylie Ohlmiller (41g, 44a). Defensively, Joe Spallina’s team has yet to give up over 10 goals in a game this spring – in fact, they have given up double-digit goals just once this spring, a 10-14 loss to No. 5 seed USC. Freshman Anna Tesoriero’s 5.82 GAA ranks second in the nation. Boston College heads in Friday’s content led by four 40+ point scorers in Tewaaraton nominee an reigning finalist Sarah Mannelly (36g, 33a), Caroline Margolis (28g, 16a), Kate Weeks (40g, 2a) and Tess Chandler (29g, 11a). Additionally, ice hockey standout Kenzie Kent ranks fifth on the team with 35 points (18g, 17a) – second in assists – through just nine games played.Who wins: Toss-UpThis might be the most intriguing first round matchup in the tournament, as both teams play a vastly different brand of lacrosse; but neither more impactful than the other I'd argue. Stony Brook has proven that its zone defense can give teams fits offensively, but the Eagles has proven that they can score against the best of them and are no stranger to the zone – most recently racking up 11 vs. Syracuse in the ACC quarterfinals. This team will come down to who can possess the ball more often and capitalize on those possessions. Neither team dominates on the center circle – Keri McCarthy leads Stony Brook with 61 draws (39th nationally), and Sam Apuzzo still remains the leader in draws (33) for the Eagles despite not having played the last nine games of the season.