by Michelle Rabinovich

Neither the Stony Brook University (SBU) Seawolves nor the Towson University Tigers were able to keep a lead before putting up the equalizer, so LaValle Stadium saw the game tie a total of nine times across 60-minutes. Once the game clock went showed less than one minute left to play, something clicked for Matt Anderson, finding an opening with just 44 seconds to go to take home a 13-12 win for the Seawolves on Saturday, April 1.

Stony Brook now improves to 6-4 overall and 3-0 in conference play, while Towson slips to 2-7 overall and 1-2 in league play.

“It’s awesome,” Anderson said, but thinking of his teammates in the same breath. “I mean someone’s going to have the ball in their stick at the end of the game and I’m confident in every single guy on the field.”

“I’m really proud of those guys for battling and never backing down and sticking to the plan,” said Stony Brook men’s lacrosse head coach Anthony Gilardi. “Just continue to punch each other in the face and see who’s standing at the end.”

It wasn’t a smooth start at first, as the Tigers won the first quarter 3-1.

“When you’re down early it’s easy to just get off base,” Gilardi said. “But we stuck to it and I’m proud of them.”

From then on, Stony Brook used the time in the second period to make it an even game, going to the locker room tied at four. After that, it was consistently back and forth.

“Two evenly matched teams,” Gilardi said. “No one could go on a run; it’s [conference] lacrosse that’s what it’s all about.”

The second quarter was crucial to the Seawolves and a detriment to the Tigers because of the home goalie, Jamison MacLachlan. MacLachlan put up 17 saves, six of them in Stony Brook’s come-back second period.

“I thought [MacLachlan] was fantastic,” Gilardi said. “I think he made some massive saves and bailed us out defensively sometimes. He’s a really talented kid and he’s seeing it and feeling it.”

Anderson and fellow SBU attackman Dylan Pallonetti finished with a team-leading four point, Anderson finding the back of the net four times and Pallonetti completing a hat trick plus dishing out an assist.

Stony Brook returns to the pitch on Saturday, April 8, on the road against the Drexel University Dragons. Initial face is schedules for 2 p.m.

Towson has a chance to even out their conference record on the 8th as well at 3 p.m. against the Hofstra Pride.