James M. Shuart Stadium had a preview of playoff lacrosse when the Hofstra Pride dueled the Stony Brook Seawolves for a chance in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) playoffs on Saturday, April 29. It was win or go home for both teams, in which Stony Brook narrowly came out victorious 11-10. Hofstra’s season ends 5-9 overall and 3-4 in league play.

“End of the years are so hard because every coach just wants another hour with their team, another week,” head coach Seth Tierney said. “Another day, another game, another opportunity.”

Fans saw a stalemate at James M. Shuart Stadium in the opening half, both teams scoring two goals each in both quarters, going into the locker rooms tied at four. Part of the onslaught included Chase Patterson, the Pride’s designated face-off guy, scoring his first career goal.

“Patterson may be the best human being I have ever coached and I’ve coached some unbelievable people,” Tierney boasted about his main face-off guy. “He works unbelievably hard.”

The third quarter showcased two completely different teams, in which Stony Brook scored four times compared to Hofstra’s one goal.

The Seawolves continued their attacking ways, courtesy of Dylan Pallonetti sniping the ball into the upper right corner of the goal post.

Down 11-7, Rory Jones fed Gerard Kane a cross-crease pass to give him room to slam-dunk in the Pride’s eighth goal of the day. This was the start of a 5-1 run that got the Pride within one, including three goals within two minutes.

“What we showed in those last couple of minutes, that’s the team that I know, that’s the team that I see Monday through Friday,” Tierney said. “I can’t say enough about the character and the culture of that team upstairs and the whole program.”

With their victory, the Seawolves earned the No. 3 seed in the CAA playoffs, which will be hosted by the University of Delaware.

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics