Stony Brook, Drexel Pull Away to Win CAA Semifinals
Miles McQuiggan
STONY BROOK, N.Y. (May 2, 2024) – Stony Brook pitched a second-half shutout to move past Elon, while an early surge put Drexel against Hofstra in control to advance the Seawolves and Dragons into Saturday’s CAA Women’s Lacrosse final at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.
Stony Brook and Drexel will meet in a conference tournament game for the first time when the teams play Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on LacrosseTV.
No. 1 Stony Brook 17, No. 4 Elon 4
A 9-0 second half helped top-seeded Stony Brook pull away from Elon and advance to its second CAA title game in as many years as a league member.
Stony Brook (16-2) led 8-4 at the half before scoring five times in the third quarter and four in the fourth for its 16
th victory of the year, which after the conclusion of Thursday’s game is tied for the most in the nation.
Kailyn Hart scored seven times in the win for Stony Brook, while
Ellie Masera added three goals and five assists. Masera added nine draw controls to help Stony Brook win the battle of the conference’s top two teams in the draw circle, 12-10, and reached 101 points for the season to become the fourth 100-point scorer in league history.
Avery Hines tallied six caused turnovers to tie the program single-season record set by Brooke Gubitosi in 2017; the total is good for third in a season in CAA history behind Towson’s Sami Chenoweth with 64 in 2017 and Delaware’s Madison Hranicka with 57 this season.
Mia Zebley’s three assists led the offense for Elon (9-8), which won four straight games to close the regular season and qualify for its first CAA Championship since 2021.
MJ Santa Barbara corralled six draw controls to complete the season with a CAA-record 151.
No. 2 Drexel 18, No. 3 Hofstra 9
Corinne Bednarik set the CAA Championship single-game assists and points to advance Drexel to the CAA title game.
Bednarik notched three goals and eight assists for an 11-point afternoon as Drexel (13-4) won its CAA Semifinal for the third time in the last four years. The eight assists were one shy of the CAA single-game record in any game.
Allison Drake and
Molly Weygand each scored three times for Drexel, while
Jenika Cuocco made 13 saves.
The Dragons led 9-1 through 15 minutes and 12-4 at the half to win by nine goals against an opponent they played to a one-goal margin last Saturday.
Kristen Redding tallied three goals to lead Hofstra (9-8), which committed just six turnovers in the contest.
2024 CAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship
Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium – Stony Brook, N.Y.
Thursday, May 2 – Semifinals
No. 1 Stony Brook 17, No. 4 Elon 4
No. 2 Drexel 18, No. 3 Hofstra 9
Saturday, May 4 – Final
No. 2 Drexel at No. 1 Stony Brook – 12:30 p.m., LacrosseTV
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