Ending a two-game losing streak against the top team in your conference is no easy task, but that is exactly what the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team looks to do tomorrow when the Stony Brook Seawolves roll into town. The Seawolves fell one vote shy of earning a national ranking this past week and are riding a five-game winning streak.
“It’s gonna be a real good matchup,” said head coach Ed Stephenson. “We’re hoping to get on the board a little bit more offensively. We’re gonna try to do some things to keep them off guard a little bit.”
The Bearcats (6-5, 2-1 AE) hope to take advantage of the inexperienced Stony Brook (7-4, 3-0 AE) defense, which is allowing an average of nine goals per game. However, the Seawolves’ offense, which averages over 10 goals per game, more than makes up for any defensive shortcomings — only Albany scores more in the conference. Sophomore attack Bo Tripodi has 26 goals this season and is Stony Brook’s primary scoring threat, along with senior attack Jason Cappadoro, who has 14 goals and 24 assists.
While Stony Brook is an offensive-minded team, Binghamton has relied on its strong defense all season, mainly because it’s had to — the Bearcats are at the bottom of the America-East barrel scoring-wise, averaging only seven goals per game.
JP Wioncek, who is ranked 19th in the nation with his .557 faceoff winning percentage, is up against the second-best faceoff team in the conference, yet the Seawolves still lose the majority of their faceoffs at .490 percent. Stony Brook is the best ground ball team in the America East, while Binghamton is the worst.
The last time the Bearcats and the Seawolves squared off was in the 2005 regular season finale, where Binghamton narrowly pulled out a 9-8 road victory to cap a three-game winning streak. With a playoff spot already secured, the Bearcats have their eye on home-field advantage, a difficult task, as Binghamton would once again have to run the table in its final three games, starting this Saturday at the East Gym Complex at 2 p.m.