STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The Sacred Heart University men's lacrosse team rode a 9-4 halftime lead to an 11-9 season-opening win Saturday over the Stony Brook Seawolves at Kenneth P. Lavalle Stadium.

Records

Sacred Heart – 1-0

Stony Brook – 0-1

The Turning Point

SHU led 6-4 with 11:47 to play in the second quarter when a pair of Logan Liljeberg goals sparked a 5-0 Pioneers run. Max Tuttle capped the run with 10:53 to play in the third quarter, with his fourth tally of the day giving SHU an 11-4 lead. The Pioneers then had to weather a storm of Stony Brook goals. The Seawolves went on a 5-0 run of their own, cutting the deficit to two, 11-9, with 7:57 to go. The Pioneers hung on by holding Stony Brook to one shot in the final 7:00 and forcing five turnovers.

First Quarter

- Freshman Drew Edwards scored SHU's first goal of the season with 12:20 to go, with an assist from TJ Fitzell.

- Tuttle and Joe Saggese followed with goals 2:05 apart, giving the Pioneers a 3-0 lead with 7:33 to play in the opening quarter.

- Austin Pavone scored his first career goal with 0:53 remaining in the quarter, putting SHU ahead 5-2. Liljeberg had the assist for his first career point.

- Stony Brook got a goal from Mike McCannall with 0:15 left to cut the deficit to two, 5-3, by the end of the quarter.

Second Quarter

- The two teams traded goals to start the quarter. Tuttle scored his second goal of the day at the 13:49 mark to make the score 6-3, but the Seawolves' Owen Daly scored his second with 11:47 to go to put the deficit back at two 6-4.

- Liljeberg scored his first two career goals with 6:28 and 1:01 remaining, making the score 8-4. Tuttle added his third goal with 0:42 left in the half to give SHU a 9-4 halftime advantage.

Third Quarter

- Freshman Jaden Walcot scored his first career goal 0:15 into the third quarter. Saggese assisted on the man-up goal.

- Tuttle scored his fourth goal of the game at the 10:53 mark with an assist from Landon Kramer, giving SHU an 11-4 lead.

- Stony Brook closed the quarter with goals from Tom Haun and Patrick Kaschalk to close the gap to 11-6 heading into the fourth. 

Fourth Quarter

- The Seawolves scored two goals in the first four-plus minutes of the fourth, making the score 11-8 with 10:57 to go.

- Chris Pickel scored with 7:57 to play to get Stony Brook within two, 11-9.

- SHU held the Seawolves to one shot in the final 7:00, forcing five turnovers.

Key Stats and Notes

- SHU's win Saturday was its first against Stony Brook in program history.

- Tuttle led all players with his four goals. Saggese also had four points with two goals and two assists.

- Senior Mike Calvagna was 12-for-18 on faceoffs and led the Pioneers with five groundballs.

- SHU outshot Stony Brook 35-29 and had 19 groundballs to the Seawolves' 12.

Next Game

SHU travels to UMass on Tuesday, Feb. 13 for a 3 p.m. game.