STONY BROOK, NY – While the Sacred Heart University men's lacrosse team was glad to be back on the field for the first time in nearly a year, the good vibes stopped with the opening faceoff on Saturday. Host Stony Brook got off to a fast start that the Pioneers couldn't recover from in the 20-8 defeat.

Records:
Stony Brook: 1-0
Sacred Heart: 0-1

Top Performers:
Logan Liljeberg (SHU): 1 goal, 3 assists
Drew Edwards (SHU): 2 goals
Jaden Walcot (SHU): 2 goals

Goalkeepers:
Anthony Palma (SBU): W, 1-0; 7 saves, 7 goals
Colton King (SHU): L, 0-1 12 saves, 14 goals

Up Next:
The Pioneers come home to host Hofstra at 1 pm next Saturday. 

Of Note:
Senior Jaden Walcot scored the first of his two goals 2:45 into the first quarter to tie the game at 1-1. Stony Brook responded by scoring eight unanswered goals to grab a 9-1 advantage. 

SHU got second quarter goals from Donovan Lacey and Trevor Johnson but went into the half down 11-3. The Seawolves outshot the Pioneers 29-14 in the first half and won 13-of-16 faceoffs. 

Stony Brook scored the first four goals of the second half, but Sacred Heart answered with four of its own. Less than five minutes into the fourth quarter Max Lionetti found the back of the net to trim the SBU lead to 15-7, but the Seawolves ended any chance of a SHU comeback with four-straight scores.

The hosts controlled the game from the faceoff circle, winning 23-of-30 attempts. That led to a 55-32 shot advantage. Stony Brook snagged 41 ground balls to the Pioneers' 23.

Colton King got the start in goal – his first in three years – and tied his career-high with 12 saves.