Finn-Hart Connection, Masera Heroics Lead Stony Brook Past Syracuse in OT

These annual Syracuse-Stony Brook games up in the Dome are a blast, aren’t they?

In what’s become one of the most anticipated ranked matchups in the early stages of the season, No. 12 Stony Brook needed overtime to beat No. 5 Syracuse on Tuesday night, rushing the field to celebrate with goalie Emily Manning after Ellie Masera scored the winning goal while falling to the turf.

Masera (four goals, nine draw controls) also dislodged what looked to be a sure draw win by Syracuse to open the extra period, securing possession herself. And while Masera’s heroics won’t soon be forgotten by the Seawolves, it was the combination of Alex Finn (five assists) and Kailyn Hart (five goals) who helped carry Stony Brook during the middle stages of a staunch defensive contest.

Stony Brook (5-0) took a 5-4 lead 2:28 before halftime when Caitlin Dellecave fed Finn for her only goal of the night, a player-up opportunity that ended a nine-plus-minute scoring drought for the Seawolves.

Syracuse (3-3) controlled the first seven minutes of the third quarter, with Olivia Adamson assisting two goals in a 3-0 run that resulted in a 7-5 lead for the Orange.

The lead didn’t last long, nor did the momentum. Stony Brook put together a 3-0 run of its own over the next 1:57. Hart bookended a free position goal by Jaden Hampel with scores of her own, putting Stony Brook ahead 8-7 after she converted a feed from X by Finn.

The Finn-Hart connection yielded another one-goal lead for Stony Brook early in the fourth quarter, but Syracuse erased that lead by holding the Seawolves scoreless for the next six minutes. Natalie Smith, Emma Tyrrell and Emma Ward each scored on free position shots in that span, and the Orange led 11-9 with 7:23 left.

Syracuse was awarded 10 free position attempts in the game and converted five of them.

Just like earlier in the second half, Stony Brook responded with its own three-goal run. Finn fed Charlotte Verhulst, Hart nailed a free position and Finn found Masera for a 12-11 lead with 1:08 left.

Katelyn Mashewske won the ensuing draw control, and after officials called a foul on Stony Brook’s Alexandra Fusco, Maddy Baxter equalized with 10 seconds left. It would be the last time Syracuse possessed the ball.

Stony Brook last beat Syracuse on Feb. 10, 2020. Three of the last five games since the rivalry renewed in 2020 have been one-goal results.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

• No. 17 USC took an early lead before host VCU made it close, but the Women of Troy emerged with a 17-14 win. Maggie Brown led with five goals, and Isabelle Vitale had two goals and four assists.
• No. 20 Clemson scored 15 first-half goals in a 22-10 win over Mercer in Macon, Ga. Seven Tigers scored at least two goals, and Claire Bockstie led the team with six goals.
• Dartmouth bounced back from a two-goal loss to Cornell to top UMass 15-9 in Hanover, N.H. The Big Green never trailed. Katina Christensen had four goals and one assist.