Rayna Sabella’s newfound role on the defensive end of the ball was one she was admittedly scared to carve out.
When Haley Dillon went down with an injury in February, Stony Brook needed someone who could step up on defense. Sabella, a midfielder by trade, slid into a defense-first role on a full-time basis. Joe Spallina’s squad has reaped the benefits of her transition.
Sabella, who scored 19 goals in 2019, is instead happy to prevent others from scoring. She had two ground balls and two caused turnovers in eighth-seeded Stony Brook’s 14-8 win over Towson in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday afternoon, limiting a Towson offense that was also missing top scorer Blair Pearre to just 18 shots (six in the first half).
“Coming into it, I was a little afraid,” Sabella said after the game. “I knew I had to get in there, and I couldn’t let anything hold me back. Everyone’s been so supportive about it, even Haley [Dillon]. I wouldn’t be doing as good as I am without them.”
Stony Brook plays Rutgers on Sunday in the second round at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.
Both offenses were finding their footing in the first half, as the Seawolves went into halftime with a 5-2 lead. Six of the first seven goals of the second half went to Stony Brook, though, allowing the Seawolves to open an 11-3 lead. Towson could not get closer than seven goals until there was 1:24 left.
Taryn Ohlmiller had seven points (four goals, three assists), Kaeli Huff had three goals and Ally Kennedy had three goals and two assists. Kennedy, who was not one of five players named a Tewaaraton Award finalist on Friday morning, also controlled four draws and corralled two ground balls.
After the game, Spallina said he was disappointed in the Tewaaraton Foundation’s timing in announcing the finalists the morning of the first round of NCAA tournament games. He said he was also disappointed Kennedy, an All-American do-it-all midfielder, was not named a finalist, noting his own bias on that stance.
“Ally was upset, and I treat my players like my own kids. You mess with my kids, you mess with me,” he said. “She doesn’t need to be upset. She should be focused on playing lacrosse. We told her, ‘Hey, just win. You want to be playing tomorrow.’”
BC BLITZES FAIRFIELD
Charlotte North tied Boston College’s NCAA tournament single-game record with seven goals, and Jenn Medjid had four goals and two assists and became the 28th player in program history to reach 100 points for her career as the fourth-seeded Eagles flew past Fairfield 19-6. North also controlled 10 draws.
Fairfield took just 17 shots, 11 of which were on goal. BC plays Temple Sunday afternoon at Newton Lacrosse and Soccer Field.
Notre Dame Makes History
Fifth-seeded Notre Dame became the first team in NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse tournament history to pitch a shutout, as the Irish thoroughly dominated Robert Morris 16-0.
Nine players scored for Notre Dame, though Kase Choma (three goals, one assist) and Savannah Buchanan (four assists) were the offensive leaders. Notre Dame led in shots (34-11), ground balls (19-14), draws (12-5) and free position attempts (11-3).
The Irish play the UConn/Virginia winner on Sunday.
DeSimone Paces Duke
Katie DeSimone scored a game-high seven points (four goals), Gabby Rosenzweig had one goal and four assists and Catherine Cordrey scored four times as seventh-seeded Duke dominated Mount St. Mary’s 19-3. The Mount was making its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2005.
Maddie Jenner controlled 10 draws, leading the Blue Devils to a 15-7 advantage on the circle. That possession time helped dictate the outcome, as Duke more than doubled Mount’s shot output (30-13).
Duke led 8-0 before Jordan Groover found Sara Moeller for the Mountaineers’ first goal of the game with 9:58 left in the first half.
Duke plays the winner of High Point/Maryland on Sunday.
Loyola Outlasts Scrappy Hofstra
Loyola led by four goals with just 12:37 to play, but Hofstra came alive in its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007. Seeking the program’s first tournament win, the Pride fought back.
Grace Langella, Katie Whelan, Alyssa Parrella and Jackie Gatti all scored in a four-goal run that tied the score at 9, but Loyola’s Elli Kluegel scored the eventual game-winning goal with 1:40 left to play as Loyola hung on to win 11-9. The Greyhounds play third-seeded Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on Sunday.
Kluegel scored four goals, freshman Sydni Black had three goals and Livy Rosenzweig had one goal and four assists, moving into first place in Patriot League history in career assists.
Parrella also made history, moving into sole possession of No. 10 in Division I women’s lacrosse history in career goals.
Florida Topples Mercer
Florida moved to 121-5 all time against teams not ranked in the IWLCA Top 25 with a 23-5 win over Mercer. Brianna Harris and Shannon Kavanagh each scored five times, and Grace Haus scored four times. Kavanagh also controlled 16 draws, as the Gators held a 25-2 advantage in the circle.
Hailey Rhatigan scored three times for Mercer.
Florida’s second-round game will be a rematch no matter who wins between Vanderbilt and Jacksonville. The Gators’ last loss came on March 13 against Jacksonville, whereas they’ve beaten the Commodores twice.
Temple Beats Shorthanded UMass
Down seven players due to COVID-19 protocols, UMass fell to Temple in a 14-13 thriller. Caitlyn Petro, UMass’ star on the draw, was inactive. Kelly Marra, Stephanie Croke, Olivia Muscella and Alex Finn, who combined to score 141 goals this season, were among those who did not play.
Temple, though, was at its best. Belle Mastropietro scored five times with one assist, Bridget Whitaker, Mackenzie Roth and Meghan Hoffman each scored twice for the Owls, who face Boston College on Sunday.
Rutgers Wins First-Ever Tournament Game
Some questioned how the Big Ten would compete against teams out of conference. The Scarlet Knights answered the question emphatically.
Rutgers got four goals apiece from Taralyn Naslonski and Hannah Hollingsworth and two goals each from Jenna Byrne and Julia Lytle to top CAA runner-up Drexel 16-13. Next up is Stony Brook on Sunday in the second round.
Karson Harris gave Drexel an 8-7 lead with 25:40 left to play, but Rutgers scored four straight to take an 11-8 advantage. Courtney Dietzel made it 11-9 a few minutes later.
With Rutgers clinging to a 13-11 lead, the Scarlet Knights scored three of the next four goals to create some much-needed space at 16-12 with 4:40 remaining.