Stony Brook Stuns Towson to End NCAA Tournament Drought

TOWSON, Md. — There will be time for Stony Brook coach Anthony Gilardi to reflect on the seven-season process that led up to ending the Seawolves’ 14-year NCAA tournament drought.

He already knows, though, he’ll distinctly remember the celebration set off in the aftermath of Saturday’s 13-11 defeat of Towson in the Coastal Athletic Association title game.

Tournament MVP Tommy Wilk made 17 saves and Justin Bonacci had three goals and an assist for third-seeded Stony Brook (10-5), which ended the Tigers’ 25-game winning streak against CAA opponents.

“This is why we do it,” Gilardi said. “It’s not about me. It’s about these guys and that look on their face will be etched in my memory forever and that’s what this is about. It was so special to be able to hug these guys and be able to celebrate with their families.”

Mikey Weisshaar had four goals and two assists for the top-seeded Tigers (11-4), who were denied their third consecutive CAA title. Weisshaar finished his Towson career with 154 goals, tying Glenn Smith’s 36-year-old mark for the most in school history.

Stony Brook scored six goals in the first 10 minutes and maintained at least a two-goal advantage the rest of the way against Towson, which had a nine-game winning streak halted.

“We got outplayed in the first half and they seemed to want it more,” Towson coach Shawn Nadelen said. “The second half was a bit better, but not enough to play well enough and earn a championship.”

The Tigers hadn’t lost in exactly two months, and none of their games since then were decided by less than three goals. The closest anyone had come was Stony Brook, which was up four goals on March 21 before Towson controlled the second half in a 13-10 victory.

Nadelen acknowledged that he wondered how the Tigers might respond to a tight game, and the start Saturday mirrored the teams’ first meeting. Towson scored on the day’s first two possessions. Stony Brook scored on its first four.

The Seawolves eventually pushed the lead to five, were up 8-5 at the break and stretched it to 12-6 when Bonacci deposited a goal as time expired in the third quarter.

The final period was about Weisshaar willing Towson back into it, and Wilk making enough to stops to slow the Tigers’ rally. He had five saves in a little more than three minutes to open the fourth quarter, a flurry that in retrospect was especially valuable.

Stony Brook defenseman Ryan Dodge bottled up Weisshaar nearly all afternoon, but Weisshaar rattled off three goals in three minutes to tighten things. Although Towson got within 12-10 on Trevor Phipps’ goal with 6:32 left, Wilk collected saves on the Tigers’ next two possessions and Jack Cavalieri scored with 3:58 to go to re-establish a three-goal cushion.

Wilk had a .647 save percentage for the tournament, making 33 stops in defeats of Drexel and Towson as the Seawolves avenged a pair of regular-season losses.

“I think another component to that is to be able to do it in front of my friends and family and everybody I love,” said Wilk, who played high school ball about a 25-minute drive (in good traffic) away at Mount Saint Joseph. “To do it at home in Maryland is kind of special. It just felt like a dream the entire weekend. I couldn’t believe that guys were running over to me, dogpiling.”

Stony Brook will make its fourth NCAA tournament appearance and first since 2012. The Seawolves are in their fourth year in the CAA and made the league final in their 2023 debut, only to miss the conference tournament the last two seasons.

They were 7-7 a year ago, with five losses by a combined six goals. And since dropping games to Sacred Heart, Rutgers and Virginia to begin this season, Stony Brook has won 10 of 12.

“We had a couple rough patches but we stayed the course,” senior faceoff man Robbie Smith said. “We had such a great group of seniors this year who have been here the whole time. They were just so bought in that it became easy.”

There wasn’t much easy about the matchup for Nadelen and Gilardi, who worked together for eight seasons as Nadelen helped re-establish Towson as a consistent CAA contender. Gilardi left for Stony Brook after the 2019 season when the Seawolves were still in the America East, then found himself in the same league as Nadelen when Stony Brook made its conference switch.

The two were also on the Team USA staff at last year’s U20 World Championships in South Korea with Nadelen serving as head coach and Gilardi as an assistant coach.

“We met before the game, and we both just said ‘Why would it be both of us in the game?’” Nadelen said. “I was excited for us and him to be in the championship game. If you have to lose to someone, [you’d prefer] it’s someone you really respect and love knowing what he’s about and what his program is about.”

For the season and for Saturday, it meant figuring things out. An early deficit didn’t last long. Weisshaar’s burst was halted with a switch to zone. Stony Brook played the final 8:25 without a timeout and survived nine turnovers in the fourth quarter to add at least a few days to its season.

The Seawolves are likely headed to an NCAA tournament play-in game on Wednesday, an event where the lessons of the spring should continue to resonate as they did against Towson.

“I think we just stuck with it,” Gilardi said. “We don’t overcook it. We know our culture. We know who we are. We don’t try to be anybody else. We are a gritty team that’s tough.”