Marcus: SBU football team wants to have conference

The second season is about to begin for the Stony Brook University football team.

After Saturday's non-conference game at Lafayette, the remaining five games will come against Big South opponents. And there will be no margin of error if the Seawolves expect to make the NCAA playoffs.

To be sure, that is what the team is shooting for. "The goal remains the same,'' coach Chuck Priore said.

Stony Brook (2-3) is 1-0 in the Big South after last week's 27-9 victory over VMI.

"We were 1-3 in September, which is not good,'' said senior linebacker-fullback Stephen Schwicke, who has made sure the team knows there still is plenty to play for.

"The conference is going to dictate how far we go in our season,'' he said. "That's what I was telling the team this week. Whether we were 4-0 or 0-4 [at this point], it wouldn't have made a difference, because if we lose our conference games, that 4-0 start means nothing. I think we're in a really good spot. I like where we are.''

Stony Brook was not expected to beat South Florida in the school's first game against a I-A opponent. Losing at Brown stung, but Stony Brook acquitted itself well in a 26-21 loss to No. 8 Massachusetts.

"I thought that would help us with respect nationally,'' Priore said. "I think we performed correctly. I think we played hard and I felt we closed the gap on those types of teams.''

Last season, UMass handed Stony Brook a 44-17 loss.

Most observers expect the Big South to be a battle between Stony Brook and Liberty, currently ranked 19th in the FCS poll. The teams were co-champions last year, but the stakes are much higher now with an automatic bid to postseason play in store for the Big South champion.

The two meet Nov. 20 at Liberty in the last regular-season game. "We need Liberty to lose to somebody,'' Priore said. "My feeling is we would have to win every game. We're going to try to put ourselves in position each week and hope that we can [win] enough so that Saturday means something.''

Schwicke said the players are more than aware of what that game could mean. "That's the one we all have circled on our calendar,'' he said.

He sees no pressure in having to win every conference game along the way, saying, "That's college football. Every school is in the same position from the Big Ten on. Every week is basically a playoff game. That's the way you have to look at it.''

The Seawolves may have to play the rest of their season without running back Eddie Gowins, who has a groin injury and could be declared a medical redshirt. That decision will be made within the next 10 days, Priore said.

The presence of Hofstra transfers Brock Jackolski and Miguel Maysonet will take the sting out of losing Gowins. The Jackolski-Maysonet duo has totaled 941 yards and eight touchdowns.

"The positive thing is that we don't have to change our offense,'' Priore said. "We've got two kids that can step in and do what we need to do.''

Hofstra women's soccer nationally ranked

For the first time in program history, the Hofstra women's soccer team has made the national poll, coming in at 23rd. Dana Bergstrom tied a school record with three assists as Hofstra beat George Mason, 5-0, for the Pride's school-record 12th straight victory. Hofstra's only loss came to No. 4 Boston College in the season opener.

C.W. Post women's soccer gains in poll

C.W. Post is ranked 17th in the Division II poll. The Pioneers blanked Wilmington behind a hat trick from Ivana Babic and defeated Dowling, 1-0, on Alexa Niciforo's goal. Babic led the Pioneers with eight points on the week and Niciforo contributed five. Babic leads the team with 11 goals and Niciforo has nine. Goalie Allie Weiser has five shutouts.

Adelphi baseball to face Hank's Yanks

On Sunday, Adelphi will host Hank's Yanks in an exhibition baseball game at 1 p.m. Hank's Yanks is a team of New York City players funded by Hank Steinbrenner. The team is managed by Yankees senior adviser and former batboy Ray Negron. Tickets for the event, priced at $10 per person, will benefit juvenile diabetes and Adelphi University athletic scholarships.

Homecoming for Rocky Point coach

Rocky Point boys basketball coach Jim Jordan played his college ball at Rochester but could not take part in the team's greatest accomplishment, winning the Division III title in the 1989-90 season.

Jordan was the starting point guard as a freshman that season. Five minutes into the sixth game, he tore his ACL and was out for the year.

Jordan was with the team throughout and was on the bench in the championship game when Rochester defeated DePauw (Ind.), 43-42, in the lowest-scoring championship game in Division III history up to that point.

Jordan was awarded a championship watch at the ceremony after the title game and came back to play for three more seasons. Jordan and his teammates, including former LI Lutheran player Erik Rausch, will be honored Saturday at halftime of Rochester's football game with USMMA.

Around the campuses

Adelphi's Mauricio Mora scored the winning goal for the second straight game on a 30-yard kick in a 1-0 victory over Hartwick . . . Farmingdale State freshman setter Lindsey Fisher posted a career-high 35 assists against Mount Saint Mary, with 61 total assists in the Rams' two volleyball matches . . . The Hofstra men's lacrosse team closed out its fall season at the fourth annual Nicholas Colleluori Lacrosse Classic at Ridley (Pa.) High School. The Pride played Cornell and Mount St. Mary in scrimmages and helped raise funds for blood cancer research and family support in the name of their late teammate, who passed away from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2006 . . . Sean Dougherty scored a hat trick to give the Dowling men's soccer team a 3-1 victory over Nyack College . . . The C.W. Post women's basketball team is ranked first in the East Coast Conference preseason poll. The men's team is second behind defending champion Bridgeport . . . The Molloy College women's tennis team advanced to the ECC championship against Queens College but came up short in a 7-0 loss. Sophomore Jeana Frey was named All-ECC first team and teammate Adeline Jurlano was named to the second team . . . Nassau CC's football team (6-0) is ranked 16th in the NJCAA poll.