Ally Kennedy’s four goals lead Stony Brook past Northwestern

The top-ranked Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team earned its fourth straight win against a ranked opponent to open the season, defeating No. 8 Northwestern, 15-10, on Saturday at Northwestern’s Lakeside Field.

Ally Kennedy recorded a team-high four goals, while Taryn Ohlmiller (six points), Kylie Ohlmiller (five), Samantha DiSalvo (five) and Courtney Murphy (four) each made impacts offensively.

“I’m really proud of our kids,” coach Joe Spallina said. “This was a big road win against another top 10 program. The greatest part of today’s game was how our team dealt with adversity and responded.”

Northwestern won 18 of 28 draws and had 11 free position shots, so Stony Brook had to overcome a lack of possession time. On top of that, Northwestern used two short runs to keep the game close.

Murphy’s second goal of the game gave Stony Brook a 6-2 lead with 1:08 left in the first half, but Northwestern scored the next three goals, cutting the deficit to 6-5.

Then, after Kennedy scored twice in a four-goal spurt for Stony Brook (4-0), Northwestern again scored three straight. With Stony Brook ahead 10-8, DiSalvo scored what proved to be the deciding goal with 9:45 left in the game on an assist from Kylie Ohlmiller.

Ohlmiller now has 361 career points, 84 away from the NCAA career record held by Jen Adams (Maryland). Murphy also got closer to an NCAA record, as she needs 28 more goals to break Gail Cummings record of 289 at Temple.

Fresh off earning the No. 1 ranking in the country across all three major polls last Monday, the Seawolves further bolstered their resume Saturday. They head to Michigan on Monday to play the Wolverines.

Said Spallina: “We told the team to enjoy this one for an hour, then our full attention will turn toward preparation for Michigan.”