By Alex H. Nagler

On Saturday October 11, the Stony Brook Seawolves took on their first division rival in Liberty University. Liberty, the defending Big South champion, having been favored to win again this year, returned to their home field with a 5-0 season. Stony Brook ventured south for the first time in hopes of stopping their 1-5 season skid.

Sadly for the Seawolves, this game would be as disastrous for them as their previous five games had been, falling to the Flames 33-0. Stony Brook was outrushed, 91 yards to 299, were penalized nearly twice as many yards, 95 to 55, and failed dismally at converting on the third down. Bested by all measures, the Seawolves were held scoreless for the first time this season, falling to 1-6 and 0-1 for conference play and elevating the Flames to 6-0 and 2-0 for conference battles. Seawolves freshman running back Edwin Gowins (Bellport, NY) ran for 55 yards, with quarterback Dayne Hoffman (Ada, Michigan) passing for 142 yards.

Give me liberty or give me loss!

Even more depressing than the loss was the fact that it was to Liberty University. Liberty is the brainchild of the Reverend Jerry Falwell, father of the Moral Majority, and staunch opponent of secular public schooling. Falwell was also instrumental in expanding the rights and protections afforded to newspapers regarding parodies of public figure in the landmark case Hustler Magazine v. Falwell.

Among his more notable quotations are “AIDS is not just God’s punishment for homosexuals, it is God’s punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals,” “I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say ‘you helped this [the attacks of September 11] happen,” and “Labor unions should study and read the Bible instead of asking for more money. When people get right with God, they are better workers.”

But these quotes are not the most frightening part of the Seawolves loss. The real fear is in the numbers. The Seawolves are now 1-5 having played six games. Through the past 15 quarters, they have gone without an offensive touchdown. Over these six games, they have been outscored 177-85, yielding an average difference of 15 points per game. One plus five games, one plus five quarters, one plus five points. Six six six. In their loss to Liberty, the Seawolves have brought about the events that will lead to the reanimation of Jerry Falwell Any sightings of a Zombie Fallwell in the Lynchburg, Virginia area on Halloween may not be costumes.

So, Seawolves, you’re 1-6 going into Homecoming. Cheer up. Next week you play at home in front of your biggest crowd of the year, who’ll be cheering for you regardless of how you play, even if it is just the alcohol talking. At least our biology department doesn’t believe that “there is now mounting evidence that man and dinosaurs did indeed live on earth at the same time.” Always remember: We’re a real school. They’re not.

By Najib Aminy

The Stony Brook Men’s Soccer team extended their losing streak to seven games on Wednesday, October 7, losing to Boston University, 1-0. With numerous missed scoring opportunities, the Men’s Soccer team failed to produce any tally and recorded their ninth shutout loss of the season.

With a strong crowd cheering for the Seawolves, most notably a combination of the Stony Brook Swimming and Cross Country teams, the match-up between Boston University and Stony Brook was heated. The score was tied at nil closing into the first half, of which Boston University was unsuccessful in shooting nine times where as Stony Brook was equally unaccomplished in firing eight. Stony Brook came close to breaking the stalemate when sophomore midfielder Greg Tinari (Holbrook, NY) fired the ball only to have it deflect off the post. Though, Stony Brook did manage to pull three corner kicks yet this resulted in very little to change the outcome of the game.

As the beginning of the second half began, Boston University intricately worked their way up the field which allowed the Terriers own freshman midfielder Michael Bustamante (Chelsea, Mass) to score on Stony Brook’s senior goal keeper Dawid Ditrich (Gdansk, Poland) during the 46th minute of game play.

Look what I can do!

With ample time left to score, the efforts of junior defenseman Collin Geoghegan (Lindenhurst, NY) and junior midfielder Petar Rakovic (Kragujevac, Serbia), who each fired away five times of which both had two shots that on target, seemed to be ineffective. Amidst a strong offensive effort, lady luck was not on Stony Brook’s side as prevalent in the 64th minute when freshman forward Jherret Maroney (Cincinnatus, NY) shot the ball with an occupied goalie only to, again, have the ball hit the post and travel away from its intended destination.

With ten minutes remaining in the game, Stony Brook had four chances to score but the shots were either off target or saved by Boston University’s senior goalie Hrafn Davidsson (Reykjavik, Iceland).

The game improves Boston University’s record 4-5-2, and 1-1- in American East play while Stony Brook adds another tally onto the L column. Stony Brook is 2-10-1 and 0-2 in conference play. The Seawolves will tackle an away game against Albany on October 15 and return home to face Maine on October 19.

By Najib Aminy

The Stony Brook women’s soccer team scored their way past the Retrievers of the University of Maryland: Baltimore County, carrying momentum into the last stretch of their regular season play. Winning three of the last four games, the Lady Seawolves recorded two shut outs against both Hartford and Vermont, winning 1-0, and defeating UMBC 2-1 on Sunday, October 12.

The Seawolves found themselves behind very early in the game when UMBC sophomore forward Morgan Warrington (Magnolia, DE) shot a header into the goal off a parallel pass from Retrievers’ freshman Danielle Kell (Willards, MD). Determined to beat the low-tier “other” team from the University of Maryland, the Seawolves answered back in the twenty-fifth minute of the game when senior forward Trine Allenberg (Roberts, WI) fired the ball off a corner kick to the boot of fellow senior forward Brooke Barbuto (Syracuse, NY) who then shot the ball past UMBC’s goalie for her third goal of the season.

D Generation X!

It appeared that the Lady Seawolves took the first half as practice, out shooting UMBC 11-5 and taking five corner kicks to UMBC’s nil. Despite the high number of shots taken by Stony Brook, the score remained at 1-1 heading into the second half.

Nearly twelve minutes into the second half, the Lady Seawolves took advantage of another corner kick as Allenberg rocketed a pass to sophomore midfielder Sarah Dwyer (Laurel, MD) that was blocked by UMBC’s senior goalkeeper Christine Bacinski (Hampstead, MD). It was off Bacinski’s block that Stony Brook red-shirted freshman midfielder Holly Razzaghi took advantage and fired a shot above Bacinski to break the tie.

From that point, the Lady Seawolves’ defense took over allowing UMBC to fire only three times in the remaining thirty-five minutes of the game. The Lady Seawolves out shot UMBC a total of 16-9, of which nine of their shots were on target. The Seawolves also had seven corner kicks to UMBC’s one.

Seawolves junior goalkeeper Amanda Hemme recorded a total of four saves indicating UMBC’s failure to acknowledge where the goalie was. With a valiant effort that proved to come up short, UMBC’s Bacinski recorded six saves.

The win improves the Seawolves record to 7-6 and 3-1 in American East conference play while UMBC dismally falls to 2-13 and 1-4 in American East play. The Lady Seawolves finish the remainder of their season against all conference teams, of which they are currently placed as third. The Lady Seawolves have their next home games on October 23 against Binghamton at 7 pm and their regular season finale against Maine on October 26.

By William Dunn

The Stony Brook Women’s volleyball team fell to 9-12 after losing two straight games to the University of Albany on October 14 and the University of Maryland: Baltimore County on October 16. The final score in the loss to Albany was 3-1. However, the game against UMBC proved to be a little different as the Lady Seawolves were shut out, 3-0.

Stony Brook played with Albany for every point, rallying in the third game to win 27-25. Leading the team with an impressive 20 kills and 13 digs was senior outside hitter, Gulce Nazli Dikecligil (Istanbul, Turkey). The Seawolves caught up in the third set to prevent a shut out. Junior transfer libero Michelle Burrola (Glendale, AZ) assisted the Seawolves effort, with a game-high of 21 digs alongside sophomore swing hitter Alicia Nelson (Apple Valley, MN). The Lady Seawolves came together to make great plays, but it was not enough to defeat the Albany Danes. Stony Brook lost in four sets, 25-17, 25-22, 25-27, 25-21. Albany improved their record to 10-8, 3-0 in American East conference play.

UMBC, despite being “that other school of the University of Maryland,” proved to be unstoppable, winning in three sets, 25-19, 25-17, 25-18. The Retrievers had a game high 17 kills of which the Lady Seawolves never found their groove. Nelson led the team with 11 kills, while Burrola recorded the team high of 14 digs. The win for UMBC keeps them undefeated in American East play at 4-0 while they are 14-6 overall.

Now below the .500 mark, the Lady Seawolves close off their regular season on the road against Maine on October 17 and against New Hampshire on October 19. The Lady Seawolves are 0-3 in American East conference play.

By Daniel Offner

As the newly bleached blonde Liberty University Flames men’s ice hockey team got ready to face-off against the Stony Brook Seawolves, they began to bang there sticks against the boards in a foreboding manner of what was to come.

Over 200 people crowded into the cramped bleachers at The Rinx in Hauppauge, New York to watch the Seawolves lose 6-3 to the team from Lynchburg, Virginia; very few Stony Brook students were in the crowd. The first game of the 2008-2009 season started off well. Within 32 seconds, number 8 of the Seawolves, Angelo Serse, got a breakaway and the first goal of the game. Soon after, the Flames caught up with a goal of their own. Halfway through the period, number 40, John Langabeer, had a penalty shot brought on by a hook on a breakaway. However, goalie Derek Stevens was able to make the save. Not too long after, Seawolves’ number 23, Mauricio Torres, scored the go-ahead goal. At 3:40 left in the period, the Flames’ number 27, Zac Bauman, scored a goal by deflecting the puck into the net. This goal made the teams even at two goals a piece into the first intermission.

In the second period, the Flames scored a goal at 16:06 and got the go ahead goal. That was quickly snuffed by a bad angle shot through the five-hole by Serse again. Following this, Serse skated to center ice and did a Bobby Orr style dive. However, all this enthusiasm was snuffed at 4:33 in the period when the Flames’ player, Dave Semenya, scored on a breakaway.

The Liberty Flames prove to hot to handle, yet again.

After Semenva’s goal, two more followed. The first was shoved in by Zac Bauman, who also knocked the net off the moorings shortly after. Since the puck crossed the line in the goal crease before the net came off, this resulted in a goal along with groans from the fans. The second goal was scored in the third period from the slot, the area right in front of the net.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the game was how few students actually came out to the game. One student, Elizabeth Harmon explained, “It’s a good turnout, but there can be many more students. People should really get the word out.  There is free transportation and sometimes free tickets and it’s lots of fun.”
Unbeknownst to many, Stony Brook has five ice girls that skate in between periods and hold activities for the fans to take part in. During the first intermission they brought three kids onto the ice and let them shoot at the net from three points on the ice, the furthest blue line, the red line and the closer blue line. Throughout the game, the ice girls sold pucks for everyone to toss. The winner who got the puck in the bucket would get a prize.

At the beginning of the game, people were holding banners that read, “Go Seawolves! Extinguish the Flames!” But the Flames refused to be snuffed.

By Jason Wirchin

For those of you who read my Shea Goodbye article, you probably noticed the sentimental approach I took in describing the stadium’s historic tenure in New York.  I was more reflective than disheartened, and felt as if a proper sendoff was in place.  After all, even though Shea was closing, the Mets were in the playoff hunt and I, along with millions of other fans, was in a generally good mood.  Maybe we thought this year would be different.  Maybe after 2007’s bitter collapse, the team could muster one more miracle to keep Shea open for just a little bit longer.  We wanted October.  We wanted it badly.  Funny how we all got excited only to be disappointed…again!

As another Mets-less postseason surges ahead, the best we can do is sit back and sulk.  With a bunch of low-market clubs vying for a championship, we might as well shut off our TVs and save some electricity. That’s about the only good that can come out of these playoffs.  Seriously, were you really tempted to see nine innings of classic Red Sox – Angels baseball? How about that sleep-inducing matchup between the Rays and White Sox? Even better, who wasn’t yawning in excitement when they heard about the Cubs and Dodgers?! As if things couldn’t have gotten any worse, just thinking about that Brewers – Phillies series makes an orgo midterm sound like fun! Eye openers? More like eye closers! Try to enjoy a single pitch of these games and you’ll reach REM faster than if you were to swig a bottle of NyQuil. 

Such is the fate of modern Mets fans.  We’re left with the remnants of a wasted season and cannot help but wonder, “Why?”  See, we never know what to expect because we never have anything to expect.  Following The Collapse of last year, our hopes for a better tomorrow were in limbo.  Not surprisingly, this year’s team dragged us on a loopy roller coaster ride, only to send us crashing at the end.  They brought us sheer joy and much needed optimism, but they plagued us with utter confusion and downright anger.
Why even stick with these losers? Why bother? It’s what Mets fans…do…that’s why.  Sure it would be easy to have your team make the playoffs every year and win all the time (cough, Yankees fans, cough).  But that’s just the thing – it’s easy.  Sometimes the best decisions are the hardest decisions.  Tell this to anyone who bleeds orange and blue and they’re bound to say, “I hate it when you’re right.”

Nevertheless, we should not allow the 2008 “Dud Squad” to move into Citi Field scot-free.  Remember, they did hold a 3.5 game lead in the division with 17 games to play.  And every fool in that horrendous bullpen couldn’t hit the side of a barn even if it killed him.  These were the Mets of a babyish Reyes, an un-clutch Wright, two petty Pedros, and a general manager with the wits of a Jell-O mold.  They died the way they played – immaturely, inconsistently, and in no way a reflection of solid baseball. So, with the final words on the final season at Shea Stadium, here’s a little ditty you may recognize:

Meet the Mess, Meet the Mess,
Teams come to the park to defeat the Mets,
Bring your catcalls, bring your spite,
Guaranteed to have a miserable night,
Because these ‘08 Mets stink as you can see,
Half of the team is on AARP,
Alou is a bum, Castillo’s a joke,
I’ve seen better hands on a snake,
So to Omar, Fred and Jeff Wilpon, hiring Jerry Manuel was a mistake!
Enjoy the winter, folks! We’ll see you at spring training!