NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Two players made a big difference Tuesday night at LaValle Stadium as No. 10 Stony Brook avoided an upset bid by Yale, outscoring the Bulldogs 8-2 in the second half -- including three goals on free positions -- for a 13-7 win. Attacker Courtney Murphy and attacker/midfielder Dorrien Van Dyke, a pair of preseason All-Americans, accounted for 10 of Stony Brook's 13 goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Sydney Marks made 12 saves for Yale, and junior attacker Tess McEvoy had a hat trick.

The Seawolves, who have the third-best winning percentage in the NCAA since the 2013 season, had just battled No. 3 Florida in a 7-6 loss on Sunday. The Bulldogs would wind up equaling the Gators' offensive output, but were foiled by the big days from Murphy and Van Dyke.

"I am proud of the way our team competed for 60 minutes," said Erica LaGrow, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse. "We are obviously not happy with the outcome but I felt we got better today.  Coaches Alyssa Murray and Sloane Serpe put together excellent game plans and our players executed well in the first half.  We made a few costly mistakes in the second half and a talented Stony Brook capitalized."

Stony Brook (2-1, 0-0 America East) got the opening draw and scored immediately, as Van Dyke fired one in. After a save by Marks the Bulldogs cleared and tied things up on a goal by McEvoy, but turnovers by Yale then helped set up two straight goals by the Seawolves. It could have been three straight goals set up by turnovers, but Marks got low to deny a free position shot, and that helped end Stony Brook's run. Senior midfielder Lauren Wackerle scored two straight goals to tie the game 3-3.

Yale (2-4, 0-1 Ivy League) went ahead for the first time on a free position goal by McEvoy at 18:25, and at 10:52 McEvoy set up sophomore midfielder Lily Smith for a goal that made it 5-3 Yale.

A yellow card on Yale enabled Stony Brook to creep closer, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to 5-4 with a man-up goal at 10:28. A Bulldog turnover then set up the Stony Brook possession that tied the score 5-5, as Van Dyke scored with 5:17 to play. The Bulldogs controlled the ball for much of the final minutes of the first half, but turned it over before they could get off one last shot.

Stony Brook switched goalies for the second half, bringing in Kaitlyn Leahy in relief of Anna Tesoriero. As they had done in the first half, the Seawolves scored off the opening draw, with attacker Taylor Ranftle scoring to put her team ahead 6-5. A goal by Murphy two minutes later extended the lead, and Ranftle made it 8-5 with Yale down a man at 25:23.

The Bulldogs snapped that run after senior attacker Nicole Daniggelis got the ensuing draw control, and sophomore attacker Kiwi Comizio set up her field hockey teammate Smith for a goal at 24:51 that pulled the Bulldogs within two.

A free position goal by Murphy got Stony Brook's lead back to three at 22:42. Leahy then made two huge saves, denying a free position attempt by McEvoy and Wackerle's attempt to follow-up from point-blank range. Up a man, Stony Brook then cleared and got a free position goal from Murphy to make it 10-6 at 18:45.

Shortly after a Yale timeout, sophomore midfielder Emily Granger fed McEvoy in front for McEvoy's third goal of the game -- and her fourth hat trick of the year. But Stony Brook got the draw control and Murphy then scored again to make it 11-7 with 13:56 to play. That was the fifth goal of the game for Murphy, a preseason All-American selection, and her fourth of the second half.

After another big save by Leahy, this one on freshman midfielder Addie Zinsner, a free position goal by Van Dyke extended the Seawolves' lead to five. Ranftle then scored on another free position to make it 13-7 at 10:19.

A turnover by the Bulldogs with less than five minutes to play allowed Stony Brook to kill some clock before Marks made a series of nice saves, finally regaining possession for Yale with less than two minutes to go. After a Bulldogs free position shot went wide, a charge turned the ball back over to Stony Brook to end Yale's final threat.

Yale travels to George Washington Saturday.

Report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity