By Jackie Finlan
Look at the DII Tri-State playoff brackets, and it’s clear that the North pool was meant for the stronger teams, as they all received automatic berths to the quarterfinals, whereas all but the South leader had to play into the Round of 8.
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It’s a setup that all members vote upon during the annual AGM, and it happens to work out geographically. With that said, the playoffs brought upsets, and Stony Brook University is one of two South team featuring in the final four this weekend.
Stony Brook head coach Reggie Ferraro said that it made total sense to have the Shewolves in the South pool this fall.
“We were at the bottom last year,” Ferraro said of the 2017 losing season. “We had lost 14 seniors total and I wasn’t even sure if we were going to have a season. The eight core members recruited tremendously, but we still got our asses kicked. Everyone knew it was going to be a developmental season, but now it’s all starting to click.”
Captains Bonnie Macaluso (outside center) and Shelby Herzfeld (No. 8/lock) were instrumental in setting the example. Returners like power prop Zhakeya Jackson, who has been putting up 30+ points per game, and loose forward Bianca Chandler, a natural athlete who flourished in the sport, have been important to on-field success.
But the build-up was bumpy. After two forfeit wins, Stony Brook beat Hofstra by 100 points and then played Fairfield to a 33-24 loss. The Shewolves were grateful for that defeat, though, because it was the first true indicator into the team’s competitiveness.
Stony Brook finished second in the South, but some reshuffling was needed when Albany was ruled ineligible for playoffs. The five other North teams received automatic berths to the quarterfinals along with Fairfield. The remaining two berths were contested between the four South teams. Stony Brook beat Hofstra 69-17, and New Haven beat Monroe 32-27 to advance to the Round of 8.
Be Careful What You Wish For
Stony Brook’s reward came in the form of North #2 Marist, which had played reigning conference champion Vassar well in the regular season.
“I’m always optimistic and I knew heading into this game that we would stack up against Marist. It was going to come down to whether our fitness could keep going or if we’d make the little mistakes that would cost us the game,” Ferraro said.
It took 15 minutes for the scoreboard to light up, and it was Stony Brook that broke the stalemate. The teams traded scores from that point on.
“It was intense. It wasn’t one-sided at all,” Ferraro said. “There were some big runs – sometimes we got around them on the wing because we have some speed back there, but they have speed as well.
“I remember looking up at the clock – 7 minutes and 20 seconds [to go],” the coach recalled a turning point. “They knew it was so close and you could see it: Their rucks got stronger – they were going over and driving through – where the 10 minutes before that, they looked tired. But they realized that this game could away from them,” if they didn’t exert themselves.
Stony Brook held on for a 48-40 win over Marist and advances to the semifinals against Fairfield, which beat RPI last weekend. On the other side of the bracket, Vassar plays SUNY New Paltz.
The Next Step
“They’re looking forward to it,” Ferraro said of the rematch. “If we didn’t see them in playoffs, we were already talking about scheduling a game against them in the spring because it was such a positive match – no BS or jabbering between teams.”
Ferraro indicated that support in the rucks and overall defense, especially the fringe, are the foci for this weekend.
“Now, we really have some great moments, and that’s what happened last weekend,” Ferraro said of the team’s chemistry. “They proved they can play rugby, and they’re more confident now. They deserve it; they’ve worked for it.”
Tri-State has received three berths to the DII Fall Round of 32 in the past, so the championship and third-place matches, which will occur Nov. 3, will be equally as important. The final stage occurs Dec. 1-2 in Charlotte, N.C., and FloRugby will be live-streaming all of the fall college championship action.