Ward Melville Grads Transfer to Stony Brook Lacrosse

After graduating three of his top six defensemen, Stony Brook men's lacrosse coach Rick Sowell will look to two former Ward Melville athletes, Kyle Moeller and Patrick Day, to bolster the defense.

Moeller comes over as a junior, having spent the last two seasons playing for Manhattan. He is eager for the opportunity to play for the Seawolves.

"They did really well last year," he said. "I'm excited to take it to the next level and be a part of that.  I think the team's going to be great."

The team will look to Moeller to fill much of the void left by the recent graduates.  Sowell called him the kind of player who can cover the opponent's number one attacker.

"He's all about being a good one-on-one defender," Sowell said. "Fits right into our program."

Day joins the Seawolves after spending a year at Army Prep. The red shirt freshman is excited about being a player on a strong team.

"I couldn't be more thrilled to be a part of the Stony Brook program," Day said.  "Real happy to be there. Hopefully we can do big things this year and take it further than we did last year. I just want to get on the field and help the team."

Sowell was happy to bring Day on board the roster, calling him a scrappy and energetic hustler.

"I like that kind of player," Sowell said. "He has a lot of confidence, the maturity level should give him an advantage over the freshman coming right out of high school.  He has a chance to come in and compete for playing time right away."

The team returns most of its offense from last year; most of the new players to receive time on the field will be defenders and goalies. Sowell is confident about bringing in fresh players.

"We think the overall talent is very good [at those positions], very strong," he said. "We're excited about the competition for playing time."

He also likes bringing local talent to Stony Brook.

"[The athletes] can stay at home and get a good education," he said. "They can do that while playing a high level of lacrosse. We're starting to appeal more and more to the best player on Long Island."