High-profile players graduate from the Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team seemingly every year, usually with their successors firmly installed to continue the program’s success. But once Ally Kennedy and Taryn Ohlmiller departed at the end of last season, Seawolves fans were left wondering who on the roster would eventually join them in the national record books.
It took sophomore midfielder Ellie Masera just half a season to claim their abdicated throne.
Through eight games, Masera ranked 14th in the country with 3.71 goals per game, more than any other freshman or sophomore. She has scored four or more goals seven times and leads the Seawolves with 37 goals and 48 points.
Masera is only getting better as the season progresses, as her recent two-goal game against Princeton broke a streak of six consecutive hat tricks. She immediately rebounded with a five-goal performance versus Arizona State.
Her strongest effort came against Hofstra on March 18, when she matched the Pride’s scoring output with six goals in Stony Brook’s 12-6 victory.
In hindsight, Masera’s ascent should not have come as such a surprise. She started only three games as a rookie in 2021, but still managed to produce six multi-goal games and tie for the team lead among freshmen with 17 goals. Her efforts earned her a spot as the youngest of 61 invitees to try out for the U.S. national team last June.
What’s most remarkable is that Masera is on track for a sophomore season that could outshine those of the star players that preceded her. Having played 10 of the regular season’s 16 scheduled games, Masera is on pace for nearly 60 goals this season with a .561 shot percentage. Neither Kennedy nor Ohlmiller reached those statistics during their sophomore years, even while playing 20 games.
Masera has also only played one game in the America East so far this year, where competition is easier than against ranked teams and the Seawolves’ scoring output is typically higher.
She needs to reach 65 goals to overtake Ohlmiller for 10th in single-season goals by a Stony Brook player. Ohlmiller and Courtney Murphy are the only ones to enter that list as a sophomore or younger.
Masera’s dominance was recognized with a spot on Inside Lacrosse’s midseason All-American list. She is the only underclassman and only Stony Brook player on the First Team.
With five conference matchups remaining, Masera’s skills will be essential as the Seawolves look to lock up a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Jeremy Portnoy
Jeremy is the editor-in-chief of The Statesman and a third-year English student at Stony Brook University. He previously served as the newspaper’s assistant sports editor for three semesters. Jeremy also covers the New York Giants for SB Nation and has written for five other publications.
