SALISBURY, Md. – The sixth-ranked Salisbury University field hockey team took the field at Sea Gull Stadium for the last time in the 2010 regular season on Thursday evening, collecting a thrilling 3-0 victory against No. 14 Catholic University. The win marks the ninth shutout victory of the season for the maroon and gold.

Before the game began, the team recognized its eight graduating seniors – Katie Fost, Christine Craddock, Liz Tollett, Katy Lamboni, Ashley Kisner, Camile Walker, Kandice Hancock and team manager Emily Ellenberger. Together the squad has compiled an overall record of 69-9 and outscored its opponents 298-50. 

From the first whistle, one thing became very clear – both teams came to win. The Cardinals (12-3) and Sea Gulls (14-2) battled for possession for the full 70 minutes, with each squad having a handful of prime scoring opportunities. Salisbury capitalized on three of those chances, with the first goal coming off the stick of sophomore forward Erica Henderson 15 minutes in. It seemed as if Catholic would even up the score in the last five minutes of the first half, earning three penalty corners in that short amount of time, but an outstanding Sea Gull defense neutralized all Cardinal chances to preserve the single-goal lead going into the second half.

The aggressive play and breakaways continued into the second half, but the scoreboard remained 1-0 – until the 63rd minute, when sophomore Kristina Fusco finished off a ball that hit the foot of a Catholic defender to give the Sea Gulls a little breathing room. Although Salisbury had a 2-0 lead with less than seven minutes remaining, the team continued to play hard; with 42 seconds left, Henderson struck again to give the Sea Gulls the 3-0 win.

Statistically, Catholic held a slim advantage over Salisbury. The Cardinals took a total of 11 shots, compared to Salisbury's 10, and earned seven penalty corners. The Sea Gulls took three. Junior goalkeeper Anna Cooke had a busy day in the cage, making six saves, but she was flanked by Kisner and junior back Shannon Hanratty who notched one defensive save apiece. 

The Sea Gulls now set their sights on capturing what would be their 16th consecutive CAC Championship. Salisbury clinched the top seed in the tournament, along with a first-round bye and home-field advantage, with an 11-1 victory against Frostburg State University on Oct. 23. The maroon and gold will square off against the winner of Sunday's first-round match-up between York (Pa.) College and Wesley College. Game time is still to be determined; please check back periodically on www.suseagulls.com for updates.