SALISBURY, Md. – The No. 1-ranked Salisbury University field hockey team squared off against No. 16-ranked Juniata College on Sunday afternoon in the championship game of the SU Invitational, coming away with a 3-0 victory. The first contest of the day, the consolation game between Randolph-Macon College (1-4) and William Paterson University (1-4), resulted in a 3-2 victory for Randolph-Macon.

It was all Salisbury (4-0) in the first half of the game, with the team's first goal coming off the stick of sophomore forward Erica Henderson. Just 2:18 into the game, it was the fastest opening score of the season for the Sea Gulls.

In the 18th minute of play, senior midfielder Kandice Hancock ripped an unassisted shot past Eagle goalkeeper Moira Nugent (one save) to give Salisbury a 2-0 edge; sophomore back Amber Holland made it a three-goal game in the 29th minute as she collected a well-placed pass from junior back Tara McGovern and dispensed it into the cage from the left wing. Salisbury outshot Juniata 7-0 in the first 35 minutes of play; the three goals scored by the Gulls in the first half marked the highest first-half scoring total this season.

Juniata (3-3) came out swinging in the second half, outshooting Salisbury 13-1, but was unable to score due in part to the Sea Gulls' outstanding defensive efforts. The Eagles also held an 11-2 advantage in second-half penalty corners but Salisbury's rock-solid defense, including two defensive saves apiece by senior back Ashley Kisner and junior back Shannon Hanratty, preserved Salisbury's third shutout of the season. Junior goalkeeper Anna Cooke had two saves in her fourth win of the year.

Freshman keeper Amanda Lindsey stepped into the cage for the first time in her career, wrapping up the game for Salisbury. She was not forced to make any saves.

The Sea Gulls have a competitive schedule ahead of them. Salisbury will stay on the road for its next two games; the first, against No. 15 Johns Hopkins, will be on Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. The maroon and gold will then travel to Messiah College to face the No. 2-ranked Falcons, on Sept. 18 at 1 p.m., in a rematch of the 2009 NCAA Division III Field Hockey national championship game. Salisbury was victorious in that contest, coming away with a 1-0 victory to secure the program's fifth national title.