CHESTERTOWN, Md. – Head Coach Dawn Chamberlin began her 30th year at the helm of the Salisbury University field hockey program in winning fashion on Thursday, coming away with a 6-0 victory against Washington (Md.) College.

Salisbury (1-0) wasted no time flexing its offensive muscle, finding the back of the cage twice in the first seven minutes of play. Senior forward Becca Rinaca tallied the first two goals, off assists from sophomore Emily Lemanski and freshman Jillian Hughes. A pair of stellar goals started freshman forward Tara Daddio's season in style and stretched Salisbury's lead to 4-0 at the end of the first half. Senior midfielder Casie Preisch got the assist on the first goal and Daddio's deflection on a shot from senior Annah Brittingham gave her the assist on the tally in the 19th minute.

The Shorewomen (0-1) tightened up their defense in the second half and held the Gulls scoreless until the 44th minute of play, when a precise cross from junior forward Natalie Wilkinson found Rinaca's stick in front of the cage. Rinaca popped the ball just over the goalline for the 5-0 advantage and the hat trick, one goal off her career high.  

With less than eight minutes left, Brittingham wrapped up the scoring for the Gulls with a rip from the top of the circle that made its way past Washington goalkeeper Kerrigan Buck, who made five saves on the day. 

Junior Tressie Windsor earned her first victory of the year in the cage, turning away two shots. Sophomore keeper Eliza Pauk also saw time in the goal. Salisbury outshot Washington 19-6 – with 11 of those shots on goal – and held a 7-3 edge in penalty corners.

Salisbury hits the road this weekend for a pair of games at the Misericordia Invitational. The Gulls will take on Misericordia University on Saturday, September 3 at 3 p.m. and King's (Pa.) College on Sunday, September 4 at 2:30 p.m.