UNION, N.J. – The top-ranked Salisbury University men's lacrosse team kicked the door down to begin Coastal Lacrosse Conference play, topping the Kean University Cougars to a 22-13 tune on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Sea Gull offense wasted no time, tossing four goals onto the scoreboard in the opening four minutes. Luke Nestor got the party started with a solo strike before sending a helper to Jude Brown 26 seconds later. Brown then linked with Riley Strub for a man-up missile before Charlie White's first goal of the day rounded out the run.
• The Cougars notched their first goal of the afternoon with just over seven minutes to go in the first quarter, but the Sea Gulls were quick to respond as Ty Keaton aided Jack Dowd for Salisbury's fifth score in the opening stanza.
• The conference foes traded blows throughout the remainder of the period, with Brice Bromwell helping Strub answer a Cougar goal before Brown and Dowd joined forces to do the same nearly two minutes later. Kean logged its final score of the opening period before Brown helped White beat the buzzer, placing the Sea Gulls in front through 15 minutes, 8-4.
• SU outscored Kean 5-2 in the second quarter, beginning when Bromwell dished to Nestor to push the lead to five. After Kean's fifth goal of the affair, the Sea Gulls unleashed a four-goal run kickstarted by White's career-high third goal.
• Bromwell assisted Keaton and Nestor on consecutive finishes before the Keaton-Brown connection renewed once more. A Kean goal with 13 seconds left sent the matchup into halftime with a 13-6 score.
• Salisbury thumped the Cougars with a third-quarter flurry, firing five straight goals to build a 12-goal lead. Brown logged an unassisted goal before Dowd found Keaton and Nestor nabbed his fourth goal, pushing the SU lead to double-digits, 16-6.
• Brown aided Strub and Nestor on consecutive man-up goals to conclude the five-goal frenzy. The Cougars scored with just over a minute remaining to send the contest into the final frame, 18-7.
• Keaton found Bromwell, again with a numbers advantage, to begin the fourth quarter. After a Kean strike, Kellen Smaw scored a feed from Strub for his second goal in the last two games, further distancing the Sea Gulls by a 20-8 margin.
• Brayden Velasquez had a solo score sandwiched by pairs of Cougar tallies, while Bishop Barnes got on the board in the final three minutes. Kean's final goal came with just six seconds remaining, securing the 22-13 line.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• After topping 400 career points on Wednesday, Jude Brown tallied eight points on a hat trick and five assists.
• Luke Nestor fired five goals with one helper in the win.
• Ty Keaton and Brice Bromwell each totaled five points against the Cougars. Bromwell dished a career-high four assists.
• Riley Strub recorded his fifth hat trick of the campaign, adding one assist and three ground balls.
• Mackenzie Moreland was stellar at the X, going 24-for-36 on faceoffs while scooping a career-high 18 ground balls. Jake McCarthy claimed two of his three faceoff attempts with a pair of ground balls.
• John DeFazio picked up four ground balls and forced one miscue.
• Bryce Stevenson tallied trios of ground balls and caused turnovers, while Reagan McNemar added pairs in the same categories.
• Nicholas Ransom improved to 30-0 in his collegiate career, making seven saves across the opening 37:37 of action. Z.J. Shahin made a pair of saves across 15:21 in relief, while Matty Back snagged one save in 6:29 and Matt Sentowski closed the final 33 seconds.
• Salisbury's triumph over Kean extends the team's win streak to 30 games, dating back to Feb. 25, 2023.

KEAN GAME NOTES

• Connor Batjer totaled a team-high six points on three goals and three assists.
• Dylan Johnson fired four goals in the loss.
• Nick Thorne tallied four points on one goal and a trio of helpers.
• Jacob Dvoor went 12-for-35 on faceoffs with eight ground balls. Greg Klepacki went 1-for-4 with one ground ball.
• Drew Tucker secured four ground balls and caused a pair of turnovers.
• Nick Paterno logged 17 saves across the full 60 minutes in the losing effort.

UP NEXT

• It's a quick turnaround for the Sea Gulls, who return home to host the Stockton University Ospreys on Tuesday, April 2 to continue CLC play.
• Opening faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. from Sea Gull Stadium.   

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 197 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.