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2024 Men's Lacrosse NCAA Second, Third Round Preview

5/10/2024 10:00:00 AM

Reagan McNemar and Bryce Stevenson vs. CNU, 5-5-24

The Rundown

The top-ranked Salisbury University men's lacrosse team embarks on the pursuit of a record-setting 14th National Championship on Saturday, May 11 against the Blue Jays of the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.). The game is set for a 3:30 p.m. start at Sea Gull Stadium, with another second-round matchup between No. 9 Swarthmore and No. 17 Endicott to follow at 6:30 p.m. The winner advances to the third round of the NCAA Tournament and will face the winner between the Garnet and the Gulls. That matchup will start at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 12 at Sea Gull Stadium.

How We Got Here

Top-ranked Salisbury completed the 15th undefeated regular season in program history in 2024, finishing unscathed in an uninterrupted campaign for the first time since 2016 with a 17-0 record including a 5-0 mark in CLC play. During the season, the Sea Gulls defeated four ranked teams, including a 14-8 triumph over then-No. 6 Gettysburg to avenge the lone loss from 2023's title run. Salisbury finished the season 9-0 at home, 7-0 on the road, and 1-0 in neutral-site games. The Sea Gulls have won 55 straight games at Sea Gull Stadium, boasting an overall win streak of 39 games dating back to Feb. 25, 2023.

CLC Champions

The Sea Gulls hosted the second-ever CLC Championship after claiming the inaugural trophy in 2023. Salisbury began the tournament with a convincing 25-5 win over fourth-seeded Kean before a rematch with seventh-ranked and second-seeded Christopher Newport in the title game. Salisbury sprinted out to a 7-1 lead through 15 minutes and kept the Captains at arms-length, securing a 14-7 victory and the 26th conference crown in program history.

Live Video (All Games)

Live Stats (All Games)

Saturday Tickets (Both Games)

Sunday Tickets

Parking Information

Major CLC Awards

Jude Brown - CLC Player of the Year

John DeFazio Defensive Player of the Year

John DeFazio - CLC Defensive Player of the Year

Jim Berkman & Staff - CLC Coaching Staff of the Year

All-Conference Honorees

L to R: Jack Dowd, Brice Bromwell, Jude Brown, Luke Nestor

L to R: Nicholas Ransom, Reagan McNemar, Braden Glushakow, John DeFazio, Blake Malamphy

L to R: Bryce Stevenson, Jeremiah Stafford

Players to Watch

Jude Brown vs. Washington (Md.), 4-13-24

Jude Brown | Gr. | A

Brice Bromwell | Jr. | M

Nicholas Ransom | Sr. | GK

Offense
Midfield
Defense

Jude Brown - Knocking on the door of history, Brown needs just four assists to become Division III's all-time assist leader, chasing down Will Van Dorn who currently ranks first in DIII history with 275 career helpers. Brown is also tied for 19th in DIII history in single-season assists, logging 72 assists across 19 games in 2024. He ranks second in DIII averaging 3.79 assists per outing and slots 14th averaging 5.58 points per contest.
Riley Strub - Strub's move from the second midfield line to attack paid dividends in 2024. The sophomore recorded 53 points on 41 goals and 12 helpers in 14 games on the starting attack.
Ty Keaton - In 11 games since joining the fray as a regular starter on attack in late March, Keaton has collected 30 goals and six assists. Keaton has been arguably the most efficient Sea Gull shooter, leading the CLC and ranking 55th in Division III connecting on 43.4 percent of his looks.
Chris Wong - Wong, a transfer from Johns Hopkins, joined the starting attack in mid-April and has caught fire since, tallying 13 goals and two assists across his last four starts including four goals against Kean in the CLC Semifinals.

Brice Bromwell - Bromwell had already reached career-highs in assists (28) and points (69) through the end of the regular season, ranking seventh in the CLC in assists per game (1.53) and eighth in points per outing (3.95). He enters the Big Dance after firing five goals and dishing one assist in the CLC Tournament.
Luke Nestor - The Bennett High School product has reached new heights in 2024, recording a team-high 53 goals and tacking on 12 assists through 19 games this season. His 2.79 goals per game clip lands inside the top-100 individually across Division III.
Jack Dowd - The 6'5" graduate midfielder has logged 67 points on 40 goals and 27 assists, finishing the regular season by tying his career-high with five assists against Cabrini. Dowd has served as SU's top man-up threat, logging eight man-up goals to rank second in the CLC and 43rd nationally.
Charlie White - A fixture in Salisbury's second midfield line, White tied his career mark from 2022 in five fewer games, firing 17 goals while appearing in all 17 regular season games. He added a trifecta of finishes off the sideline in the CLC Tournament.
Blake Malamphy - Malamphy improved upon an already impressive freshman season a year ago, headlining the conference and standing 17th in D-III with a faceoff win percentage of 66.1 percent (232-351) and a career-high 137 ground balls prior to postseason play, surpassing the figure he reached in 23 appearances last season by one. He was sharp in the conference bracket, taking 65.1 percent of his tries while adding 24 ground balls and his sixth goal of the campaign.

John DeFazio - DeFazio has pushed the boundary once again in 2024, earning a place on the Tewaaraton Watch List earlier this season while chasing down 83 ground balls and disrupting 48 possessions prior to the NCAA Tournament. DeFazio ranks 29th nationally averaging 2.53 forced errors per game and topped 300 career ground balls in the campaign.
Bryce Stevenson - Stevenson has taken major strides in his first season as a starting defenseman, scooping 40 ground balls and causing 27 turnovers to aid the seventh-ranked scoring defense across Division III (7.32).
Reagan McNemar - The Towson transfer has helped stifle opposing offenses, picking up 42 ground balls and forcing 18 turnovers so far this season.
Jeremiah Stafford - Stafford claimed the starting LSM spot and has thrived, ranking second on the team with 30 caused turnovers while picking up 31 ground balls. The Darien, Conn. product ranks fifth in the conference averaging 1.58 caused turnovers per game.
Braden Glushakow - The 2022-23 SU Scholar-Athlete of the Year continued to lock down opposing attackmen at SSDM, posting 25 ground balls and six caused turnovers while scoring his ninth and 10th career goals in 2024.
Nicholas Ransom - Ransom finished the 2024 season with a perfect 17-0 record in the cage, improving his career tally to 39-0 after two strong showings in the CLC dance. Ransom has made 135 saves on a nationally 31st-ranked 57.4 save percentage and totes a GAA of 6.55, the lowest across all divisions of NCAA lacrosse. He has also topped 300 career saves in 2024.

17-3 (9-1 GNAC) in 2023
Defeated Dean, 13-12, in the Greater Northeast Athletic Conference Championship to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Overcame SUNY Poly, 13-2, to advance to NCAA Second Round
First NCAA Tournament appearance in program history; became a fully coeducational institution in 2018
Offensive Player to Watch - #2 Ryan Paltauf: The Blue Jay points leader has tallied 20 goals and 60 assists in 2024, dishing two helpers in the NCAA First Round win over SUNY Poly.
Defensive Player to Watch - #1 Jay Kajander: The veteran defenseman scooped four ground balls and caused one turnover in Wednesday's win over the Wildcats.
Faceoff - #9 Sam Barbetti: Barbetti has won 52 percent of his faceoff tries, leading the team in both ground balls (107) and caused turnovers (34).
Goalkeeper - #10 Trey McCann: McCann boasts a 16-3 record in 2024, making 165 saves at a 54.6 percent clip. He also carries an 8.15 GAA on the year.

14-2 (8-0 Centennial) in 2024
Second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance; third in program history
7-1 on the road this season
Signature Wins: No. 5 Dickinson, No. 9 Gettysburg
Signature Losses: No. 14 Amherst, Gettysburg (RV)
Earned at-large bid after losing to Gettysburg in Centennial Semifinals, 13-12
Offensive Player to Watch - #22 Michael Hardiman: The team's leader in points (56) and goals (48), Hardiman ranks 59th in Division III averaging 3.0 goals per contest.
Defensive Player to Watch - #2 Alex Strauch: Strauch leads the Garnet with 16 caused turnovers on the season while scooping 18 ground balls and scoring his first career goal against Washington (Md.) on April 10.
Faceoff - #47 Jack McHenry and #8 Matthew Martinez: McHenry and Martinez combine to form one of the top FOGO groups in Division III. The former ranks 15th in DIII winning 66.1 percent (158-239) of his faceoffs with 108 ground balls, while the latter slots 19th at 65.8 percent (133-202) with 69 ground balls.
Goalkeeper - #31 Drew Tyson: Tyson's 9.05 GAA sits 26th nationally, while his 60.9 save percentage lands at 14th and his 13.31 saves per game clip ranks 45th in DIII.

16-1 (7-0 CCC) in 2024
11th NCAA Tournament appearance; first since 2017
Signature Wins: No. 6 Bowdoin
Signature Losses: No. 12 Union (N.Y.)
Defeated Western New England University in Commonwealth Coast Conference title game, secured automatic bid and 11th CCC championship
Offensive Player to Watch - #11 Guerin Favreau: A First-Team All-CCC honoree, Favreau leads the team in points (63), firing 36 goals while distributing 27 assists.
Defensive Player to Watch - #19 Ethan Cupples: The CCC Defensive Player of the Year totaled 35 ground balls and caused five turnovers while scoring six goals and adding one assist as the team's top SSDM.
Faceoff - #5 Thomas Barker - Endicott's junior faceoff specialist ranks ninth nationally taking 67.9 of his faceoff attempts. He also slots second in the country averaging 13.12 ground balls per game, entering the tournament with 223 on the season.
Goalkeeper - #91 Tim Luciano: Luciano's 9.44 GAA slots 42nd in DIII, while his 54.5 percent clip on saves sits 70th nationally.

Division III Tournament Bracket