2024 Men's Lacrosse NCAA Quarterfinal, Semifinal Preview

5/17/2024 4:00:00 PM

Jude Brown, Brice Bromwell, and Luke Nestor vs. Saint Joseph, 5-11-24

The Rundown

The top-ranked Salisbury University men's lacrosse team moves one step closer to a record-setting 14th NCAA Division III National Championship on Saturday, May 18 against the 16th-ranked Washington & Lee University Generals. The game is set for a 4:30 p.m. start inside Sea Gull Stadium, with another quarterfinal matchup between No. 8 Tufts and St. John Fisher at 7:30 p.m. The winners advance to the national semifinal set to start at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 19 inside 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 57 straight games at Sea Gull Stadium, boasting an overall win streak of 41 games dating back to Feb. 25, 2023.

MLAX Huddle Shot vs. Saint Joseph, 5-11-24

Been There, Done That

After winning the second-ever CLC Championship over seventh-ranked and second-seeded Christopher Newport, 14-7, Salisbury notched triumphs over Saint Joseph (Conn.), 27-8, and No. 9 Swarthmore, 18-7, to reach the national quarterfinal for the 33rd consecutive NCAA Tournament. This Sea Gull streak dates back to 1990.

Live Video (All Games)

Live Stats (All Games)

Saturday Tickets (Both Games)

Sunday Tickets

Parking Information

USA Lacrosse Magazine All-Americans

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 | Gr. | A

Brice Bromwell | Jr. | M

Bryce Stevenson vs. Saint Joseph, 5-11-24

Bryce Stevenson | So. | D

Offense
Midfield
Defense

Jude Brown - Brown became Division III's all-time assist leader in Salisbury's second-round win over Saint Joseph, chasing down Will Van Dorn who ranked first in DIII history with 275 career helpers. Brown also moved into second all-time in career points in the win over Swarthmore, surpassing his former teammate and current PLL pro, Cross Ferrara. Brown is in the midst of his best collegiate season, racking up 120 points on 40 goals and 80 assist this season. He ranks second in Division III averaging 3.81 helpers per game while slotting 13th in points per contest (5.71).
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 - Keaton has been excellent since joining the fray as a regular starter on attack in late March, sharing fourth on the team with 41 goals while adding 11 assists. Keaton has been the most efficient Sea Gull shooter, ranking 63rd in Division III connecting on 42.7 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 20 goals and two assists across his seven starts including hat-tricks in each of SU's tournament contests.

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). The Woolford, Md. native has been excellent in May, tallying 12 goals and three helpers across four games.
Luke Nestor - The Bennett High School product has reached new heights in 2024, recording a team-high 56 goals and tacking on 14 assists through 21 games this season. His 2.67 goals per game clip lands just outside the top-100 individually across Division III.
Jack Dowd - The 6'5" graduate midfielder has logged 75 points on 44 goals and 31 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 45th 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 has scored in every postseason contest, including goals in each NCAA Tournament win.
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 before 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 34th nationally averaging 2.43 forced errors per game and topped 300 career ground balls in the campaign. The senior dominated the Third Round against No. 9 Swarthmore, scooping eight ground balls and causing three turnovers while adding his sixth helper of the year.
Bryce Stevenson - Stevenson has taken major strides in his first season as a starting defenseman, scooping 43 ground balls and causing 32 turnovers to aid the fourth-ranked scoring defense across Division III (7.33).
Reagan McNemar - The Towson transfer has helped stifle opposing offenses, picking up 46 ground balls and forcing 19 turnovers so far this season.
Jeremiah Stafford - Stafford claimed the starting LSM spot and has thrived, ranking second on the team with 34 caused turnovers while picking up 36 ground balls.
Braden Glushakow - The 2022-23 SU Scholar-Athlete of the Year continues to lock down opposing attackmen at SSDM, posting 26 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 41-0 after four strong postseason showings. Ransom has made 143 saves on a nationally 35th-ranked 57.0 save percentage and totes a GAA of 6.52, the lowest across all divisions of NCAA lacrosse. He also topped 300 career saves in 2024.

15-5 (9-0 ODAC) in 2024
Upset by Randolph-Macon in ODAC Semifinals, 13-12
Earned at-large bid; Beat Lake Forest (17-4), No. 10 Lynchburg (16-13) to reach quarters
Signature Wins: No. 7 Gettysburg, No. 10 Lynchburg, No. 18 Denison, No. 19 Roanoke
Signature Losses: No. 4 RIT, No. 7 CNU, No. 11 Lynchburg, No. 14 York (Pa.)
Offensive Player to Watch - #37 Alex Brown: 2024 has been good to Alex Brown, who set the program record and has continued to add distance with 70 goals scored this season. Brown has been markedly efficient as well, shooting a sharp 58.8 percent on over 100 shots to earn All-ODAC First Team honors.
Defensive Player to Watch - #42 Chris Datz: Datz splits the team lead in caused turnovers with Jed Heald (25) while collecting 65 ground balls, the most among non-faceoff specialists on the squad. Datz landed on the All-ODAC Second Team after the season.
Faceoff - #26 Tyler Spano: Spano has locked down the X this season, winning 66.8 percent of his attempts (264-395) while scooping 174 ground balls and adding eight points on four goals and four assists.
Goalkeeper - #55 Nick De Cain: De Cain has logged 146 saves at a 50.7 percent clip across 20 games, toting a 9.71 GAA and a 12-4 record this season.

15-3 (9-1 NESCAC) in 2024
Fell to Hamilton in NESCAC Quarterfinals
Earned at-large bid; shook off Illinois Wesleyan (27-9) and Stevenson (27-7) to reach quarters
Signature Wins: No. 4 CNU, No. 8 Union, No. 11 Babson, No. 13 Amherst, No. 15 Bowdoin, No. 15 Stevens, No. 17 Williams, No. 18 Middlebury
Signature Losses: No. 3 RIT, No. 20 Wesleyan (Conn.)
Offensive Player to Watch - #20 Jack Regnery: The team's leader in goals (68), assists (34), and points (102), Regnery has excelled in the Big Dance. Across wins over Union and Stevenson, the sophomore midfielder has logged 15 points on nine goals and six assists.
Defensive Player to Watch - #27 Joey Waldbaum: Waldbaum leads the Jumbos with 28 forced errors this season while scooping 65 ground balls, the most of any non-faceoff specialist on the squad.
Faceoff - #0 Victor Salcedo and #22 Parker Merril: Salcedo and Merril have helped Tufts win extra possessions this season. Merril ranks 37th in the nation winning 62.6 percent of his attempts, while Salcedo slots 73rd nationally taking 58.9 percent of his tries at the dot.
Goalkeeper - #19 Conner Garzone: Garzone has collected 183 saves at a 51.8 percent clip this season, toting a 10.94 GAA and a 15-3 record.

14-7 (6-0 Empire 8) in 2024
Beat Nazareth to claim Empire 8 title
Fifth NCAA Tournament appearance, second-consecutive
Upset No. 5 Wesleyan, No. 4 St. Lawrence to reach quarters
Furthest trip into Tournament. Previous-best: NCAA Third Round
Signature Wins: No. 4 St. Lawrence, No. 5 Wesleyan
Signature Losses: No. 2 RIT, No. 14 St. Lawrence
Offensive Player to Watch - #12 Matthew Kemmis: A First-Team all-conference honoree and the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year, Kemmis has logged 85 points on 55 goals and 30 assists.
Defensive Player to Watch - #33 Jack Cornell: Cornell nabbed Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year after finishing second in the conference causing 2.39 turnovers per game. He has tallied 64 ground balls and 48 caused turnovers through 21 games.
Faceoff - #28 Logan Grom - Grom has won 55.2 percent (182-330) of his attempts from the dot this season while snatching 125 grounders and tacking on three assists.
Goalkeeper - #1 Ben Hammond: Hammond has logged 178 saves at a 53.9 percent clip, touting a 9.08 GAA and a 14-7 record in 2024.

Division III Tournament Bracket