NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The eighth-ranked Salisbury University field hockey team used a furious offensive attack to pummel the 11th-ranked Dickinson Red Devils, 5-0, in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.
With the win, the Sea Gulls advance to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for the third consecutive year, set for a matchup with top-ranked Christopher Newport on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Set up with a penalty corner 11 minutes into the game,
Tessa Gray took a pass from
Marli McDorman and fired a hot shot from the top left of the fan that rocketed past the DC goalie and put Salisbury on top. The first quarter ended with fireworks on the other end, as the Red Devils' Malena Malika Goldman earned a penalty stroke with no time left on the clock, but
Merfie Lawson swatted away the attempt to preserve the 1-0 Sea Gull lead.
Salisbury doubled its lead at the 21st-minute mark in the second quarter as
Kaitlyn DeModna slipped a backhand pass into the arc and
McKenna Horner clobbered a one-timer into the cage. Then in the 29th minute,
Madelyn Reed started a penalty corner with a flick to McDorman, who fed it back to Reed for a midrange aerial shot into the onion bag, giving SU a 3-0 lead at halftime.
After clamping down on defense in the third quarter, the Sea Gulls put it away with a pair in the fourth.
Morgan Bradford slapped one home in the 48th minute, while Gray converted her second tally of the game off a 54th-minute rebound. The Gulls put it into cruise control from there to clinch a berth in the final eight.
GAME NOTES
- Tessa Gray scored her first career brace, bookending the Sea Gulls' onslaught over just two shots.
- McKenna Horner notched her 16th goal of the season, while Morgan Bradford contributed her 11th and Madelyn Reed her fourth.
- Marli McDorman dished out a pair of assists, giving her 14 for the season and propelling her to 50 points. Kaitlyn DeModna also provided a helper.
- Kelly Davis kept the ball out of the cage over all 60 minutes of regulation, while Merfie Lawson recorded a save on Dickinson's penalty stroke at the end of the first quarter.
- Devon DeGregory registered a defensive save in the first.
- Salisbury outshot the Red Devils 25-2, including 16-2 in shots on goal. Dickinson did not attempt a shot after the first quarter.
- In four postseason games dating back to conference tournament play, the Sea Gulls have outscored their competition 23-1.
The Sea Gulls will now prepare for a rematch with No. 1 CNU, who dispatched No. 20 Lynchburg 2-1 in overtime earlier on Saturday, with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The Captains won this season's previous meeting, taking a 2-1 decision with less than a second remaining in double overtime on Oct. 8 in Newport News. This also marks the second straight year the teams have met in the national quarterfinals after Salisbury won 2-1 (4-3 PS) at home in 2024.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's 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 won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 206 conference championships, and have produced 53 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
