LYNCHBURG, Va. – The third-ranked Salisbury University men's lacrosse team did not need long to find its groove in its second straight ranked road bout, building a 10-goal advantage and staving off a late push from 17th-ranked Lynchburg to claim an 18-13 victory on Saturday afternoon at Shellenberger Field.
Brice Bromwell got the Sea Gulls (5-0) on the board first with an unassisted score not quite five minutes into the contest.
Connor Herraiz found
Chris Wong for SU's second tally before
Bryce Stevenson beat the 10-man ride with a missile from midfield, logging his first career goal and handing the Sea Gulls a 3-0 lead nearly halfway through the opening quarter.
Herraiz came back for more before the first 15 concluded, logging assists to
Michael Leahy and
Riley Strub to offset Lynchburg's first goal of the tilt and place SU in front by four, 5-1. Wong notched back-to-back goals to start the second stanza, the latter aided in transition by
Joe Buxbaum, before Strub and Bromwell linked to build an 8-1 head start with over 10 minutes to play before the break.
A quick three-goal run by the Hornets brought the score within four at halftime, 8-4. The Sea Gulls responded in kind, logging six goals in the opening 6:28 of the third quarter to sprint out to a 14-4 advantage.
Bromwell once again served as the catalyst for the Sea Gull surge, sandwiching his own solo strike with feeds to Wong and Herraiz.
Blake Malamphy and
Ryan Della kept the Sea Gull train moving before Bromwell's second goal and fourth point in the stretch capped the swing.
Lynchburg would claw back into the battle, with only a
Ty Keaton connection with Della interrupting a would-be six-goal swing for the hosts to send the contest into the fourth with a 15-10 score. Strub notched a pair and Herraiz found the back of the cage once more to counteract the late Hornet efforts.
GAME NOTES
- Brice Bromwell fired a season-high four goals and added a trio of assists for Salisbury in the win.
- Connor Herraiz rolled out his best game yet in maroon and gold, tallying a season-high six points on two goals and four helpers.
- Chris Wong was sharp in his return to action, punching in four goals and putting all eight of his shots on goal.
- Riley Strub logged three goals and one assist in the battle.
- Blake Malamphy won 55.1 percent (16-of-29) of his faceoff tries with six ground balls and his third goal of the season, good for his 20th career point.
- John DeFazio swarmed the Hornets, chasing down seven ground balls and causing a pair of turnovers.
- Bryce Stevenson had a day against the Hornets, scooping six ground balls and disrupting three Hornet possessions while logging his first career goal.
- All four members of the starting Sea Gull back line – DeFazio, Stevenson, Jeremiah Stafford and Seamus Johnston – caused at least a pair of turnovers in the win, combining for nine total.
- Nicholas Ransom improved to 46-1 in his collegiate career, earning the win by making nine saves across the full 60 minutes.
- The Sea Gulls held a 52-34 advantage in shots, finished 23-of-27 on clears, won 18 of 34 faceoffs and finished 2-of-2 on extra-man opportunities.
The Sea Gulls return home for yet another test against a ranked foe, hosting seventh-ranked Wesleyan (Conn.) in the nest on Saturday, March 8th. Opening faceoff is set for 3 p.m. at Sea Gull Stadium.
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) and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse). 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 202 conference championships, and have produced 50 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.
