SALISBURY, Md. – Staring down a three-goal deficit through 30 minutes, the third-ranked Salisbury University men's lacrosse team flipped a switch at halftime to storm back and hand the sixth-ranked Cardinals of Wesleyan (Conn.) a 16-12 defeat on Saturday afternoon at Sea Gull Stadium.
The Sea Gulls (6-0) answered an opening Wesleyan goal with three straight tallies of their own, with
Brice Bromwell setting up
Connor Herraiz for SU's first goal before logging a solo score of his own just 16 seconds later.
Riley Strub and
Ryan Della joined the fun not quite two minutes later when the former aided the latter to cap the three-goal run.
The Cardinals (1-1, 1-0 NESCAC) used a three-goal swing to reclaim the lead with 25 seconds left in the quarter, but
Blake Malamphy won forward and ripped a quick goal just two seconds later to tie the heavyweight bout at 4-4 through 15 minutes.
Della added a pair of goals through five minutes in the second stanza (assisted by
Jeremiah Stafford and Strub) to nullify two Cardinal counters, 6-6. Wesleyan closed the half on a three-goal run to build the halftime lead.
The Sea Gull back line emerged in the second half, blanking the Cardinals for nearly 20 straight minutes including the entirety of the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Sea Gull offense got to work, netting four goals in the third to reclaim a 10-9 lead and nab the momentum.
Ty Keaton connected with Herraiz just 51 seconds into the half before over nine scoreless minutes of lacrosse that saw SU force a trio of turnovers. Strub took the baton from there, scoring four goals over the ensuing seven minutes to power SU's 8-0 run and build a 14-9 lead with just over 11 minutes to go.
The Cardinals added three goals across the final 10 minutes, but Bromwell deposited a pair of solo scores to maintain the margin and secure SU's third consecutive win over a ranked opponent.
GAME NOTES
- Riley Strub and Brice Bromwell each tallied six points on four goals and pairs of assists against the Cardinals.
- Ryan Della totaled career highs in goals (4) and points (5) in the win, joining Strub and Bromwell in the four-goal club on the afternoon.
- Connor Herraiz scored two goals and added an assist in the win.
- Blake Malamphy claimed 64.3 percent (18-of-28) of his faceoff attempts against Wesleyan, tying for a team-high seven ground balls while picking up his fourth goal of the season and the 18th of his career.
- John DeFazio chased down seven ground balls and caused a pair of turnovers for the second straight week.
- Jeremiah Stafford nabbed three grounders and distributed his second career assist.
- Nicholas Ransom improved to 6-0 on the season and 47-1 in his career, denying five Cardinal tries while picking up four ground balls and causing a turnover.
The Sea Gulls are back in Sea Gull Stadium for the second contest of four in the current homestand, welcoming the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan to Salisbury on Tuesday, March 11th with opening faceoff set for 4 p.m.
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.
