SALISBURY, Md. – The second-ranked Salisbury University men's lacrosse team improved to a perfect 13-0 in 2025 on Saturday afternoon, blanking fourth-ranked Christopher Newport in the second half to grind out a seventh consecutive victory over the Captains in the series, 12-9, in front of a packed Sea Gull Stadium crowd.
Prior to the game, the program honored its eight graduating members –
Ty Keaton,
Chris Wong,
Brice Bromwell,
Lucas Ingley,
Bishop Barnes,
Mason Griffith,
Simba Makawa and
Seamus Johnston.
Battle began as the two Coastal Lacrosse Conference (CLC) heavyweights traded blows in the early minutes. Keaton
found
Ryan Della at the 10:38 mark to answer an opening score by CNU, while Ingley
and
Connor Herraiz parried the second Captain goal with consecutive tallies, establishing a 3-2 SU lead with 6:11 left in the first.
The Captains (12-2, 1-1 CLC) sandwiched a Bromwell to
Riley Strub connection with a pair of strikes, knotting the bout at four through 15 minutes. Strub turned a feed from Della into SU's fifth goal just two minutes into the second stanza, but CNU rallied for four straight and five of the last six goals of the half (interrupted only by Bromwell), leading 9-6 at the break.
The Sea Gulls (13-0, 3-0 CLC) flipped the switch in the second half, stacking six goals on the offensive end while silencing CNU's top 10 scoring offense for 30 minutes. Strub brought his total to four in the third quarter, netting an unassisted strike before cashing in an assist from Herraiz to cut the margin to one with 15 minutes to play.
The gold wave crested and crashed in the fourth, beginning when
Charles Fritchman emerged from a scrap on the frame's opening faceoff, darting and firing the game-tying goal just 10 seconds into the frame. Keaton found Della just 37 seconds later for the eventual winner, giving SU a 10-9 edge at the 14:13 mark in the final period.
Perhaps Salisbury's most impressive sequence came at the eight-minute mark. A
Joe Buxbaum trail check dislodged the ball from CNU straight to the stick of
John DeFazio, who hit Bromwell on the offensive end to set up Wong's first goal of the tilt. Herraiz drove the final nail with just under seven minutes to play and the Sea Gull defense held strong to secure the 12-9 final.
GAME NOTES
- Riley Strub welcomed CNU to the show with a game-high four goals, marking his sixth outing of 2025 with four or more scores. With his fourth tally and 54th point of the season, Strub surpassed his point total from 2024 in one fewer game.
- Ryan Della and Connor Herraiz each scored twice and added an assist while combining to dig out eight grounders in the win.
- Brice Bromwell continued his run of excellence in 2025, logging three points on one goal and a pair of assists. With his efforts, Bromwell jumped to ninth in program history in career points (258), surpassing Carson Kalama '17, 11th in career assists (97), surpassing Paul Smith '96, and moved into a tie for 11th in program history in career goals (161) with Andy Arnold '04.
- Ty Keaton added a pair of assists while scooping two ground balls and causing a turnover.
- Blake Malamphy finished 12-of-24 at the dot with six ground balls. Charles Fritchman won his lone opportunity with four grounders and scored in the win.
- John DeFazio was seemingly everywhere in the win, chasing down seven ground balls and disrupting four Captain possessions. DeFazio climbed to fourth in Division III history (since the statistic began being tracked in 2010) in career caused turnovers (198) in the win, surpassing Wooster's Casey Steffen '24.
- Bryce Stevenson and Jeremiah Stafford combined to cause six turnovers and chase down three ground balls in the win, while Joe Buxbaum snagged four grounders and caused a pair of turnovers.
- Nicholas Ransom (13-0) improved to 54-1 in his Sea Gull career, making 11 saves across the full 60 minutes. Ransom ranks eighth in team history in career saves (423) and sits just 13 stops behind Mike Sparr '81 for seventh on the list.
- The Sea Gulls outshot the Captains 44-37, turned the ball over just once in the first half, finished 24-of-26 on clears and won the ground ball battle 40-31.
- With the win, Salisbury improves to 19-2 in the all-time series against Christopher Newport including a perfect 14-0 record at home in the matchup.
The Sea Gulls continue CLC play on Wednesday, April 9th, traveling to face the Eagles of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. Opening faceoff is set for 4 p.m. from Battleground Turf Field.
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.
