LEXINGTON, Va. - The No. 7 Salisbury University football program began the 2025 season with a commanding 42-21 win over Washington & Lee University Saturday afternoon on Wilson Field.

The Generals won the toss and elected to receive, but began the game with a three-and-out followed by a punt, quickly giving the Sea Gulls offense possession.

On the first SU drive, SyRus McGowan found Daniel Clark for a 46-yard completion, followed by a one-yard rush from McGowan a few plays later for the first Sea Gull touchdown of the season.  

After another Gulls defensive stop, McGowan once again connected with Clark for an 18-yard touchdown pass, giving SU the early 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Washington & Lee offense settled in and posted a 12-play 75-yard drive for their first score of the ball game, making the score 14-7 at the beginning of the second quarter. Mason Fisher returned the ensuing kickoff from the Generals for 39 yards, setting the SU offense with great field position. One play later McGowan found Dario Belizaire for a 59-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 21-7 with just under 13 minutes until halftime.

The Generals followed with another long scoring drive, posting an 11-play 80-yard drive, bringing the game back to a one-score game with seven minutes left before the half.

SU posted their longest drive of the ball game following the Generals' score. In a nine-play 72-yard drive that included a 4th and 15 fourth down conversion scamper from McGowan, it ended with a 13-yard touchdown run from Fisher. Dating back to last year's NCAA quarterfinal matchup, Fisher has scored in back-to-back ballgames. SU took a 28-14 lead into the halftime break.

The Generals were able to pull within a touchdown with eight and a half minutes left in the third quarter of action, which would be their last score of the ball game. The Sea Gulls responded with a six-play drive ending with a McGowan touchdown run, extending the lead to 35-21.

With just over 10 minutes left in the ball game, Jimmy Celenatano intercepted a pass, forcing a fourth down stop by the Sea Gull defense. Eight plays later, the SU offense punched in another touchdown from Belizaire, sealing the 2025 season-opening win for the Gulls.

Game Notes

• McGowan tallied 430 yards of offense and four total touchdowns.
• The Sea Gull offense posted 463 yards of total offense. 205 on the ground and 258 through the air.
• Offensively, the Gulls averaged 9.1 yards per play.
• The SU defense created two turnovers with one interception and one turnover on downs.
• Celenatano, Kilo Mack, Patrick Sheil, and Colin Wargo all posted nine total tackles.
• Jordan Scipio posted five solo tackles along with a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.

Salisbury will be right back on the road against McDaniel College on Saturday, September 13th, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. from Westminster, Md.

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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 205 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.