SALISBURY, Md. – The second-ranked Salisbury University men's lacrosse team opened the 2026 home slate in stalwart fashion, holding off a late charge by the 10th-ranked Gettysburg Bullets to win 15-12 on Saturday afternoon at Sea Gull Stadium.
The Sea Gulls hit GC with a one-two combo in the first three minutes with
Preston Huffman and
Riley Strub tickling the twine. After the Bullets answered with one, SU got two more in a half-minute span from
Chris Wong and
Cooper Keesee, the latter of which came on a long-pole fling from three-quarters of the way across the field. Strub notched one more to help SU take a 5-2 lead out of the first.
After Gettysburg put one on the board to open the second quarter,
Ryan Della answered just one minute later, then Huffman and
Brady Mancha tacked on two more late in the period to boost the margin to 8-3 at the half.
The third quarter saw the two sides trade even blows with four goals each. Strub found the onion bag twice for Salisbury to help hold the line at 12-7. In the fourth, the Bullets opened on a 3-1 push to cut the deficit to 14-12, but with under three minutes to go Strub delivered a magnificent flying over-the-shoulder goal, his fifth of the day, to take the air out of the Bullets' sails and make it 15-12. SU grounded the clock out from there to salt away the win.
GAME NOTES
- Riley Strub filled up the box score with five goals and two assists to go along with a career-high five ground balls.
- Connor Herraiz paced the offense with a goal and three helpers.
- Ryan Della and Preston Huffman each tallied a pair of goals.
- Cooper Keesee tallied his first career goal.
- Bryce Stevenson, Jack Beaulieu and Jeremiah Stafford each recorded two caused turnovers. Stafford's marker was his first since May 1, 2024 against Kean.
- Blake Malamphy took every draw for the Maroon and Gold, going 21-30 and scooping up 15 ground balls.
- Matt Sentowski earned the win in the cage and made five stops.
- The Sea Gulls outshot the Bullets 53-33, won the ground ball battle 45-37, completed 26-of-27 clears and came up empty on two man-up opportunities.
The Sea Gulls will close out February at home next Saturday with a bout against 15th-ranked Lynchburg, during which the team will honor the 35th anniversary of the 1991 Salisbury State team that advanced to the national championship game for the first time in program history. Opening faceoff from Sea Gull Stadium is slated for 1 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), 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 207 conference championships, and have produced 54 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.
