Salisbury continues fast start
Hardly anyone batted an eye when Salisbury overwhelmed Greensboro, 25-2, in both teams’ season opener on Feb. 13. But the Seagulls, who are ranked No. 2 in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches poll, put a similar beating on Lynchburg, outpointing a team ranked No. 10 in the same poll by eight goals.
Saturday’s 13-5 victory on the Hornets’ home field in Virginia proved to Salisbury that the team is prepared for this season.
“Our guys obviously got some confidence from going on the road and playing in a tough environment after a long trip, about six hours, and coming away with a solid win,” coach Jim Berkman said Sunday. “There’s also the realization that we made a couple of mistakes that we’ve got to correct if we’re going to continue to improve.”
After scoring 11 goals in the first quarter against Greensboro, the offense scored the game’s first four goals against Lynchburg and enjoyed an 8-4 advantage at halftime.
“We got on them right away,” Berkman said. “We scored four quick goals, and it was 4-0 before you could blink your eyes. I thought it was clutch to get a little bit of a cushion and have people relax.”
“I think our first six or seven offensive players are pretty electrifying and can shoot the ball,” Berkman later added. “If we get an opening, we can score some goals. We scored 11 goals in the first quarter against Greensboro last week in our first game. Even though we weren’t dealing with the same quality of opponent, 11 goals is a lot of goals in 15 minutes. We’ve got some guys down there that can finish on attack, and we’ve got a couple of middies that can create separation. We can get some quick goals, I think.”
Other notes:
*Eight of those 13 goals against the Hornets came from the stick of junior Sam Bradman. Berkman said the reigning Division III Midfielder of the Year appears two steps faster than he was last season when he recorded 58 goals and 28 assists. “He played 30 box games in Canada in Junior League Lacrosse,” Berkman said of Bradman. “There aren’t too many kids in the country – other than the Canadian kids – that go to Canada and play in 30 box games. His stick’s gotten better, he’s always shooting. He shot the ball unbelievably yesterday. His goals weren’t from in front of the net like the attackmen get. They were 10-, 11-, 12-yard shots that were stinging the corners – whether they were high or low.”
*Filling the void created by the graduation of Ryan Finch, who won 60.5 percent of his faceoffs last spring, was a worry, but sophomore Tyler Granelli won 10-of-15 faceoffs and freshman Chris Taylor won 4-of-6. Their performances were a welcomed sight for Berkman. “I think one of the big keys for us – and hopefully, this continues throughout the year because it was one of our big questions marks – was our faceoff play,” he said. “Our faceoff guys did a real nice job and handled the ball real well after they got the faceoffs. So that was really encouraging.”
*Aside from Bradman, junior Tony Mendes was the only other player to produce a multi-goal effort against the Hornets, posting two goals and one assist. Mendes, a former Maryland recruit, is still adjusting to moving from midfield to attack, but Berkman seems to think that he’s showing promise. “He’s getting there,” Berkman said. “He’s learning how to dodge from behind the goal a little bit. He had a couple of really nice moves where he broke the defenseman down behind and got to the goal. One time he did that, the goalie made a stick save. He’s still learning how to shoot from down there off a catch because he’s always been a middie who can shoot downhill on the run. Now it’s more of a catch-and-shoot or hitch-and-shoot type of shot. But we’re working on it every day. He’s a great kid, receptive to everything. He just wants to get better and help the team.”
