Roanoke at Salisbury: Halftime thoughts
In a weekend littered with upsets on the Division I level, Salisbury is playing the role of favorite to the hilt as the Sea Gulls have sprinted to an 11-2 advantage over visiting Roanoke at halftime of a NCAA Division III tournament semifinal at Sea Gull Stadium in Salisbury on Sunday.
Salisbury (19-1), ranked No. 1 in the most recent United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll, scored the game’s first eight goals in a span of 18 minutes, 56 seconds. The Sea Gulls, who lost to Tufts in last year’s championship final, have appeared faster and confident thus far.
The contest appeared to turn on a three-minute penalty on Maroons freshman defenseman Troy Grogan with 2:38 left in the first quarter for playing with an illegal stick. Salisbury scored twice and got a third goal one second after the penalty expired in the second quarter.
So far, this game is far removed from the March 23rd meeting between these teams when the Sea Gulls escaped with a 10-7. That was the last time Roanoke lost. So barring a complete collapse by Salisbury or a monumental rally by the Maroons, their 12-game winning streak appears to be coming to an end.
Other notes:
*The Sea Gulls’ attack has been overpowering. Juniors Matt Cannone, Erik Krum, Tony Mendes and Kyle Quist have each scored two goals, and Cannone and Mendes have added two and one assists, respectively. The offense chased out Roanoke freshman goalie Charles Pease with 9:32 left in the second quarter, but he returned a little more than six minutes later after sophomore Mike Hardon surrendered two goals in 37 seconds.
*As Salisbury did in the first meeting, the defense has handcuffed Roanoke’s top three scorers. Junior attackman Jeff Keating has scored a goal, but sophomore attackman Richard Lachlan and sophomore midfielder Mike Hayden have been silenced by senior defenseman Nick Mooney and junior long-stick midfielder Andrew Sellers, respectively. Senior goalkeeper Johnny Rodriguez has made five saves.
*The Sea Gulls own several key categories, including shots (23-10), ground balls (21-11) and faceoffs (8-of-13). They have also converted 3-of-5 extra-man opportunities.
