Salisbury advances to Final Four, but won't face expected rival
Salisbury’s 12-4 victory over Dickinson on Wednesday night guaranteed the program’s seventh trip in the last eight years to the NCAA Division III tournament semifinals. As a reward, not only do the Sea Gulls (19-1) get to host one-half of the Final Four on Sunday at 1 p.m., but they also won’t have to deal with Capital Athletic Conference rival Stevenson.
That’s because the Mustangs, ranked No. 3 in the most recent United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll, fell to No. 7 Roanoke, 13-12, in a tournament quarterfinal on Wednesday. Stevenson (18-3) had won three straight against the Maroons – including a 16-6 rout on March 16 – but Roanoke (17-3) returned the favor to extend its winning streak to 12.
In fact, the Maroons’ last loss took place on March 23 when Salisbury visited Donald J. Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va., and left with a 10-7 victory. Sea Gulls coach Jim Berkman told SFMSports.net after his team’s win against the Red Devils that Roanoke is a formidable opponent that will not be taken lightly.
“They’re a high-paced offense,” Berkman said. “They really attack the goal. They’ve got a great, senior-laden first midfield line, and they’ve got some solid defenders. And they’re very well-coached. Coach [Bill] Pilat has been there for a long time. We’re great friends, and he does a great job. They graduated 16 seniors and now they’re back in the semifinals. They’re a team that is much younger than the team that didn’t make it last year. So it’s a credit to him and his coaching job.”
Senior midfielder Shawn Zordani, who registered two goals and two assists in No. 1 Salisbury’s win despite playing with a torn left labrum, said the players learned of Stevenson’s ouster from the tournament before taking the field against No. 6 Dickinson (17-2), which had its 12-game winning streak snapped.
“We couldn’t help get the news just because the lacrosse world is so small and a couple of our coaches heard,” Zordani said. “The news spread quickly. We’re looking forward to a battle against Roanoke. They’ve improved greatly since the last time we’ve seen them. … We’re going to come out and do our best for one more win here at Sea Gull Stadium.”
