Salisbury at Washington: Three things to watch
The “War on the Shore” series hasn’t been much of a contest lately with Salisbury claiming 12 of the last 13 meetings, including the past 10 games. The No. 1 Sea Gulls (16-1) are virtually assured of a top two seeding in the South region of the NCAA tournament, but a loss would likely seal the No. 1 seed to Capital Athletic Conference rival Stevenson. Washington (5-8) had dropped four straight prior to defeating Cabrini two weeks ago, but a victory would send the Shoremen into the offseason on a positive note. Here are a few factors that could influence the outcome at Roy Kirby Jr. Stadium in Chestertown on Saturday.
1) Test Rodriguez. Salisbury has relied on the goalkeeping prowess of senior Johnny Rodriguez, who is 15-1 as a starter this season. But the senior’s last outing was a disastrous one as Rodriguez made just four saves while allowing 11 goals in 22 minutes, 52 seconds of play against Stevenson in the CAC tournament final on April 23. But Sea Gulls coach Jim Berkman said Rodriguez will start against Washington, and Shoremen coach Jim Shirk said he is anticipating a different goalkeeper. “It could go both ways, to be honest with you,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of goalies have an off day and then they bounce back and stand on their heads in the very next game. So I think our game plan is going to approach it to where we’re going to give everything we have and hopefully, it’s enough, but we’re definitely not going to bank on being in his head because I’m going to assume that he’s going to bring his best game and we’re going to get the best Rodriguez there is.”
2) Take advantage of the man-up advantage. In 15 contests, Salisbury is averaging 6.6 penalties. In two against the Mustangs, however, the Sea Gulls committed 27 total penalties. Stevenson converted just five of those extra-man situations into goals, but Washington is hoping to have more success if those opportunities arise. “With any team that is aggressive and with any team that pressures you, you’ve got to combat that by attacking back,” Shirk said. “So I fully expect Salisbury to come out of the gate and pressure us all over the place and be overly aggressive to see how we’re going to react. So we’ve really preached to the guys that we’re going to attack their pressure and their aggressiveness. We’re definitely not going to lean back on our heels.”
3) Play 60. Of their eight losses, the Shoremen have dropped four of them by one goal and another by two goals. The team has suffered lapses occasionally that opponents have exploited. So Shirk is hoping to see a much more focused team against the Sea Gulls. “I think the key is to stick with what we do,” Shirk said. “I think all year, leading up to the Cabrini game, there were times in every game that we got away from what we do, and I think that’s why we lost so many one-goal games. I think that’s why we let teams that we were up on back into the game. So our whole thing is to handle the atmosphere and the rivalry and then to put together a full 60 minutes and make sure that we stay focused.”
Categories: Salisbury, Three things to watch, Washington
