Last weekend Salisbury knocked off then-No. 1 Gettysburg, which set up the biggest DIII game of the year yesterday as the Sea Gulls traveled to Stevenson. Second-ranked Salisbury was able to knock off the No. 1 ranked team for the second week in a row as they used a dominant second half to propel themselves to a 16-10 victory over Stevenson in front of a packed stadium of 1,534 at Caves Athletic Complex.
Salisbury scoring was led by senior attackman Mike Winder (4g, 1a) as Stevenson was led by junior attackman Jimmy Dailey (3g, 2a). Stevenson and Salisbury battled close in the first half, with the Mustangs jumping out to a 2-0 lead before Salisbury tied the game at 2. The teams traded goals during much of the first half, with Salisbury never leading and Stevenson never leading by more than two.
After halftime it was a different story as Salisbury dominated nearly every statistical category, including ground balls (17-10), face-offs (8-of-11), and clearing (100% vs. 75%). Salisbury was also bolstered by stellar goalie play from keeper Johnny Rodriguez, who had 15 saves, 10 of which came in the second half.
For Salisbury, the win will propel them to a likely No. 1 ranking when polls are released on Monday and gives them the inside track to finishing first in the Capital Athletic Conference. Stevenson falls to 10-1 with five games remaining and is still one of DIII’s teams to beat. The two teams will likely meet in the CAC conference tournament in three weeks barring an upset of either team.
For more on the game check out the box score and photos below.
Salisbury
GOALS: Mike Winter 4; Mike Von Kamecke 3; Matt Cannone 3; Jake DeLillo 2; Sam Bradman 2; Shawn Zordani 1; Will Poletis 1.
ASSISTS: Sam Bradman 1; Connor Burgasser 1; Matt Cannone 1; Jake DeLillo 1; Tim Lum 1; Mike Von Kamecke 1; Mike Winter 1; Shawn Zordani 1.
Stevenson
GOALS: Jimmy Dailey 3; Ray Witte 2; Steve Kazimer 1; Kenny Whittaker 1; Richie Ford 1; Jake Stocksdale 1; Sean Calabrese 1.
ASSISTS: Jimmy Dailey 2; Steve Kazimer 1; Kyle Moffitt 1; Kenny Whittaker 1.
(All photos by Bob Kemp)