LACROSSE ACTION TODAY

At Seal Gull Stadium the SU women's team plays at 11:30 and later this:

Salisbury seeks to use element of unfamiliarity to its advantage
Salisbury coach Jim Berkman didn’t have a rooting interest in the NCAA Tournament first-round game between Widener and Springfield on Wednesday afternoon. But that didn’t mean that he wasn’t pleased when the Pride stifled Widener, 7-1.

That’s because the South region’s top-seeded Sea Gulls (18-1) like to play fast, and their overall speed usually catches first-time opponents off guard. Teams that have played Salisbury earlier in a season are generally prepared for the Sea Gulls’ penchant for frenetic, unsettled style of lacrosse.

"Obviously, if a team has been in an arena already, what mistakes they may have made, they’ll probably make adjustments," Berkman said. "If it’s the first time, you’re kind of feeling each other out. Is there more of a homefield advantage if they haven’t been here? Maybe."
Another advantage for Salisbury is that Springfield (13-5) will have just two days between the first- and second-round games to recover and prep for Saturday’s showdown at 7:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the Sea Gulls have been waiting since knocking off Washington College last Saturday.

"They played a tough game," Berkman said of the Pride. "Their players played the whole 60 minutes because it was 5-1 right there towards the end, and obviously, they had to play real hard to win the game. So there may be a cumulative effect when they jump on the bus [Friday] and drive eight hours and play again on Saturday. But the other thing is, that kids are pretty excited at this time of the year, and sometimes that excitement and energy outweighs tired legs. Also if you’re playing well – and I think they’re playing well right now – you don’t even want to practice. You just want to play."

The rest has been especially beneficial for sophomore defenseman Andrew Sellers, a Baltimore native and Archbishop Curley graduate who played last Saturday after missing six consecutive games because of an injured knee. Senior attackman Jake DeLillo (high ankle sprain) and senior face-off specialist Ryan Finch (pulled hamstring) are at about 95 percent, according to Berkman, but the return of Sellers enhances an already stingy Salisbury defense.

"Right now – knock on wood – there’s been no ill effects," Berkman said of Sellers’ knee. "He’s practiced the entire time extremely hard. I think he’s getting close to where he was prior to the injury – other than he has to wear a knee brace."

Source:http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/lacrosse/blog/2010/05/salisbury_seeks_to_use_element.html