Postscript From Salisbury vs. Tufts

Salisbury’s reputation as an offensive-minded team was re-emphasized Sunday night when the offense exploded for 19 goals in a 12-goal rout of Tufts in the NCAA Division III tournament final. The output was the third most by a team in the title game.

But the Sea Gulls, ranked No. 1 in the most recent United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll, deserve credit for a defensive strategy that held the No. 5 Jumbos to their third-worst production of the season.

In fact, Salisbury (21-1) has been a top-5 defense all season, and that’s not a coincidence, according to senior defenseman Nick Mooney.

“All year, we were just really focused on defense,” he said. “Pressuring hard, coming out hard, coming out from the beginning and stopping everyone. We wanted to be a dominant defense. All year, we wanted to be the best defense in the nation, and we are. Hands down, we’re the best defense in the nation. We wanted to be physical, and we wanted to basically scare the opponent. We wanted to scare them off the field. That was our goal.”

The Sea Gulls were especially suffocating in the postseason. Their four opponents in the tournament – Endicott, Dickinson, Roanoke and Tufts – combined for an average of 13.9 goals prior to meeting Salisbury. Those four teams combined for an average of 6.5 goals against the Sea Gulls.

“They’re just very athletic, a tough defense,” said Jumbos senior attackman D.J. Hessler, whose offense had averaged 12.9 goals prior to Sunday night. “Our guys up top weren’t really able to dodge on them. All credit goes to them.”
Salisbury junior defenseman Chad Surman admitted that the defense  gets to hone its game by practicing against the team’s potent offense on a daily basis.

“We play against the best offense in the country every day,” Surman said. “So we know that when we go against another team, we’re not facing players who are nearly as good as the ones we see at practice every day.”

Other notes:

*The Sea Gulls took aim at and delivered against Tufts freshman goalie Patton Watkins. The offense unleashed 27 of its 46 shots in the first half, eventually scoring 9 goals over that same span. “We knew they had a freshman goalie, so we had to get on him quick, especially since he was on a big stage,” said junior midfielder Sam Bradman, who set a Division III record for most goals in a title game with seven. “Once we got that goal [102 seconds into the first quarter], our offense really started to roll.” Jumbos coach Mike Daly pulled Watkins in favor of junior Steven Foglietta after Bradman’s goal gave Salisbury a 9-3 advantage with 6:06 left in the second quarter, but Daly dismissed placing any blame on Watkins. “The biggest reason we made the goalie change was to just mix the karma up, not because we were down on Patton,” Daly said. “I don’t feel we protected him very well. Our energy on defense picked up a little bit in the second quarter. I wish we played with a little bit more energy. Every mistake we made, they made us pay for it. And when you make mistakes against good teams, that’s what they do, and they did it as well as you could do it today. And again, that’s not a reflection on Patton in any way, shape or form – or Steven. That’s just how it went down today.”

*The Sea Gulls enjoyed their ninth national championship even more because they captured it by defeating the team that prevented from winning last year’s crown. Last May’s 9-6 loss to Tufts resonated with the Salisbury players for a long time. “It’s definitely something that’s a little bit extra,” Surman conceded. “All year, we’ve been talking ‘9-6, Tufts,’ and ‘We’ve got to avenge the loss.’ To get back here against the team that took it from us last year, it adds a little bit more sweetness to the cake.” Hessler, a Monkton native and St. Paul’s graduate, downplayed the revenge angle. “I don’t think it mattered, what we did last year,” said Hessler, who paced the Jumbos with a team-high five points on two goals and three assists. “It’s a totally different game. Yeah, they kept it coming, but that’s what they did and they deserved it. They beat us. If they’re going to keep scoring, we’ve got to stop them.”

*Salisbury and Tufts have never met in the regular season, but that’s not due to a lack of effort, according to Jumbos coach Mike Daly. “We’ve been trying to do that for years and years and years,” he said. “It just hasn’t worked out with our spring break schedule. We had an opportunity last year where we were able to add Stevenson, which was a great game, and they’re back on our schedule next year. So we’re open to playing anyone. We think that’s what gives us the opportunity that we had today. Salisbury needed to play some more in-region opponents outside of their league, and I think they added Roanoke instead of our game last year. But Coach [Jim] Berkman and I have known each other since 1998 when I took over. He’s been a friend, and we’ve been trying to schedule that game for 12 years.”

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