Defending champion Salisbury ends Wasington and Lee's lacrosse season

LEXINGTON - The Salisbury team bus did not work too well on Friday.

The team's defense operated just fine on Saturday.

The Sea Gulls stifled Washington and Lee 7-4 in the second round of the NCAA Division III men's lacrosse tournament.

Salisbury's bus broke down three times Friday on the drive from Maryland, turning what should have been a five-hour drive into a 10-hour trip. So the team wasn't able to get in much practice time once it finally got to W&L on Friday.

It didn't matter. The two-time defending NCAA champion Sea Gulls (16-5) scored the first four goals of the game and led the rest of the way.

"We prepared well, even though yesterday was a little up-and-down roller coaster with the bus ride," said Salisbury junior Rhett DePol, who had one goal and one assist. "We're the Sea Gulls and we play like the Sea Gulls no matter where we are."

W&L's four goals tied a 1987 defeat for the fewest the Generals have ever scored in an NCAA Division III tournament game.

The size, speed and physicality of the Sea Gulls were a problem for the W&L offense.

"They were super aggressive and athletic and big," said Mac Means, who had two goals for W&L.

W&L (16-5) played without Cameron Dabir, who scored a team-high 43 goals this year. He was too sick to play Saturday, when he watched from the sideline.

"It started with an infection in his eye and it spread throughout his body," coach Gene McCabe said.

"He's our quarterback," midfielder Jack Switala said. "It was a big disadvantage, not having him."

W&L, ranked eighth in the Division III poll, did not get much from its transition offense.

"They have the athletes that some other teams don't have. That makes it tougher to beat them up the field," Means said.

Alex Taylor had 11 saves for the 12th-ranked Sea Gulls, who advanced to the quarterfinals.

"He made a lot of saves today, but they weren't shots that were in his face," Sea Gulls coach Jim Berkman said.

"They were shots from 10, 12, 14 yards. ... That's what we wanted."

W&L won 7-6 in double overtime at Salisbury on Feb. 20. W&L's Garrett Paglia had four goals in that game but did not score Saturday.

Salisbury's Brady Dashiell, a freshman who did not take a shot in the first meeting, had three goals Saturday.

Means and Tyler Goldman scored back-to-back goals to cut the lead to 4-2 with 8:14 left in the second quarter.

Goldman and Means scored back-to-back goals to cut the deficit to 6-4 with 8:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Dashiell scored with 2:30 left to pad the lead.

Warren Berenis had 11 saves for W&L.

Salisbury 3 2 1 1 - 7

Washington and Lee 0 2 0 2 - 4

Goals- Salisbury: Dashiell 3, Goss, DePol, Kraus, Phipps; W&L: Means 2, Goldman 2. Assists- Salisbury: DePol, Hammersly, Rabishaw; W&L: Brown. Saves- Salisbury: Taylor 11; W&L: Berenis 11.

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