Sea Gulls

After Salisbury's 14-13 overtime victory over Stevenson on Sunday propelled the Sea Gulls to their 12th NCAA Division III national title game, Sam Bradman opened his Facebook account to find 90 congratulatory messages. "Kids I don't even know are Facebook-ing me," the Salisbury sophomore midfielder said. "So I'm trying to do it for those guys; I'm trying to do it for the people back home; I'm trying to do it for my parents and my family. I guess that's a lot of pressure, but it's like any other game."

June 1, 2003: The Ravens' second offseason minicamp begins with coach Brian Billick touting the talents of quarterback Kyle Boller, the team's first-round draft pick. "There has been nothing so far through the eight practices that you go, 'Oh, boy, we missed on this,'" Billick says. May 27, 1998: Despite a 420-foot home run by Mount St. Joseph's Mark Teixeira, which bounces off the top of a tree beyond the outfield fence, Calvert Hall wins its second straight Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference title, 16-4 over the Gaels.

Maryland's Katie Schwarzmann and Alex Aust and Salisbury's Ashton Wheatley and Katie Bollhorst were named the top players at their positions by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association Saturday night at the annual All-America banquet. Schwarzmann, the Division I Midfielder of the Year, and Aust, the Attacker of the Year, have led the No. 1 Terps to a 22-0 season going into Sunday night's NCAA championship game against North Carolina. Wheatley, the C. Markland Kelly Goalie of the Year in Division III, and Bollhorst, the Attacker of the Year, led the Sea Gulls to a 23-0 season and their second national championship last weekend.

Maryland's Katie Schwarzmann and Alex Aust and Salisbury's Ashton Wheatley and Katie Bollhorst were named the top players at their positions by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association Saturday night at the annual All-America banquet. Schwarzmann, the Division I Midfielder of the Year, and Aust, the Attacker of the Year, have led the No. 1 Terps to a 22-0 season going into Sunday night's NCAA championship game against North Carolina. Wheatley, the C. Markland Kelly Goalie of the Year in Division III, and Bollhorst, the Attacker of the Year, led the Sea Gulls to a 23-0 season and their second national championship last weekend.

Who says that first-year teams must struggle? The women's soccer team at Salisbury State is in its first season of intercollegiate varsity play, and already the Sea Gulls are making veteran-like noise.Led by coach Jim Berkman, who last spring guided the Sea Gulls men's lacrosse team to its first NCAA Division III title, Salisbury State has won five of its past six games to improve to 6-2. Further- more, in only the program's second month of existence, the Sea Gulls have cracked the Intercollegiate Soccer Association of America South Region rankings for the first time, weighing in at No. 10.Salisbury State's only loss during its 5-1 streak was 2-0 to Mary Washington, which is ranked second in the South Region.

Matt Hickman and Bruce Richardson each scored four goals and host Salisbury stayed perfect, beating Ohio Wesleyan, 13-5, yesterday in the second round of the NCAA Division III men's tournament. The Sea Gulls (19-0) advanced to face Cabrini (17-2), a 13-10 winner over Haverford, in a quarterfinal Wednesday. The Sea Gulls outshot the Battling Bishops 39-28. Nick Gallagher led Ohio Wesleyan (10-7) with two goals. CCBC-Essex 17, Herkimer County (N.Y.) CC 10 --The Knights broke open a tie game with four unanswered goals over three minutes spanning the second and third quarters to advance to the National Junior College Athletic Association championship game in Garden City, N.Y. Neal Barthelme had five goals, Andrew Reinhardt added four goals and four assists and Tony Kikola made 19 saves for No. 3 seed Essex, which will face No. 4 seed Nassau Community College today at 1 p.m. Essex beat Nassau, 11-9, in Bel Air on April 5. "It's hard to beat a team twice, but I think we're capable," Essex coach Brian Duncan said.

Casey Musick scored 43 points, including 19 in the two overtimes, to lead visiting Salisbury State to a 122-114 triumph over Mary Washington in a Capital Athletic Conference game.The Sea Gulls (14-8, 10-2) went on a 10-2 run to start the second overtime, with Musick scoring the first eight, including all six of his free throws.Salisbury State overcame a 17-point deficit at 64-47, tying the game at 91 with 35 seconds left on a three-pointer by Musick. The Eagles (5-16, 4-8) were paced by Dave Mahoney, who had 16 of his career-high 24 points in the first four minutes of the second half.

SALISBURY - History continues to be made by the Salisbury State women's lacrosse team, as the sixth-ranked Sea Gulls downed Hamilton, 18-15, yesterday in the quarterfinals to advance to their first Final Four. All was not easy for the Sea Gulls (15-2), as the 17th-ranked Continentals (12-3) scored 11 second-half goals and pulled within one goal twice before tying the game at 15 with 4:09 remaining."I thought they played outstanding for being a young team and to come back against a team of Salisbury's caliber and make it a game," Hamilton coach Karen Hollands said.

SALISBURY -- Since 1995, the Salisbury men's lacrosse team has dominated the Capital Athletic Conference, capturing the league championship every year. So the difference in experience between the Sea Gulls and upstart Villa Julie, appearing in its first CAC tournament final since joining the league last season, was apparent as Salisbury turned a three-goal cushion at halftime into a 20-10 rout before an announced 928 at Sea Gulls Stadium yesterday. Ranked No. 1 by Inside Lacrosse, the Sea Gulls (17-0)

SALISBURY - Defending national champion Salisbury State got revenge on Eastern Shore rival Washington College yesterday in the NCAA Division III lacrosse quarterfinals, as the Sea Gulls ousted the Shoremen, 21-9, before 1,228 in another heated renewal of the "War on the Shore." Tempers flared as emotions ran high in the 31st meeting between these two schools. Washington defeated the Sea Gulls, 15-10, two weeks ago to end Salisbury's 24-game winning streak and hand the Sea Gulls their only loss of the season.

Pimlico Race Course Spicer Cub behaves himself this time, finishes second Spicer Cub, who became a YouTube sensation when his behavior in a maiden race at Pimlico Race Course last month went viral, ran without incident in Saturday's first race, a $40,000 maiden special weight at 1 1/16 miles. The Mary Eppler trainee sprinted to the lead with jockey Xavier Perez and led the race at the half-mile pole before giving way in midstretch to 1-2 favorite Tru Greek and finished 5 1/4 lengths behind the winner.

This was supposed to be the year that Salisbury fell from the top of the Division III mountain - hard. After graduation had sapped the team of six starters, two more 20-goal scorers and two short-stick defensive midfielders, the team limped to a 1-2 start and suffered its first losing streak since 2009 and dropped below .500 for the first time since 1989. The Sea Gulls rebounded with nine consecutive wins, but was stunned, 7-6, by Washington College on April 17 in their final contest before the Capital Athletic Conference tournament and then upended, 13-11, by St. Mary's in the conference tournament final.

Major League Lacrosse Loyola U. alum Sawyer named Rookie of Week after debut Former Loyola University standout Mike Sawyer scored a goal and assisted on two more in his professional debut for his hometown Charlotte Hounds on Friday at the Hamilton Nationals, earning Major League Lacrosse Rookie of the Week honors. His first assist came just over eight minutes into the second quarter as he fed Jovan Miller for the fifth goal in a 6-0 Charlotte run. He then scored his first professional goal 44 seconds into the fourth quarter, with the feed coming out of a familiar stick, that of fellow Loyola alumnus Eric Lusby (Severna Park)

Prior to Sunday night's NCAA tournament semifinal against No. 4 Stevenson, No. 12 and reigning national champion Salisbury had advanced to nine of 10 Final Fours and won every single one to advance to the title game. That did not happen against the Mustangs, who registered a convincing 12-6 victory over the Sea Gulls at Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills. While the Stevenson players and coaches celebrated with their fans, Salisbury (17-6) huddled in front of the net on its side of the field and got some words of wisdom from coach Jim Berkman.

Et cetera Spirit's 2-0 loss to Thorns is first shutout Christine Sinclair scored in the 41st minute and Alex Morgan added a late goal as the Portland Thorns defeated the visiting Washington Spirit, 2-0, in a National Women's Soccer League match before an announced 12,474 at Jeld-Wen Field. The Spirit (1-3-3), which scored four times at Seattle on Thursday, suffered its first shutout. Chantel Jones made her first start in goal for Washington, replacing Ashlyn Harris (sore knee)

No. 4 Stevenson not only defeated No. 12 and reigning national champion Salisbury, 12-6, in a NCAA tournament semifinal to advance to the program's first title game, but the Mustangs may also have banished some ghosts of the past. Stevenson had been escorted out of the postseason in two of the past three seasons by the Sea Gulls, who still command a 10-6 advantage in their series with their former Capital Athletic Conference foe. What made Sunday's triumph even more special is that the Mustangs had been evicted from the Final Four in 2010 and 2012 by Salisbury, a program that has captured 10 national titles.

For good luck, some people throw salt over their shoulders, while others caress rabbit's feet. Still, a hardy few carry horseshoes.Jim Berkman has Byrd Stadium in College Park.The coach of the Salisbury State men's lacrosse team has won two Division III championships in three attempts, and both victories occurred at the home of the Maryland Terrapins.As the No. 3 Sea Gulls prepare to meet fifth-ranked Middlebury in the title game at 1 p.m. tomorrow at Byrd Stadium, Berkman is crossing his fingers that his streak will continue.

SALISBURY -- An hour before Salisbury's NCAA Division III men's lacrosse quarterfinal game against Eastern Shore rival and ninth-ranked Washington College yesterday, there was one thing missing for the top-ranked Sea Gulls: their coach. Salisbury coach Jim Berkman had to be rushed from Peninsula Regional Medical Center to Sea Gull Stadium in time for the game. Berkman, who recently had knee surgery, has been dealing with a staph infection for the past few days. Berkman watched the first half from the Salisbury sideline.

Reigning national champion Salisbury has won 10 of 15 meetings in this series and is 2-0 against Stevenson in the NCAA tournament semifinals. But the Mustangs took the last contest, 10-8, at Sea Gull Stadium on April 3. The Sea Gulls (17-5) - ranked 12th in the most recent United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll - are making their 10th Final Four appearance in the last 11 years and have advanced to the title game every time. Junior attackman Rhett DePol has recorded 19 goals and a team-high 34 assists after managing nine goals and eight assists last season.

In a year when the Stevenson men's lacrosse team had already achieved its first 20-win season, it only seemed fitting that the Mustangs would get to enjoy another breakthrough: their first trip to the national title game. Senior attackman Tyler Reid and junior attackman Chris Dashiell each scored three goals to help No. 4 Stevenson overwhelm No. 12 and reigning national champion Salisbury, 12-6, in an NCAA tournament semifinal Sunday night. An announced 2,311 at Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills - the largest crowd to watch a lacrosse game at the facility - witnessed the Mustangs improve to 21-2, collect their 11th straight victory, and snap a 0-3 record in the Final Four.