Salisbury 15, Whittier 8
Men’s College Lacrosse
NCAA Tournament - National Semifinal
Sunday, May 18, 2003

BOX SCORE
Salisbury, Md - Senior attackman Josh Bergey had seven goals and one assist and junior midfielder Scott Simmons added four goals and one assist to lead #1 Salisbury to a 15-8 win over #2 Whittier in the national semifinals of the NCAA Championship Tournament. Salisbury (18-1) will make its sixth overall appearance in the national championship game when it faces defending champion Middlebury next Sunday, May 25 in Baltimore.

Whittier (10-1) held a 2-1 lead after the first quarter as junior Kelly Hall (3g) tallied twice. Salisbury then outscored the Poets 9-2 over the middle two quarters to seize control. Simmons scored his first and Bergey (pictured at left) notched his second in the first 1:45 of the second quarter to turn SU’s one goal deficit into a one goal advantage. WC’s Evan Cardwell (1g-1a) evened the score with an unassisted goal at 10:12 before Salisbury began its run.

Two straight goals by Simmons and the third of the day by Bergey sent the Sea Gulls into halftime with a 6-3 lead. Four different SU players scored in the third quarter as the Sea Gulls pushed their advantage to 10-4 by the end of the period. The Sea Gulls also tallied three of the first four goals over the first six minutes of the final quarter to seal the win.

Salisbury finished with a 38-34 edge in total shots and a 55-39 advantage in ground balls. Salisbury’s Dan Korpon finished with 15 saves, including seven during the pivotal second quarter. Whittier’s Adam Messick registered 12 saves.  SU’s Andy Murray (1g-2a) also helped the Sea Gulls win the overall face off battle 17-10 by controlling 16 of his 25 draws.  

Salisbury and Middlebury will be meeting for the third time in the NCAA championship game. The Sea Gulls won the 1999 title with a 13-6 victory over the Panthers. Middlebury returned the favor with a 16-12 victory over Salisbury in the 2000 championship game.  Salisbury will be seeking its fourth national championship, with previous wins in 1994, 1995 and 1999.

Salisbury          1 + 5 + 4 + 5 = 15
Whittier            2 + 1 + 1 + 4 = 8

Goals
SAL - Bergey 7, Simmons 4, Arnold, Phillips, Murray, Lauer
WC - Hall 3, Giglio 2, Hopkins, Cardwell, Bateman

Assists
SAL - Murray 2, Arnold, O’Neil, Phillips, Martin, Bergey, Oakley, Simmons, Smith
WC - Finck 2, Kelly, Cardwell, Biers

Saves
SAL - Korpon 15
WC - Messick 12