Three-time defending champs begin quest for No. 4 with a bye
SALISBURY, Md. - The journey to a fourth consecutive NCAA Division III field hockey national championship will begin for Salisbury University on Saturday, November 11 as the Sea Gulls received one of the eight first round byes in the 2006 NCAA tournament.

The Sea Gulls (17-3), the three-time defending national champions, enter the tournament as the fifth-ranked team in the country and the 2006 Capital Athletic Conference champions. SU has won 12 straight conference titles since 1995.

Salisbury will face the winner of the Christopher Newport-Alvernia first round game, being played on Wednesday, November 8 in Newport News, Va., at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 11. Lebanon Valley College (18-2) is the host school of the region the Sea Gulls are in and will play on its campus in Annville, Pa. LVC will face the winner of the Springfield-New England College first round game. The second round games will be held on Saturday, November 11 with the two winners advancing to the Elite 8 and a showdown at 1 p.m., Sunday, November 12.

SU will be making its 13th straight appearance in the NCAA tournament and the 22nd appearance in 23 years. The Sea Gulls are 15-5 in first round games and 35-18 overall. Salisbury has a 2-2 record this season against tournament teams.

The Sea Gulls are also making a happy return to Lebanon Valley College as it was in Annville, Pa., in 2003 that the Sea Gulls won the second-ever NCAA field hockey national championship. The 4-1 victory over Middlebury began the current streak of three straight national titles. SU also defeated the College of New Jersey in the semifinals, 1-0, in 2003.

Salisbury had a rare three-game losing streak this season, for the first time since 1993, as the Sea Gulls lost two road games to ranked opponents (No. 9 Rowan, 2-1 and No. 1 Messiah, 1-0) and suffered its first conference loss in five years with a 1-0 loss to Catholic University. The loss to the Cardinals was also historic as it was the first loss for the Sea Gulls at home in 72-games.

Since that skid the Sea Gulls have won eight straight games and have outscored their opponents 63-7 during that stretch. Freshman Lauren Correll has really stepped up for the Sea Gulls as she has 19 goals and nine assists, a majority of those points coming during this eight-game stretch. Senior co-captain Megan Powell leads all scorers on the team and ranks nationally with her 26 goals, 10 assists and 62 points through 20 games.

Not to be out done is the SU defense which has been stern recently against the opposition. The anchor of the defense is junior goalie Maria Ramoundos who is 17-2 in 19 games started for the Gulls. She has also posted a stunning 0.72 goals against average and a .714 save percentage.

Click here to view the official 2006 NCAA Division III Field Hockey bracket (PDF)