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2005 NCAA Division III
Men's Lacrosse Championship
May 29, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
SALISBURY UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFO GAME STORY
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University (19-0) Game Info
Middlebury College
(17-1) Game Info
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Salisbury Claims Third
Consecutive National Championship
Philadelphia
- There were many highs for the two-time defending NCAA Division III men’s
lacrosse team from Salisbury University in 2005. But no play ranked higher for
Sea Gull fans than the swiping shot by junior attackman Chris Phillips
with 5.6 seconds remaining as he took a rebound by teammate Justin Smith
and drove the ball into the lower right-hand corner of the goal to give
Salisbury (20-0) an 11-10 victory and its third consecutive national
championship Sunday here at Lincoln Financial Field.
The
win was not only the sixth overall title for the No.1-ranked Sea Gulls, but it
stretched the NCAA all-division record for consecutive victories to 49. SU set
the mark a week ago at 48 with the semifinal victory over Roanoke. The 2005
championship game was watched before a record crowd of 21,052, and fans
weren’t disappointed as they saw the score tied five times.
It
was the second time that Phillips has clinched the championship for Salisbury
and ended the Middlebury season in the title game. He lifted the Sea Gulls to
the 2003 championship with 3:31 remaining in overtime to give SU a 14-13 triumph
and a national title.
While
Phillips stole the last-second limelight for the second time in three years,
senior goalie Dan Korpon kept his squad in the game early and earned the Most
Outstanding Player award. Korpon, who was second in the nation in goals
allowed per game (6.56), moved up to third place in career saves at Salisbury
(470) and improved his career mark at SU to an impressive 76-6 (.927), recorded
five saves in the first quarter and five more in the fourth and finished with a
game-high 12.
"I’ve
been a Danny Korpon fan for years," said a relaxed Salisbury Head Coach Jim
Berkman at the post-game interview. He’s gotten no respect for years, but
I’m proud that he’s been resilient during his entire career here.
"And
you don’t win championships without a great goalie and Danny has proved over
and over he’s exactly that. He played a great game today and deserves the
recognition he’s getting now."
Smith’s
game-winner came as the Sea Gulls overcame their biggest deficit of the season -
two goals - in the final 8:48. Trailing 10-8, the Sea Gulls began taking the
momentum back from the Panthers with 5:24 on the clock when junior Mike
Hurley (1g, 2a) took a pass from junior Dan Boyer (2a) and scored his
13th goal of the season. SU then tied the score with 4:01 remaining when junior Jimmy
Creighton scored his second goal of the contest and ninth of the season.
Salisbury
tried to set up the game winner by running down the clock in the final minute
before calling timeout. The Gulls worked the ball around the back of the goal
and Smith tried to ice the game with 14 seconds remaining when he moved around
in front of the goal on the right side. His shot rebounded wide to Phillips and
the clutch performer took it upon himself to claim the title.
"I
just picked up the ground ball from Smith’s shot and looked up at the clock
and there was about 10 second left and I knew I had to go to the goal,"
Phillips said. "So I just put my head down and went after it."
Salisbury
won the contest despite losing 18-of-24 face-offs, a statistic that the Sea
Gulls dominated throughout the season. Senior Bryan Bradford came into
the contest winning 258-of-391 (.660), but managed to secure only 5-of-18 (.278)
against the Panthers.
"I
was excited at halftime that the score was tied 5-5," Berkman said when
asked about being in the game at intermission despite the troubles on face-offs.
"They had dominated the face-offs. I’ve been coaching at Salisbury for 17
years and we’ve had some great face-off guys. Bryan Bradford is one of the
best in the country. He’s never been beaten like that ever. We’ve never been
beaten like that ever. We had no answer for them."
Salisbury
led 2-0 with 4:30 gone in the contest, but only led 3-2 at the end of the first
period. Phillips and sophomore Eric Bishop (1g, 1a) scored in the period
for SU.
Junior
Jimmy Creighton scored one of his two goals in the period and sophomore Mike
Edwards scored his 11th goal of the year as the two teams were squared 5-5
at intermission.
After
Smith and sophomore Matt Dasinger gave the Sea Gulls a 7-5 lead with 9:22
left in the third period, Middlebury ran off three straight goals to take its
first lead of the game, 8-7, with 27.8 seconds left in the quarter.
Salisbury
tied the game at 8-8 on Jeff Bigas’ goal with 14:40 remaining, before
two straight Middlebury goals put SU in a two-goal hole with 8:48 remaining.
That’s
when the Gulls began their magical comeback.
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Salisbury University
Championship Postgame Quotes
SU Head Coach Jim Berkman
Opening Statement:
"First of all, I'd like to congratulate Middlebury for returning to the
national championship game for the six or seven or eighth time that they've been
here. They're a formidable opponent. I respect Coach Quinn and all he's done for
the game of lacrosse. It seems like every time they've been here it's always a
battle and their athletes are running up and down the field. They play hard and
are well coached, so congrats to them on a great season. Next, I'd like to say
congratulations to this group of nine seniors. These nine seniors have done
something that no other Sea Gull team has ever done and that's win three
consecutive national titles. There's a lot of tradition at Salisbury with the
maroon and gold and there's a lot of different groups that have played at
different times and they have always said that they were the best team and I
think that this team is safe to say the best Sea Gull team ever, winning three
national championships. When you think about it, we've won 49 games in a row and
that's pretty incomprehensible. That's almost three years without losing a game,
but we have a great senior class and great leadership and we're very fortunate
to be here today." On
the last second shot:
"We ran the clock down a bit, we wanted to make sure we got the
last shot of the game. We called timeout and then we went to Justin Smith, who I
think is one of the best offensive players in the country. He beat his kid and
that ball went about four inches above the goal and the goalie was down on the
ground when he dove. Phillips was fortunate enough to come up with the ball and
he beat that kid topside across the middle and got his hands free. We talked
before the game about shooting that ball down low because the scouting report
had him high. He (Phillips) put it down low right in the corner of the off-stick
side." On
the Salisbury pride:
"We have a lot of pride and tradition at Salisbury and the reason that
we've had a lot of great teams is because the kids play real hard for the maroon
and gold. When they put that jersey on they know that they owe a responsibility
to that jersey, to the forefathers that have established that bar at Salisbury.
That tradition really motivates our kids to work hard, to develop and improve
over their tenure there. A lot of people think that we get all the studs to come
and play for us, but you look at some of our guys and they were some of the ones
that no one really knew anything about. They were solid high school players that
became great college players; that's because of the bar and the tradition that's
been established. We also just played five weeks of extra lacrosse that a lot of
other schools haven't played. A lot of people don't realize that. A lot of teams
were done the last week in April and it's the last week in May right now and so
far three consecutive years we've almost had a whole other season. Fifteen weeks
where these kids have had time to develop in practice and that goes a long way
to improve."
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Salisbury University
Championship Game Notes
No. 1 Ranking
Salisbury University enters the championship game with
No.3-ranked Middlebury College (17-1) as the two-time defending NCAA Division
III national champion and is making its 23rd NCAA MLAX National Championship
Tournament appearance and eighth appearance in the championship game with the
NCAA Division III national championship game was created in 1980. This year
marks the 17th straight postseason appearance, the longest active streak in the
NCAA. The Sea Gulls, who have captured five national championships (also winning
in 1994, 1995, 1999, as well as 2003-04) in the history of the school, are
currently ranked No.1 by the Geico/STX Coaches Poll and have been sitting on
that top spot since May 5, 2003, which is 21 straight for the Gulls. The last
loss Salisbury suffered was on April 10, 2003 when the Sea Gulls fell to
Lynchburg by a 13-12 score. Salisbury will be vying for its unprecedented third
straight national championship this year. If the Sea Gulls accomplish that, it
would be the first time in the history of Division III that a Salisbury team has
won three consecutive championships. A national title Sunday would also be the
fourth undefeated national championship in the history of the school.
All-Division Record Breaker
Salisbury enters Sunday’s game with a 19-0 record on the
season and has won 48 straight contests. That streak is not only the nation’s
longest active winning streak in the NCAA, but last week’s victory over
Roanoke College set the NCAA record for most consecutive victories in any
division, breaking Salisbury University’s own record of 47 games set back in
the 1994-96 season. The Sea Gulls won their 11th straight Capital
Athletic Conference Championship in April. They are also 6-0 against ranked
opponents this season. The most recent win was the 13-11 victory over No.6
Roanoke in the National Semifinal game last Sunday. The Gulls also defeated
No.4 Gettysburg, 12-9, in the Quarterfinals on May 18. SU picked up an
11-10 win over No.9 Washington College on April 30. On April 10, the Sea Gulls
captured a 14-8 victory over No.12 Lynchburg. They also defeated Roanoke on
March 13 and No.9 Gettysburg, 13-7, on April 3. Salisbury also played No.2
Nazareth on March 25, but the game was cancelled in the second quarter with SU
leading 6-4 because of lightning and heavy rains.
Head To Head
Salisbury leads the all-time series with Middlebury 4-2
(.667) since they first met back in 1985, with the Panthers capturing that game,
11-7. The last time these teams met was in 2003, with Salisbury capturing a
14-13 overtime victory on May 25th in the national championship game that
season. Four current starters for Salisbury also started in that game (G Dan
Korpon, Att Chris Phillips, Mid Sean White, Def Jeff Bigas). Ryan Rohde, Bryan
Bradford and Justin Smith were also playing for Salisbury at that time. This
will be the fourth time these two teams have met in the championship. The
Panthers defeated the Sea Gulls 16-12 in the 2000 title game and Salisbury won
the matchup 13-6 in the 1999 championship. Salisbury leads the all-time playoff
series between the two schools 2-1. SU is 32-17 all-time in the playoffs and
have 11 straight playoff games. Middlebury comes into the game ranked No.4,
winners of 15 straight. The only team to defeat the Panthers this season was
Gettysburg (18-6) on March 23rd.
The Coach
SU head coach Jim
Berkman has a career record of 264-34 (.886), including a 255-29 (.898) mark
at Salisbury in 17 seasons. The Sea Gulls have qualified for the NCAA Tournament
each year he has been at Salisbury and the Sea Gulls have never lost a Capital
Athletic Conference game in 17 seasons, posting a 6-8 record against CAC foes.
During his reign, 104 players have received All-American honors. Berkman has
been named 2005 CAC Coach of the Year.
The Statistical
Leaders
Salisbury senior Justin
Smith (Annapolis, MD/St. Vincent Pallotti) is currently 17th in the nation
in scoring, averaging 4.58 points per game. Junior Dan Boyer (Millersville,
MD/Mt. St. Joseph’s) is 6th in goals per game, averaging 3.63. SU senior
goalie Dan Korpon (Annapolis, MD/Severna Park) is second in goals allowed
per game, giving up just 6.56, while ranking ninth in saves, stopping 63.1% of
the shots on goal.
Statistically Speaking
Salisbury is the No.1
scoring team in Division III, putting in 17.36 goals per game, while the Sea
Gulls’ defense is ranked fourth, with 7.16 goals allowed per game on average.
Salisbury is also ranked No. 1 in the scoring margin category with an average
margin of 10.2 points per game. The Sea Gulls are the only undefeated team
remaining in Division III.
All-CAC
The Salisbury University men’s lacrosse program, which
has dominated the Capital Athletic Conference for more than a decade, once again
ruled the 2005 All-CAC selections. Salisbury placed nine players on the All-CAC
team this year. The Sea Gulls placed six players on the all-conference first
team and three others on the second team. Senior Jeff Bigas was named CAC
Player of the Year by the league’s coaches. Players receiving first team
honors include: junior attackman Dan Boyer, junior attackman Chris
Phillips, senior midfielder Justin Smith, senior defensive midfielder
Sean White, and senior defensemen Tony Incontrera, along
with Bigas. Senior midfielder Bryan Bradford, sophomore defenseman
Chris Heier and senior goalkeeper Dan Korpon received second team
honors.
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Quotes by Salisbury Head
Coach Jim Berkman
Berkman on why the
Sea Gulls are so successful:
"When
you look at our team, and you try to pinpoint the reason for our success, you
have to look at the tradition and the way we do things. Other than (Jeff) Bigas,
who is probably one of the only players to play his first year, I think the key
has been the improvement of our players. These kids have come in here and really
worked hard and dedicated themselves to get better and that has been a huge part
of (the success)."
Berkman
on why the Sea Gulls have a tradition of being good defensively:
"Traditionally
we’ve been fortunate that we’ve had a lot of talented players come through
here. With Sean (White) being one of the best returning long poles in the
country, we’re just a team that wears teams down and makes them make mistakes.
And we wear teams down by being aggressive and keep coming at them."
Berkman
on how the Sea Gulls have been so successful on man-down defense:
"We’ve
got a tremendous amount of talent on this team and the kids really work hard.
When (long stick) Joe Patalak went down with an injury earlier in the season,
the other players picked up their game a notch and really took up the slack. Joe
has been able to come back and play well in the playoffs and he’s been an
inspiration to the other players. He’s basically playing without an ACL and
will have surgery on it after the season is over."
Berkman
on long stick Sean White:
"Sean
has a great stick. He’s very strong and fast. He really hustles and can guard
people pretty much anywhere on the field. A lot of middies aren’t great stick
handlers. If they can’t, and put the ball on the ground, guys will pick it up.
Sean excels at taking advantage and getting a lot of loose balls."
Berkman
on goalie Dan Korpon:
"Dan
has really matured as a goalie, especially over the last two years. For his
first two seasons he came in and really didn’t work as hard as he should have.
But the last two years he’s regrouped and focused and had more consistent
play. He’s had some great games this year. He did a great job at Gettysburg
with 16 saves and had another big game at Washington, making some big saves when
we really needed it."
Berkman
on Jeff Bigas:
"Bigas
is one of the few kids that has started for four years here. He’s a tremendous
leader. He’s strong, aggressive and has a great work ethic. He does a
fantastic job for us and is a huge asset to our team."
Berkman
on Justin Smith:
"Justin
is a special player. He came here as an attack and didn’t touch the ball much
his first year. When he came back his second year, he still wanted to play
attack even though he didn’t get much playing time. Then we switched him to
midfield and he’s really taken off. Now we can throw him at attack or throw
him at middie and he can really make things happen out there."
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Salisbury University
Probable Starters
AT THE ATTACK POSITIONS:
A JUNIOR from
MEDIA, PA
# 3,
CHRIS PHILLIPS
A JUNIOR from MILLERSVILLE, MD
# 4,
DAN BOYER
A SOPH from MEDIA, PA #13,
ERIC BISHOP
AT
THE MIDFIELD POSITIONS:
A SENIOR from ANNAPOLIS, MD
#7,
JUSTIN SMITH
A SENIOR from FALLSTON, MD
#16,
BRYAN BRADFORD
A SENIOR from BALTIMORE, MD
#18,
SEAN WHITE
AT
THE DEEFENSE POSITIONS:
A SENIOR from MEDIA, PA
#6,
JEFF BIGAS
A SOPH from FALLSTON, MD
#19,
CHRIS HEIER
A SENIOR from ELLICOTT CITY, MD
#31,
TONY INCONTRERA
AND
PLAYING GOALIE FOR THE SEA GULLS IS:
A SENIOR from ANNAPOLIS, MD
#33,
DAN KORPON
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Middlebury College
Championship Game Notes
Middlebury
will make its sixth appearance in the NCAA Championship game in the last seven
years after a 14-12 win over Nazareth in a semifinal contest at Alumni Stadium.
The Panthers will take on Salisbury, a 13-11 winner over Roanoke, in the NCAA
Championship game on Sunday, May 29th at Lincoln Financial Field in
Philadelphia. The game will be televised live on CSTV (College Sports
Television). The game will also be webcast
here.
This
will be the seventh meeting between Middlebury and Salisbury, the fourth in an
NCAA Championship game. The Sea Gulls lead the series 4-2, with wins in ’95,
’98 and the ’99 and ’03 NCAA title games. Middlebury earns wins in ’85
and the ’00 NCAA Championship contest. The last meeting was the ’03 title
game at Ravens Stadium, where Salisbury emerged with a 14-13 overtime win to
claim the title.
Middlebury
earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 9-5 win over Wesleyan in the NESCAC
Championship game on May 8th. The Panthers hosted and defeated Endicott 15-12 in
the first round, scoring the game’s last three goals to break a 12-12 tie. The
quarterfinals were a rematch of the NESCAC Championship, with Middlebury
emerging with an 11-8 win. The game was tied at seven late in the third quarter
before the Panthers came away with the win. The semifinal contest was a rematch
of last season’s semifinals in Middlebury, where Nazareth emerged with a 12-8
win. This time, Middlebury came away with the win, much in part to a six-goal
second quarter. The Panthers broke an 11-11 tie in the fourth quarter, coming
away with the 14-12 victory.
Middlebury
advanced to the NCAA title game from ’99-03, winning three straight NCAA
crowns in ’00, ’01 and ’02. The Panthers lost their first title game in
’99, before falling in the ’04 semifinals to Nazareth. Middlebury has an
overall tournament record of 24-5 (.828), boasting the highest winning
percentage in tournament history of any team still competing in Division III.
Leading
Middlebury’s scoring attack this season have been Jim Cabrera (35-13-48),
Henry Sheehan (18-23-41), Travis Meyer (16-18-34), Mark Foster (23-9-32) and
Dave Leach (19-11-30), while Peter Mellen wins 65% of his face-offs. In
goal, Alex Palmisano has a 7.85 goals against average. The Middlebury offense
averaged 12.4 goals/game on the season, while the defense allows 8.22
goals/contest.
Salisbury
University enters the game with a 19-0 record, having won the last two NCAA
titles. The Sea Gulls have now won an NCAA record 48 straight games, dating back
to April of 2003. Salisbury won its conference title with a 17-7 win over
Goucher to advance to the NCAA Tournament. To date, they have posted NCAA wins
over Cabrini (13-9), Gettysburg (12-9) and Roanoke (13-11).
Leading
the team in scoring this season have been Justin Smith (48-39-87), Dan Boyer
(69-12-81) and Chris Phillips (42-35-77). The next closest player to these three
is Eric Bishop, who has 35 points on the season. In goal, Dan Korpon sports a
6.56 goals against average. The Salisbury offense averages 17.4 goals/game on
the season, while the defense allows just 7.15 goals/contest. Brad Bradford has
won 66% of his face-offs this season, while the team is .319 on the man-up.
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