The Salisbury University men’s lacrosse team returns eight starters and 30 lettermen from last season’s national quarterfinal squad, meaning that the Sea Gulls will once again begin a new season with lofty goals and high expectations. SU, which finished 13-5 last year, returns nine of its top 10 scorers in 2003 and features eight players who have received various preseason honors this year.

Head Coach Jim Berkman, beginning his 15th season at Salisbury with a 197-28 record at the school and three national championships under his belt (1994, 1995, 1999), will be trying to lead the Sea Gulls to their ninth straight Capital Athletic Conference title and 15th straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003. Salisbury begins the year ranked fourth in the preseason by Inside Lacrosse/Face-Off Yearbook.

”We have a lot of depth and experience at just about every position,” says Berkman. “With so many returning veterans, I think the players have some high expectations for what we can accomplish this season.”

A closer look at the 2003 Sea Gulls, by position:

Attack
The Gulls return all three starters on attack, as well as two other veterans who tallied at least 16 goals each. Junior Andy Arnold (36g-27a in 2002) was the team’s leading scorer last season and headlines the roster of returnees. Arnold earned honorable mention All-America status in 2002 and begins the new year tabbed as a second team preseason all-American by Inside Lacrosse/Face-Off Yearbook.

Joining Arnold is junior Cory O’Neil (15g-9a), another two-year starter who saw action on both attack and midfield during the 2002 season. O’Neil begins the season as an honorable mention preseason AA by Inside Lacrosse/Face-Off Yearbook. Junior Joe Tamberrino, who finished with 13 goals and eight assists after joining the starting unit in mid-season, also returns.

Senior Josh Bergey, a converted midfielder who sat out last year, returns this spring after earning second team all-America honors in 2001. He tallied 19 goals and a team-high 39 assists as a junior. Sophomore Chris Phillips (16g-17a) enjoyed a productive freshman campaign and should contribute once again. 

“We’re very deep on attack and the challenge will be to find a way to get all of these guys on the field,” says Berkman. “I think we will do a better job of moving the ball and be a better shooting team this season.”

Midfield
Year-in and year-out, the Sea Gulls have traditionally featured one of the most talented and deep midfields in the nation, and 2003 should prove to be no different. Junior Andy Murray, a first team all-American in 2002 and the Capital Athletic Conference’s Player of the Year, leads the unit. Murray, SU’s team MVP, registered 16 goals and 16 assists last year and is also considered to be one of the premier face-off specialists in the nation.

Joining Murray on the first line is junior Scott Simmons (30g-8a), who earned honorable mention All-America status in 2002. Simmons finished second on the team in scoring last year, including a career-high of six goals against Washington College in the regular season finale. Senior Chris Lauer, one of the team’s most productive midfield scorers over the last two years with 32 goals and 13 assists, also returns. Simmons and Lauer are also returning team captains.

Junior Brian Oakley (4g-6a) and sophomore Bryan Bradford (2g-2a) will likely see bigger roles this year after serving primarily as short stick defensive specialists in 2002. Converted attackman Justin Smith (12g-5a), along with juniors Kevin Gemmell (13g-3a) and Andrew Reed (2g), are also among the veterans challenging for playing time.

Three freshman are among the newcomers to watch: Hardy Allen, Jimmy Creighton and Ryan Rohde.

Senior Mike Colaianni (4g-4a) and sophomore Joe Parker join Oakley as the top short stick defensive specialists. 

Defense
The Sea Gulls featured two new starters on close defense last year but can point to the unit’s rapid development as one of the key ingredients in its 2002 success. The Gulls finished 13th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 7.6 goals per game.  Coming off a strong rookie season, returning sophomore Jeff Bigas has been tabbed as a second team preseason all-American by Inside Lacrosse/Face-Off Yearbook.

Junior Eric Martin is an honorable mention preseason all-American by Inside Lacrosse/Face-Off Yearbook. The third starter, junior Evan Howard, was the winner of the team’s 2002 Most Improved Player Award, and is serving as a team captain this season. Returning junior Tom Cowles and sophomore Tony Incontrera add further experienced depth. Freshmen Patrick Comegys and Zac Hopkins could also contribute.

Junior Brendan Dawson, a team captain, and sophomore Sean White are two of the top long-stick midfielders in the conference.

”We’re very deep on defense,” says Berkman. “We can play any of about six different guys and have no drop-off in ability. This can be a very good defensive unit.”

Goalie
Sophomore Dan Korpon is the returning starter after enjoying a strong freshman campaign. Korpon posted a 7.20 goals against average - 12th best in the nation - and averaged 7.2 saves per game. Sophomores Patrick O'Keefe (.516 save percentage) and Mike Taylor provide solid depth at the position.

Overview
”With all the experience we have throughout the line-up this season, it may be hard for our newcomers to contribute right away,” says Berkman. “We don’t have a lot of seniors, but we have a lot of juniors who have been the core of the team for the past two years.

“As coaches, we have some difficult decisions to make regarding who will play at certain spots. Because we have so much depth, I think we can be pretty good.”

2-3-03