November 10, 2004

MEN'S SOCCER EARNS FIFTH NCAA TOURNAMENT BID
Sea Gulls (18-0-2) Begin Play at Home Saturday vs. Arcadia

* The Salisbury men’s soccer team, ranked third in the nation, is making its fifth overall and third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Sea Gulls received a first round bye in the 44-team field and begin play in the second round at home Saturday. Salisbury will host Arcadia (16-3-3), which advanced with a 1-0 overtime win at Roanoke in Wednesday’s first round game. 
Saturday’s game time is set for 1 pm.

* Tickets for Saturday’s game are priced at $6 for general admission; $3 for students from the competing schools with a valid ID; and $3 for children ages 3-12.

* Salisbury claimed the Capital Athletic Conference’s automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament with a 1-0 win over York in the CAC Championship Game on Saturday. The CAC title is SU’s fifth in six years.

* Salisbury has a 4-4 all-time record in NCAA Tournament play. The Gulls have made previous tournament appearances in 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2003. Salisbury advanced to the national quarterfinals (final eight) in both 1999 and 2003. The Gulls lost 1-0 at Drew in last year’s quarterfinal round.

* The winner of Saturday’s game advances to the four-team NCAA sectional, to be played on November 20-21.

* The Sea Gulls bring a seven-game winning streak and a school-record 20-game unbeaten streak into the NCAA Tournament. SU also holds the number three ranking in the NSCAA national Top 25 poll for the sixth straight week. The current ranking is the highest in the program’s history.

* Salisbury needs one more victory to set a new SU single-season record for most victories. This year’s team now shares the record of 18 wins with the 1999 squad.

* Junior forwards Christopher Mills (15g-4a) and Bill Whittington (14g-6a) share the team’s scoring lead and the conference’s scoring lead with 34 points each. They also lead the Sea Gulls in shots, with 73 each. Mills has five game-winning goals this year while Whittington is one of three SU players with three game-winning goals in 2004.

* Salisbury leads the CAC is both scoring and defense, with an average of 3.00 goals scored per game and a 0.40 goals against average. The Sea Gulls have outscored opponents 60-10 this year.

* Led by senior captain Markus Hunkeler, the SU defense has registered 12 shutouts in 2004, including three straight in last week’s the CAC Tournament. Junior goalie Jason Cranford has posted an .863 save percentage and a 0.53 goals against average.

* Senior midfielder Dan Lader was named the CAC's 2004 Player of the Year and is one of five Sea Gulls named to the conference's 11-player first team. Lader is joined on the All-CAC first team by Mills, Hunkeler, Cranford and midfielder Tim Lane. Whittington was named to the All-CAC second team.

* Now in his 23rd season at Salisbury, Head Coach Gerry DiBartolo brings a 259-136-28 overall record into the 2004 NCAA Tournament. DiBartolo has led Salisbury to seven straight seasons with at least 15 victories, and 13 straight winning seasons. He earned his fourth CAC Coach of the Year award in 2004.

The Sea Gulls display the 2004 Capital Athletic Conference's championship trophy. SU claimed its fifth CAC title in six years.