NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: Salisbury Men's Lacrosse Runs Away Early From Tufts For 19-7 Win In The NCAA Div. III Title Contest
Salisbury junior midfielder Sam Bradman scored a game-high seven goals, was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Game, and led the Sea Gulls to a 19-7 victory over Tufts in Sunday's NCAA Division III championship game at Baltimore's Ravens Stadium.
It is the Sea Gulls' ninth men's lacrosse national championship in 15 title-game appearances.
Bradman broke the NCAA record for most goals in the national championship game in leading the CAC Champion Sea Gulls to a 21-1 overall record.
In the rematch of the 2010 title game, which Tufts won 9-6, Salisbury's scoring total was the highest against Tufts since the 2008 season.
The 12-goal margin of victory is the most significant in any of the Sea Gulls' nine national championship wins. All nine national championships have come under the reign of 23rd year head coach Jim Berkman.
Bradman's seven goals scored is a new single-game record
for a Salisbury University player in the national championship
game, surpassing former Sean Radebaugh's (1995) six markers.
Bradman, who also had an assist against Tufts for eight
points, fell just one point shy of matching Radebaugh's nine
points that he set in the 1995 national championship game against
Nazareth College.
The Jumbos (18-3) won the game's first face-off and quickly entered
the offensive restraining box. Tufts midfielder Matt Witko fired
off a shot but it was blocked by SU senior defender Collin
Tokosch before senior goalkeeper Johnny
Rodriguez scooped up the groundball to start the clear.
The Sea Gulls (21-1) tallied their first goal of the game at the
13:18 mark as Bradman took a feed from sophomore midfielder
Ryan Clarke and unleashed a shot into the top-left
corner of the goal. The Sea Gulls followed up with a pair goals
coming from the crease, with junior attackmen Matt
Cannone and Tony Mendes netting goals.
The three early goals forced the Tufts coaching staff to call a
timeout.
Following the timeout, the Jumbos tallied their first goal with
Geordie Schafer finishing off an assist from D.J. Hessler.
Salisbury closed out the first quarter with goals from Bradman,
Cannone and senior midfielder Spencer Smith to
take a 6-1 lead; the 6-1 lead was the same score at the end of the
first quarter of the 2010 national championship, only with the
Jumbos ahead.
Tufts kicked off the second quarter with a pair of goals in
the first four minutes to cut the deficit to three, but Mendes
ended the run with an unassisted goal with 10:19 remaining in the
frame. The Sea Gulls closed out the first half with unassisted
goals from junior attackman Erik Krum, Bradman and
Clarke to bolster the lead to 9-3 in favor of the maroon and
gold.
At the half, Salisbury outshot Tufts 27-14, picked up 18
groundballs compared to 10 for the Jumbos and won 8-of-14
face-offs.
Clarke tallied his second goal of the contest nearly two minutes
into the second half to create a 10-3 lead for SU, before the
Jumbos responded with goals from Hessler and a man-up goal from
Ryan Molloy. Bradman ended the quarter with his fourth goal of the
game, handing SU an 11-5 advantage.
The Sea Gulls added eight goals in the final quarter, which was the
most goals in a quarter by Salisbury in a national
championship game since the 1995 title game. Bradman posted the
first two goals of the quarter, then closed out the scoring for the
Sea Gulls with a man-up goal off an assist from senior midfielder
Shawn Zordani with 2:41 remaining.
Bradman finished with eight points, which matched his
career-high. Cannone (two goals, one assist) and Clarke (one goal,
two assists) each collected three points, while Mendes (two goals)
followed shortly behind with two points.
Rodriguez, recently named the Division III
National Goalkeeper of the Year, claimed the victory with four
saves. The Gambrills, Md., native was removed after 47 minutes in
the net after suffering cramps, allowing senior goalkeeper
Tim Swinburn (three saves) to close out the
contest.
Tufts' Hessler posted a team-high five points on two goals and three assists. Molloy recorded two goals for the Jumbos.
Tufts freshman goalkeeper Patton Watkins played the first 23 minutes of the game while registering four saves, before being replaced by senior Steven Foglietta (three saves).
The championship is the 15th team title in Salisbury University history. Along with the nine men's lacrosse titles, Salisbury has also earned five field hockey championships and one title in women's lacrosse. The Sea Gulls have also seen 10 individual national champions, five in wrestling and five in track & field.






