The following was written for the July 2008 issue of Inside Lacrosse:
Close Shave
Salisbury endured uncharacteristic hiccups, but stayed unbeaten for its fifth title in six seasons
Another year, another Sea Gull championship. For the better part of this decade, the DIII national championship trophy has graced the confines of Salisbury’s athletic department so frequently, it’s practically had to declare residency on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
But as their eighth title trophy is placed next to its brethren this offseason, the Gulls will breathe an unfamiliar sigh of relief. Though they went undefeated, it was a decidedly bumpier road than in years past.
In the previous five seasons, Salisbury had played just six one-goal games (only two of those were losses), but this year
they played four — one per month — including a crucial double OT win over Gettysburg in the NCAA semifinals.
“It came down to the wire many times this season,” says junior midfielder Kylor Berkman, the DIII Player of the Year who
finished second to senior Matt Hickman on the team with 83 points. “We had to buckle down a lot.”
Much of the nail-biting had to do with a new-look defense.
After losing every defensive starter to graduation, coach Jim Berkman (Kylor’s father) had to work with talent that, for the most part, had yet to see much action.
Since he knew he had the offensive firepower, he challenged his defense to mature right away.
“I told them, ‘This is a different year; we know we’re going to score, so if we’re going to have a great season, it’s going to be on you guys,’” says Berkman. “I kind of laid it on them early in the year.”
Ryan Phillips, Ben Sandlin and Kevin Maynard stepped up at close defense, but it was the development of the defensive middies that took time as Salisbury moved through the season. Kevin Kustron started the season playing on the first offensive midfield before Berkman switched him to d-middie; Will Poletis, who had an assist in the championship game, moved from second-line midfield to defense.
Eventually, as the new d-middies grew comfortable with their role, the defense — and the team — started to click.
Trailing 12-9 at the start of the fourth quarter at conference foe Villa Julie, the Sea Gulls shut out the Mustangs in the last frame and scored five of their own to escape with a one-goal win.
“That was a big turning point to finish the game like that,” says senior attackman Greg Titus, who went undefeated in his career at Salisbury. “We ended up becoming clutch in that game and that experience helped us in the Gettysburg [double OT semifinal] game later that season.”
Having worked out all the kinks, Salisbury was poised for another smooth sail to the championship when, before the semifinals, their two starting goalkeepers Riley Clark (eight starts) and Zach Krissoff (11 starts) were removed from the team following an arrest for vandalism.
Once again, the focus shifted to defense: could fifth-year senior Nick Fiorentino, who had made just one start his entire career, keep Salisbury’s championship hopes afloat?
Fiorentino was up to the task, outlasting Gettysburg in the semis and posting 14 saves to beat Cortland in the final at Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium.
“I was excited, nervous and pumped. To have this all work out is a dream come true,” Fiorentino said after the final.
Though the season might have been slightly different from what most Salisbury teams have experienced, one theme stayed true to tradition: when roles needed to be filled, players stepped up.
“There’s this saying we have here,” Kylor Berkman says. “We don’t rebuild, we reload. And right now there are a bunch of freshmen and sophomores waiting in the wings for next year.”
The national championship trophy will be waiting as well.
