Saturday adds another installment to the War on the Shore series when Washington visits Salisbury at 1 p.m.
On paper, the game doesn't appear competitive as the Sea Gulls are 17-1 and poised to earn one of the top two seeds in the Southern region of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Meanwhile, the Shoremen are 4-9 and have dropped six of their last seven contests.
But don't buy into the records, Salisbury coach Jim Berkman cautioned. Even though the Sea Gulls have won 11 of the last 12 meetings – including the last nine – they know what to expect on Saturday.
"There's a lot of tradition to this game, and that plays into the emotions," Berkman said. "Washington College has had two weeks to practice since their last game, and I'm sure that in the back of their minds, they're thinking, 'This could make our season.' … Watching them on film, they're a very solid team. They have good athletes, they're well-organized, they're well-coached. They've had some hard luck in some one-goal games. They've got a huge goalie who is good. We're going to have to play well – as we have all season – against a very good team."
Asked if his players view Saturday's game as the team's Super Bowl, Washington coach J.B. Clarke replied, "I think certainly in the back of their minds, they're thinking that way. … But the hype of the game doesn't require us to give them many motivational tools this week. When you're playing in a game like this, I think one of the main things you have to do is almost calm them down so that they just don't go out there like chickens with their heads cut off. So I don't think that will be something we'll need to use this week."