Here is the final installment of a series taking a look at each of the eight Division III programs in the state according to their order of finish from last season. This is Salisbury's turn.
Overview: The Sea Gulls won 21 of 22 games last season and advanced to the NCAA tournament final for the 15th time. But for the fifth time in its history, the program was denied a national title, falling to Tufts, 12-9, at M&T Bank Stadium. It was a shocking and disappointing end for Salisbury, which had hoped to capture its third crown in the past four years. The team is No. 3 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's preseason poll, though, and a trip to the title game for the fifth time in six years is not out of the question.
Reason for optimism: Just like last season, the defense is expected to be the Sea Gulls' strong point.
A unit that allowed 6.6 goals per game last spring graduated a pair of first-team All-Americans in defenseman Josh Martin (25 ground balls and 23 caused turnovers) and long-stick midfielder Zeke Smith (73 GB, 36 CT) and another starter in goalkeeper Alex Taylor (6.74 goals-against average, .575 save percentage).
But Salisbury returns two starting defensemen in seniors Knute Kraus (46 GB, 21 CT) and Centennial's Austin Kemp (39 GB, 16 CT) and two short-stick defensive midfielders in junior Preston Dabbs (16 GB, 19 CT) and junior Davis Anderson (43 GB, 19 CT). Kraus and Dabbs were All-America selections last season.
Junior Danny Sherr, a starter two years ago before chronic foot problems ended his 2013 campaign prematurely and forced him to miss the entire 2014 season, has joined Kraus and Kemp on close defense. But the biggest revelation has been senior long-stick midfielder Marty Wallace (42 GB, 24 CT), whom coach Jim Berman said has picked up where Smith left off.
"Marty was always the guy that could get the ball on the ground," Berkman said. "He's got a knack for taking the ball away, and he's always been able to do that. But I just see a little bit more confidence now that he's the No. 1 guy. There's a little bit more of a swagger, a little bit more of a sense of confidence that you see with him that goes with, 'Hey, I'm the man this year, I'm the No. 1 guy.' To have some of the skills that he had and that confidence, his game has definitely taken a step up."
Reason for pessimism: If there is one question about the defense, it is in the cage, where the task of replacing three-year starter Alex Taylor has fallen to senior Dan Feeney.
The younger brother of former Bucknell goalkeeper Kyle Feeney, Dan Feeney played the entire first half Saturday against Greensboro, allowing zero goals and making one save in a 24-1 win.
Berkman praised Feeney, who will attend law school after graduation, for his intelligence. But he added that he worries about "Dan being Dan Feeney."
"He's got a certain skill set that he has to utilize," he said. "He can't try to be somebody that he isn't. He can't try to make big plays. He's just got to keep things simple because he has a veteran defense and doesn't need to be making any spectacular clearing passes. Just get the ball to Knute and Austin and Danny and we'll clear it 100 percent. So we just want him to keep it simple, do what he does well. As I told him: 'The days I don't even notice you out there, those are good days.' "
Keep an eye on: Salisbury's faceoff duties could be shared this spring.
With the graduation of Chris Biank (54.1 percent, 94 GB), the team is turning to sophomore Cameron Maples and freshman Brooks Eibner to take the draws this spring.
Maples, who backed up Biank, won 50 percent (7-for-14) of his faceoffs against Greensboro and picked up four ground balls. Eibner won 85.7 percent (12-for-14) and tied Anderson with a team-best five ground balls.
Asked whether he would prefer to go with a veteran such as Maples or rely on the raw potential of Eibner, Berkman said: "Right now, I think we've just got to play that out and see how it goes and see who does better. I think that's only going to come during the course of time and getting some game opportunities to see who does it better when the lights are on."
What he said: Leaving Memorial Day weekend without a national championship is unfamiliar ground for the Sea Gulls, so it's not shocking that Berkman said there's a sense of determination among the players and coaches as they seek redemption.
"It's not different from any other year," he said. "People are motivated to try to get back to the championship game. I think it's been a good focus that we've got a veteran defense returning and a sense that we have an opportunity to return. Once you get there and you play in that environment, it definitely motivates you to go back and I think it encourages people to really work hard in the offseason to try to get back there. A lot of other kids have never had that experience and don't know what it's like to be the greatest thing in lacrosse. To have that feeling and desire to go back sometimes gets kids out of the door to do some things that maybe don't happen at certain places."