Salisbury's first winning streak of the season has coincided with an adjustment in how two attackmen play their roles.
Seniors Mike Kane and Kyle Goss have been asked to dodge and initiate more. Kane, a two-year starter who led the Sea Gulls last spring in goals with 48, has shifted from his usual position on the crease to the wing. Goss has been moved from the midfield to attack.
The point, according to coach Jim Berkman, is to utilize Kane's 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame and Goss' 6-3, 210-pound mass against opposing defensemen.
"We probably have not dodged as much from the attack as we have recently because we've had more shooter kids," Berkman said Tuesday morning. "Now these big guys can grind it out and force you to cover them with two people. If not, they've been getting to the goal."
The changes appear to be working. Goss recorded three goals and one assist in Wednesday's 13-4 victory over Hampden-Sydney and four goals and two assists in Saturday's 17-6 rout of St. Mary's in the Capital Athletic Conference opener for both sides.
After getting shut out against Hampden-Sydney, Kane scored three goals against St. Mary's, posting his first hat trick since scoring four times in a season-opening 24-1 thrashing of Greensboro on Feb. 7. Even sophomore Carson Kalama, the third starting attackman, is getting into the act, accumulating five goals and one assist as Salisbury (4-3) has moved up from No. 17 to No. 15 in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll.
Berkman said their efforts have given the first midfield some shooting room. In the two wins, junior James Burton has registered six goals and four assists, senior Sean Fitzgerald has compiled two goals and six assists, and junior Thomas Cirillo has scored four times.
"I think it's putting a little sense of urgency [in opposing defense] that you've got to help down there on those two, and now the middies get an extra step," Berkman said. "It's a win-win situation, I think."