Salisbury coach Jim Berkman has never lacked confidence. And according to Berkman, the same could be said of his players.
The Sea Gulls have strung together their first winning streak of the season after cruising to convincing wins against Hampden-Sydney a week ago and Capital Athletic Conference rival St. Mary's on Saturday. It was a welcomed relief after the team lost to Gettysburg and Ohio Wesleyan in back-to-back games.
But when asked Tuesday if the victories had raised team morale, Berkman said: "Our kids have never had a shortage of confidence."
Salisbury (4-3) – which moved from No. 17 to No. 15 in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll – will get a chance to get its first significant win of the spring when it visits No. 10 Cabrini (3-2) on Wednesday. The Cavaliers' only losses have occurred at the hands of No. 2 Rochester Institute of Technology and No. 11 Lynchburg.
"Great team," Berkman said of Cabrini. "Virtually had the game won in the [Carrier] Dome against RIT the other day, but let it slip away at the end [in a 12-11 setback on Saturday]. They've got four to five outstanding offensive players. It's going to be a battle."
And Berkman didn't budge when asked if a victory over the Cavaliers would send a statement about the Sea Gulls. "I view it as an opportunity to beat a real good team," he said.
Cabrini is averaging 11.2 goals per game and has scored at least 10 times in three games. Salisbury has surrendered just 6.6 goals per game, and Berkman said the defense's play will be key.
"I want to see us play defense like we have in every game so far this year," he said. "We've played lockdown defense against every team, and if we play great defense and we continue to shoot and finish and get better on offense, I like our chances against anybody."