Game of the Week: Salisbury at Stevenson

DIII lacrosse could be thrown for a loop if Salisbury falls to Stevenson in the CAC championship, as a loss would most likely keep the Gulls from defending their national championship in the NCAA tournament. Furthermore, the Gulls have never lost a CAC championship since the conference's inception. I have been hesitant to declare the end of an era of Salisbury dominance, but a loss Saturday would make such claims pretty difficult to refute.

However, the Maroon and Gold faithful can rest easy because Swank thinks the Gulls are about to unleash an unholy storm on the Mustangs. Admittedly, this begs the question of why? Why should anyone expect Salisbury to turn it around in the midst of a dissapointing season? For me, it seems obvious. There is an incredible amount pride in the Salisbury program, both from alumni and current players. Need proof? Just take a look at this. This pride instills a work ethic in every player and makes each of them accountable to a far higher standard than any other program in the nation. The Salisbury swagger, a direct result of the aforementioned pride and so prevalent in the past, has been nowhere to be seen this year. Fortunately for the Gulls, after dropping an embarassing game to St. Mary's, something seems to have clicked. Their unmitigated annihilation of those same Seahawks in the CAC semifinals gave me all the confidence I need in picking the Gulls this weekend. With the season on the line, I expect Salisbury will handle their business Sunday and take down Stevenson. Some games are about matchups, X's and O's and statistics. This one is all about the intangibles of a great program.