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remember One Shining Moment TWICE AS SWEET
Déja vu indeed! Lest anyone has forgotten that lightning bolt of two years ago, I've assembled the text and photos from several news sources (see links below) on the 2005 NCAA men's lacrosse Division III Championship Game, played on a beautiful spring day at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, just to prove that lightning can and did strike twice. With the score knotted at 10, our nephew (Jo Anne's sister's son) CHRIS PHILLIPS, a Salisbury University junior attackman, again fired the championship-winning goal, his second goal of the day, this time with only five seconds left in the game. This was Salisbury's third consecutive national championship and their 49th consecutive win, an all-division record. Chris was recently named a Division III first-team All-American.
The Baltimore Sun | Lacrosse Magazine | Inside Lacrosse | NCAA Sports Lax.com | SU Sports Information Having picked up a missed shot behind the crease and moved out in front, Chris eyes the goal. Middlebury 2 3 3 2 - 10 (photo from www.lax.com) SALISBURY 3 2 2 4 - 11
click on photos for larger version
Charging around the defender as the clock winds down, Chris winds up. (photo from www.lax.com)
Even more family, who came from near and far, came to the Linc this year to support Chris and the Gulls.
Chris finishes off Middlebury (again!) with a low, hard one from about eight yards out. (photo from www.lax.com)
Chris (center) and Sea Gull teammates celebrate the game winner. (photo from www.lax.com)
http://www.ipa.udel.edu/deshon/lax/[2/24/12 9:00:59 AM] One Shining Moment - May 25, 2003
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go to Twice as Sweet ONE SHINING MOMENT
In an effort to preserve a brief, but glorious, moment in what we refer to as history (even as quickly as the moment passes), I've assembled the text and photos from four news sources (see links below) on the 2003 NCAA men's lacrosse Division III Championship Game, played on a cool, wet day on a sloppy field in Ravens (M&T Bank) Stadium in Baltimore. The venue became center stage for our nephew (Jo Anne's sister's son) CHRIS PHILLIPS, the Salisbury University sophomore attackman whose three-goal, three-assist day was capped off by scoring the championship-winning goal in overtime.
The Baltimore Sun | The Daily Times | Inside Lacrosse | NCAA Sports Family supporters, who came from near and far, Middlebury 3 1 4 5 0 - 13 delighted in the outcome and its sudden star. SALISBURY 3 7 1 2 1 - 14
Championship team photo Chris is somewhere at the bottom of this pile. (photo from www.salisbury.edu) (photo from www.salisbury.edu)
Chris answers questions at press conference. (photo from www.salisbury.edu)
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from The Baltimore Sun
Salisbury hangs on for 3rd straight title
Late goal by Phillips edges Middlebury, 11-10, secures 49th win in row
by Kent Baker Sun Staff Originally published May 30, 2005
PHILADELPHIA - The Sea Gulls still rule the waters of NCAA Division III men's lacrosse.
The operative numbers were three, four, six and 49 yesterday after Salisbury outlasted a gritty and talented Middlebury team, 11-10, to win the 2005 division championship before 21,052 on an ideal afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field.
It was the third straight national title for Salisbury (20-0), its fourth such crown that climaxed an undefeated season and its sixth championship overall.
Where does 49 fit in? That's the number of consecutive games won by the Sea Gulls since they lost to Lynchburg on April 10, 2003 - an NCAA record for any division.
The threepeat did not come without a begrudging battle from Middlebury (17-2), which carried a 15-game winning streak of its own into its sixth title game in seven years.
With an 18-6 advantage in faceoffs, a 39-33 edge in shots and 13 more ground balls scooped, the Panthers pressed the issue all day before a familiar hero, Chris Phillips, capped a three-goal Salisbury rally with 5.6 seconds remaining to decide an evenly matched game.
The junior attackman from nearby Media, Pa., is the same player who scored an overtime goal two years ago at M&T Bank Stadium to give the Sea Gulls a 14-13 victory in the finale against Middlebury. "I picked up a ground ball off the [teammate Justin] Smith shot, looked at the clock and it said 10 seconds, so I decided to go to the goal," Phillips said. "I just put my head down and went for it. I knew I had to put it away."
Middlebury won the ensuing faceoff but could not muster an adequate shot from long range.
The final gun touched off a lengthy celebration by the Sea Gulls, who tossed a number of gloves to their backers as they departed the field. One player, senior Jeff Bigas, even launched his stick into the stands.
The most outstanding player award went to Sea Gulls goalie Dan Korpon (Severna Park), who made four spectacular saves in the first five minutes to prevent Middlebury from gaining an early lead. Korpon finished with 12 stops and a lot of satisfaction.
"These are the kids that everybody said were done after last year," Korpon said. "Nobody gave us a chance. This past summer some of us were sitting on the beach saying we weren't going to lose again this year. I'm just really proud of everybody, especially the seniors."
Neither team ever led by more than two goals as control swayed back and forth. From a point late in the third quarter until the middle of the fourth, the Panthers spurted with five of six scores and took a 10-8 edge. But an extra-man goal got Salisbury rolling again, and with 2:15 remaining, the game was tied.
"In this kind of game, it's just whoever has the momentum at the end," said Middlebury midfielder Peter Mellen, who won 14 of 19 draws. "That's kind of how it works."
Sea Gulls coach Jim Berkman decided to hold for the final shot attempt, controlling the ball before calling a timeout with 19.3 seconds to go. Then came Smith's miss and Phillips' winner.
Salisbury finished first in the nation in scoring (18.2 a game) and first in scoring defense (6.05).
That is usually an unbeatable combination.
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by Paul Krome of Lacrosse Magazine
DIII Final: 3-Peat for Salisbury, Phillips Does It Again To Middlebury
05/29/2005 PHILADELPHIA—Salisbury junior attackman Chris Phillips picked a great time to re-emerge from a seemingly game-long slumber in today's NCAA Division III final against third-ranked Middlebury before a record crowd at Lincoln Financial Field.
But given the circumstances and the opponent, his timing should come as no surprise.
Phillips, held otherwise in check by Panther defenseman Ed Brown after netting the game's first goal, circled around Middlebury's Gabe Wood to an open area about eight yards from the goal and fired a left-handed shot past Alex Palmisano with 5.6 seconds left to lift his top-ranked Sea Gulls to a come-from-behind, 11-10 win and their third consecutive national championship. Palmisano had just saved a game-winning attempt by Justin Smith 10 seconds earlier, but Phillips got the ball and patiently went to work on Wood, who had spent much of the game guarding Eric Bishop. Phillips' winner gave Salisbury its sixth NCAA championship and NCAA-record-extending 49th consecutive victory.
"I just put my head down and went for it. I knew I had to put it away," said Phillips, a native of nearby Media, Pa., who called playing in the NFL venue "the coolest thing I'd ever seen."
Phillips has proven to be the thorn in the Panthers' side, twice preventing them from adding to their three national titles. It was Phillips who ended Middlebury's three-championship run with an overtime goal in the 2003 final in Baltimore.
He may never have gotten the chance for glory had it not been for the stellar performance of Salisbury goalie Dan Korpon, who earned Most Outstanding Player honors with 12 saves. He made five saves in the fourth quarter, when Middlebury finally put Peter Mellen's dominant faceoff play to use in surging to a 10-8 lead. Mellen won 14 of 19 faceoffs, and freshman teammate Dave Campbell claimed four of five as the Panthers controlled play throughout. Middlebury held a 50-37 advantage in shots, and did experience success against Korpon in the middle two quarters with six goals. But the senior, who won his 76th game, made the saves when his team needed him to in the fourth quarter.
"Every big game that we've had a close game this year, he's had 14 to 16 saves. He's gotten no respect for four years because they've always said that everybody else was better," said Salisbury head coach Jim Berkman, who has guided the Sea Gulls to eight championship game appearances in his 17 years at the helm. "But to be a champion, you have to have a goalie, and I'm very proud of how resilient he's been. ... He showed today why he's the best goalie in Division III."
After Salisbury's Justin Smith provided the fourth tie of the game, at 8-8, with an assisted marker following a rare Sea Gull faceoff win to start the final period, Panther sophomore Nick Salisbury goalie Dan Korpon was named the DIII Bastis tied a career-high with his third goal at 10:20, beating defenseman Tony Incontrera to put championship Most Middlebury ahead, 9-8. Less than two minutes later, Dave Leach fired a rocket past Korpon to Outstanding Player of the put Salisbury down by two at the latest point in a game this year. game.
But a slash by Middlebury's Mike Murray, one of six Panther penalties, would prove costly. Mike Hurley scored an extra- man goal on an assist from Dan Boyer at 5:24. Jimmy Creighton then netted his second goal of the game just over a minute later to set the stage for the final moments. Korpon stopped a shot by Leach with about 2:40 to play, then corralled the ball and raced upfield to start the final possession. Salisbury effectively ran time off the clock and used two timeouts to set up Smith's attempt to win the game.
"These nine seniors have done something no other Sea Gull team has ever done, and that's win three consecutive national titles," said Berkman. "When you think about it, we've won 49 games in a row, and that's pretty incomprehensible. That's almost three years without losing a game, but we have a great senior class and great leadership, and we're very fortunate to be here today."
"I'm really proud of these guys and how far they've come during the year," said Middlebury head coach Erin Quinn, who concluded his 14th year at his alma mater. "We graduated 13 guys last year. Early in the year, some of the wins we had, we were young with a long way to go. We weren't thinking about sitting here and being disappointed with a one-goal, late loss against a great Salisbury team that's won their 49th straight game."
Nine different players scored for Salisbury, which finishes 20-0. Middlebury concludes its season at 17-2. It was the http://www.ipa.udel.edu/deshon/lax/laxmag.html[2/24/12 9:15:41 AM] Twice As Sweet - May 29, 2005
teams' fourth meeting in the NCAA championship game. The Sea Gulls have won three of those encounters. A crowd of 21,052 passed through the turnstiles for this game and the Division II final featuring Limestone and NYIT, largest ever for the Sunday of the men's championship weekend.
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by Bob Lessick of Inside Lacrosse
Salisbury holds off Middlebury for DIII title
05/29/2005 PHILADELPHIA—A championship-winning goal is nothing new for Salisbury junior Chris Phillips. As a sophomore, Phillips nailed the overtime game-winner to beat Middlebury for the 2003 championship at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium. Today’s game-winner with 5.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field was more satisfying for Phillips, who grew up nearby in Media, Pa.
“Of course it’s sweeter,” said Phillips of doing it in his hometown. “I can’t believe I’m playing at the Linc right now. I still can’t believe it.”
Yesterday, Phillips and some friends snuck a football onto the field for practice before stadium officials kicked them off.
“At practice yesterday, when we were in it by ourselves, I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen," he said. "It was awesome.”
Phillips’ goal capped a three-goal fourth quarter rally to give Salisbury the 11-10 victory and its third straight championship. The win extended Salisbury’s all-division-record win streak to 49 games over three seasons. The Sea Gulls’ last loss was on April 10, 2003, in the regular season to Lynchburg.
“Congratulations to Salisbury for pulling it out in the end,” Middlebury coach Erin Quinn said. “It was a championship- caliber day.”
The Sea Gulls were able to claim the crown despite being dominated in face-offs and groundballs. The anticipated matchup between Middlebury’s Peter Mellen and Salisbury’s Bryan Bradford was completely one-sided, with the Panthers taking 18 of the game’s 24 draws. The groundball edge went 40-26 in favor of the runners-up as well.
A combination of Middlebury turnovers and the stellar play of tournament MVP Dan Korpon between the pipes kept Salisbury close to give the Gulls a chance to win it in the end.
“He was the MVP today, first quarter,” said Salisbury head coach Jim Berkman of his senior All-American goaltender. “He’s got no respect for four years because they’ve always said everybody else was better. But to be a champion, you have to have a great goalie and I’m proud of how resilient he’s been. He showed today why he is the best goalie in Division III.”
An early save by Korpon led to Salisbury’s first goal, when Phillips converted an Eric Bishop feed with 11:37 left in the first to draw first blood in the contest. Bishop scored a man-up goal a minute later to make it a 2-0 game.
Jim Cabrera got Middlebury on the board after beating defenseman Chris Heier, but the Sea Gulls answered when Casey Olejniczak scored from straight away off an assist by Mike Hurley with 2:37 showing.
Middlebury fought back to tie the game midway through the quarter on back-to-back goals following clean face-off wins by Mellen. Henry Sheehan scored with 7:51 left in the half after defender Tony Incontrera tripped over the back of the goal cage. Mellen got it to Nick Bastis, who netted his first of three goals with 7:05 left to make it a 4-4 game. Mellen won a third straight clean draw, but Aaron Herter dropped a pass while in good position to score. Salisbury picked up the groundball and Mike Edwards quick-sticked a Hurley pass to put Salisbury back on top.
The Panthers got the final goal of the half after Dave Campbell won the face-off and Sheehan scored by faking high and shooting low with 5:07 remaining. The Panthers went into the break ahead 9-3 on draws and 28-17 on groundballs.
“I was excited to be tied 5-5 because I thought three of their goals were on mistakes,” said Berkman. “I thought if we could play six-on-six and have the right people on the field, then we could win.”
Salisbury seemed to take control early in the third when Smith and Matt Dasinger both scored to make it 7-5 with 9:22 on the clock. Middlebury fought back with three straight to go back on top. Herter scored an unassisted goal off a failed clear by Salisbury with 5:25 left to cut the lead in half. Mellen won the draw and then took a fed from Jamie Duke to tie it with 4:55 showing while catching the Sea Gulls in a substitution. Bastis put Middlebury ahead with 27 seconds remaining in an unsettled situation after Middlebury picked up a groundball off a bad outlet pass from Panther goalie Alex
http://www.ipa.udel.edu/deshon/lax/insidelax.html[2/24/12 9:15:43 AM] Twice As Sweet - May 29, 2005
Palmisano.
Salisbury tied it 20 seconds into the fourth when long pole Jeff Bigas picked up the groundball on the draw and then beat Chip Campbell and found the back of the net. The Panthers answered when Bastis burned Incontrera to put Middlebury ahead 9-8 at the 10:20 mark. Middlebury seemed to take a commanding 10-8 lead on an unassisted score by Dave Leach with 8:48 left.
The Sea Gulls began the championship-winning three-goal run on an extra-man goal by Hurley with 5:24 left. Salisbury won the draw on the wing, and Jimmy Creighton eventually took advantage, netting a goal to tie it with 4:01 left. Middlebury won the draw, but Salisbury got it back on a Korpon save on a shot by Dave Leach with 2:33 left.
Salisbury ran down the clock by isolating Creighton behind the cage on short-stick midfielder Dave Campbell. A timeout with 19 seconds left set up a play to All-American Justin Smith. Smith got off a shot that was stopped, but Phillips picked up the groundball and beat Gabe Wood for the score with 5.6 seconds left. Phillips went bottom right past Palmisano on the climactic shot.
“We wanted to make sure we got the last shot of the game,” recalled Berkman. “We went to Justin Smith, who I think is one of the best players in the country. He beat his kid and that ball went about four inches above the goal. Phillips was fortunate enough to come up with the groundball. We talked before the game about shooting that ball down low because the scouting report was [Phillips] high. He put it down low right in the corner on the off-stick side.”
“I picked up the groundball off of Smith’s shot and I looked at the clock and there was about 10 seconds left and I just decided to go to the goal,” Phillips said. “I just put my head down and went for it. I knew I had to put it away.”
Mellen was about to face Chris Sgritta on the final draw, but after a Middlebury timeout, Berkman went back to Bradford, who won 66 percent of his face-offs on the season before being handled today. Bradford was able to direct the ball away from the Middlebury attack zone to effectively run out the clock and preserve the victory.
“Our two long poles on the wing were down at the end of the sticks,” said Berkman. "There was no way they were going to get the ball below them. Bryan’s a smart kid – he had got beat all day, but he’s smart enough to know how to make a kid go backwards. He went down the line and there was no way that ball was going forward.”
Korpon stopped 12 shots in his MVP effort, including five in the first quarter to keep his team in the game, and five more in the fourth to allow his teammates to win it.
“Everyone said we were done after last year’s seniors graduated,” said Korpon. “Nobody gave us a chance. I can remember four or five of us going down to the beach and saying ‘We’re not going to lose this year.’ That’s what we wanted to do and I’m just really proud of everybody.”
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from the NCAA
2003 Division III Men's Lacrosse: Salisbury 11, Middlebury 10
05/29/2005 PHILADELPHIA - When you’ve been to the NCAA championship game six times in seven years, it’s almost impossible to be considered underdogs. Third seed Middlebury College (17-3), however, entered the title game as heavy underdogs as they took on top seed Salisbury University (20-0), a team that had won an NCAA record 48-consecutive games en route to two consecutive national championships.
Unfortunately for Middlebury, old habits die hard.
Junior attacker, and Media, Pa., native Chris Phillips fired the game-winning goal past Middlebury goalie Alex Palmisano with 5.6 seconds remaining to lift Salisbury to an 11-10 win over a game Panthers’ squad and their third-consecutive Division III national championship.
“I picked up the ground ball,” explained Phillips, “And looked at the clock. I saw 10 seconds left and I decided to go for the goal. I put my head down and got the shot off. It feels awesome.”
Phillips is no stranger to heroics as he also scored the overtime, game-winning goal to defeat Middlebury in the national championship game two seasons ago. Although both were memorable, he enjoyed this championship-winning tally more because the game was played near his hometown and in his favorite stadium.
“I was tossing around a football here yesterday after practice,” he said. “To be in this stadium with no fans around was awesome, but to see all of these fans was really something.”
Despite Phillips’ heroics, it was Salisbury senior goaltender and first-team All American Dan Korpon’s play that garnered the most attention. His 12 saves, several of the spectacular variety, earned Korpon the Most Outstanding Player award and kept his team in the game as they struggled offensively for the first 54 minutes of play.
“I’ve been a fan of his for four years,” said Salisbury Head Coach Jim Berkman. “He got what he deserved today. He’s gotten no respect for four years. I’m very proud of him and the way he played. He proved he was the best goalie in Division III.”
Despite his superb effort, Korpon chose to view his efforts as just one part of a greater whole.
“I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary,” said Korpon. “I played a team game. I tried to do my part and everybody else did their part.”
Salisbury started the game on a mission to prove to the record crowd of 20,803 fans exactly why they were the prohibitive favorites. Phillips and sophomore Eric Bishop each netted an early goal to stake the Sea Gulls to an early 2-0 lead. Both teams settled in after those tallies and exchanged several goals highlighted by Panthers attacker Jim Cabrera’s 36th of the season.
Junior Henry Sheehan and sophomore Nick Bastis fueled a Middlebury mini-run midway through the second quarter. Both players netted unassisted goals within a minute of each other to tie the game at 4-4 with just over seven minutes remaining. After a Mike Edwards’ goal restored the Sea Gulls lead, Sheehan connected on a brilliant Bastis’ feed to tie the game going into the half.
Salisbury’s leading scorer Justin Smith commenced third quarter scoring when he fired a laser shot behind Palmisano for his 49th goal of the season. When his teammate Matt Dasinger tallied less than two minutes later, it appeared theat the Sea Gulls might take control of the game.
Middlebury, however, responded one more time with a three-goal run at the end of the quarter to take their first lead. Aaron Herter, Peter Mellen, and Bastis each scored in a five-minute span that saw Middlebury dominate their widely heralded, undefeated opponent.
“I was really proud of my guys,” said Middlebury Head Coach Erin Quinn. “We played hard throughout and stayed with a great team to the end.”
In the end, however, the Sea Gulls extended their winning streak to 49 games, the longest current streak in Division III athletics and the longest ever in any NCAA division, with three unanswered goals in the final six minutes, capped by Phillips’ game-winner. Salisbury also picked up its sixth national championship, all of which have come with Jim
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Berkman at the controls.
“We have a lot of pride and tradition,” said Berkman. “The kids know when they put on the maroon and gold jersey that they have a responsibility to the guys that played here before them.”
With their third consecutive championship, this senior class has not only met the standard of their predecessors at Salisbury, but also exceeded it.
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by Neil of Lax.com
Salisbury Reclaims Title With 4th Quarter Surge
05/29/2005 PHILADELPHIA—Salisbury goalie Dan Korpon stood on his head today, repeatedly turning away point blank offerings from Middlebury. Strong games were had from MIddlebury's Jim Cabrera, Nick Bastis, faceoff specialist Peter Mellen, Salisbury's Chris Phillips, Justin Smith, and Jeff Bigas.
Middlebury fogo Peter Mellen started the action on the day with a rake left after which he collected the ball himself, drove straight into the hole and let it fly a little wide. Salisbury would clear and start in a 2-3-1 until losing the ball in the middle during a scrum. Longstick Jim Guay initiated a break for Middlebury on a nice goose up to a breaking middie but Middlebury shot wide on the break.
Dan Korpon would start his efforts on the day by robbing Middlebury attackman Henry Sheehan as he snuck around from X and grabbed a feed from the top of the box for a one on one. Shortly afterwards Salisbury Tournament MVP Dan Korpon stuffs a point-blank would make do with that possession; Eric Bishop rotated the ball across Middlebury shot in the championship game. the top to Chris Phillips, and Phillips stepped in and nailed a nice lefty rip to the top right corner on Alex Palmisano for a 1-0 lead.
Middlebury freshman Jim Cabrera set up off to Korpon’s right on the goal line extended, drove underneath and rolled in front of the cage, but was denied by Korpon. On the Salisbury clear Henry Sheehan got flagged for a :30 second push while chasing down a pole on the sideline. That EMO would push Salisbury to a 2-0 lead. Middlebury got caught with their D pretty high in the hole and Eric Bishop snuck into position on the left pipe while the ball was opposite. Dan Boyer found Bishop across the face of the goal for a layup.
Another extended possession for Salisbury would follow, with a couple good shots until Palmisano gobbled one up and cleared. Henry Sheehan started the Middlebury offensive set off with nice power dodge into the middle from the left pipe, only to see it rebound off the iron. But Middlebury would finally get on the board, to make it 2-1 when Cabrera performed another nice roll from GLE that he converted on – longstick Chris Heier went for the over-the-head and no slides filled in time.
Middlebury controlled the next face and finally saw some time of possession, but the teams would trade goals to close out the first quarter. A near miss from Middlebury to top corner, a successful Salisbury clear, a big save from Palmisano, a bigger save from Korpon, and then Salisbury would cash in a chip. Casey Olejniczak started in the lefty shooter’s spot on a drive into the middle for a bouncer on the run. It caught Palmisano offside low and moved the Gulls to 3-1. But Middlebury answered almost immediately when senior middie Dave Leach caught his own rebound on a driving righty blast, circled around X and found Mark Foster opposite high. Foster ripped it from 7 yards out with time and room to make it 3-2 and the quarter ran out.
The defense for both squads saw some intense highlights to start the new period. Salisbury’s Tony Incontrera caught Jonathan Sisto with a perfectly timed whirly bird while Sisto was driving to X, and after a pipe rebound for Salisbury Jim Guay delivered a bruising slide on the ensuing scrum. But right afterwards each of those efforts was undermined by couple of unforced errors – Middlebury’s Sisto couldn’t handle a pass at the opposite bottom of a break started by Dave Leach, then Salisbury threw it out on the endline just as they brought it down from a clear.
The Gulls then moved to a high crease and started working the shorti’s behind to good results. They bumped it to 4-2 when Jimmy Creighton rocked and rolled off to Palmisano’s left just a couple of yards out. He rolled back to the outside and sunk it low on the overhand with just a little bit of angle. On Middlebury’s next possession they tried a little of the same magic. They moved to a packed crease and took some runs with their middies until Henry Sheehan collected it at X, and as Incontrera was rotating over to Sheehan, Incontrera tripped over the back of the goal. Sheehan just walked around the corner lefty to sink it.
Some trading of goals followed. Middlebury tied it up for the first time when Nick Bastis, with Jeff Bigas smothering him, angled around the pipe from a drive starting at X. He turned back to the outside, and with absolutely no angle, snuck it by Korpon. Bigas could do nothing but raise his arms in frustration. Soon after Salisbury’s Mike Hurley was moving around from X and found Mike Edwards opposite pipe for a dunk and a 5-4 lead. Middlebury answered on a sneak from
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Sheehan at X; with Salisbury’s defense hanging out well above the goal line Nick Bastis found Sheehan for the dunk.
With the half winding down, Middlebury couldn’t handle an easy pass to top center, Salisbury forced a dodge into a double team, then Salisbury lost the ball on a bad out of bounds call (one of Middlebury’s longsticks clearly kicked it out). So with 1:41 left in the half Middlebury called timeout to try and settle things down a little bit. After the huddle Jim Cabrera did a deep full circle around the goal, even losing the ball once, then divebombed in from his favorite spot on the left goal line extended to draw a pushing EMO on Chris Heier as he neared the crease.
Salisbury held strong on the EMO, and even managed to draw a slashing flag during Luis Gonzalez’s coast to coast clear to run out the half and kill the penalty.
Salisbury started with possession on the whistle because of the slashing flag, and almost converted when Justin Smith took a dip and dunk drive on the GLE but had the apparent goal waved off after he nicked the crease. But Smith would get his chance just a little bit later when, after driving from top left into the middle, sunk a righty blast on the run to put the Gulls up at 6-5. After a few series on both ends Salisbury would extend the lead to two yet again; Sophomore Matt Dasinger made a straight line to the right pipe from just right of center at the top of the box, and while moving straight towards the goal unleashed an overhand righty that caught Palmisano to the offside.
Salisbury drew a flag for :30 seconds on Chip Campbell’s push from behind, and after Middlebury managed to outlive the penalty time they struck back to close the lead to one. Aaron Herter collected the ball about 10 yards out, dropped his stick, and sent it over Korpon’s shoulder in a perfectly placed rip. Then Middlebury’s pitbull of a faceoff specialist, Peter Mellen, got into the action outside of the center circle. He tied it up 7-7 on a blast from center after regaining possession. On the day, Mellen also went an astounding 18 of 24 on faceoff draws.
Jim Cabrera (200 lbs) crushed Salisbury’s Matt Dashinger with a brutal hit on some great riding but drew a flag (it was actually a clean hit). Dashinger actually managed to hold on to the ball, and Cabrera was in the box for an illegal bodycheck. Palmisano gobbled up the first shot on the EMO, Middlebury successfully cleared but then threw into nowhere once the longstick running the sidelines got into trouble. It came back down Palmisano’s way, but he stoned Matt Dashinger’s rip and landed a great outlet pass the other way. That outlet led to delayed break which ended with Nick Bastis burying it on the doorstep after Jim Cabrera found him on standard break rotation. Middlebury would take their first lead of the game, at 8-7, and close out the third quarter with it.
Salisbury quickly tied when, from the wing on the face, close pole Jeff Bigas grabbed the rake and took it into the right side of the box himself. He stalled for a little bit on the goal line to Palmisano’s left then snuck underneath with a little face dodge on the shorti to stick it himself. He followed that up with some solid D on the other end of the field, holding up Nick Bastis’ elbow as he threatened from X and then knocking it out on Middlebury after the loose ball was being fought for behind the goal.
Middlebury would then get another extended run on offense. Chris Phillips couldn’t handle the pass from a standard fast break rotation, Middlebury controlled, Korpon pulled another two saves out of nowhere, Middlebury controlled some more and took the lead on the possession. Nick Bastis set up to the outside and pulled a straight-up juke into the middle with Salisbury’s Tony Incontrera draped on him; Incontrera again went for an ill-advised over-the-head and Bastis skated by him to sink it for a one goal lead. That lead got pushed to two shortly afterwards when Senior middie Dave Leach took the ball from some normal distribution across the top, and with Salisbury’s Casey Olejniczak squared up in front of him let loose with a laser to beat Korpon from way outside. Nothing special about the circumstances, just a lot of velocity and a quick release from Leach.
Undefeated Salisbury was starting to get a taste of mortality at this stage. Korpon had to come through with another huge save, this time as Bastis gathered a feed in the hole from X. Korpon sent it the other way, and the Gulls took a run with a packed crease and iso’s initiated on the shortis from Middlebury. Middlebury was coming strong with the double teams to back up their shorti defenders, and perhaps a little too aggressively; Mike Murray got flagged with a 1:00 slash and Salisbury eventually converted on the following EMO. The Gulls worked out of a 3-3 set to start and Mike Hurley just gathered in the righty shooter’s spot and ripped it top shelf to cut the lead to one. Salisbury took the next faceoff with only 5:00 left, controlled for a while and then tied it at ten with a nasty rip from middie Jimmie Creighton.
Middlebury got robbed again by Korpon, who then legged it out himself on the clear. After Korpon lobbed it far too high on his sideline outlet, Salisbury recovered the loose ball and called timeout with 2:17 left. Middlebury decided to send 2 shorti’s behind on coverage and Salisbury was in no hurry to push it (playing hot potato behind the goal until :30 to go). Once it seemed like the Gulls were about to actually do something, Coach Berkman called timeout with :25 seconds remaining.
While being shadowed by Gabe Wood, Salisbury’s Chris Phillips took a power drive from the left wing into the middle of the hole, stuttered a bit then let loose a lefty underhand to beat goalie Palmisano offside low with 5 seconds left and an 11-10 lead. Middlebury called timeout to plan their last ditch effort, but couldn’t control the face.
http://www.ipa.udel.edu/deshon/lax/laxdotcom.html[2/24/12 9:15:48 AM] Twice As Sweet - May 29, 2005
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from Salisbury University
Salisbury Claims Third Consecutive National Championship
PHILADELPHIA—There were many highs for the two-time defending NCAA Division III men’s lacrosse team from Salisbury University in 2005. But no play ranked higher for Sea Gull fans than the swiping shot by junior attackman Chris Phillips with 5.6 seconds remaining as he took a rebound by teammate Justin Smith and drove the ball into the lower right-hand corner of the goal to give Salisbury (20-0) an 11-10 victory and its third consecutive national championship Sunday here at Lincoln Financial Field.
The win was not only the sixth overall title for the No.1-ranked Sea Gulls, but it stretched the NCAA all-division record for consecutive victories to 49. SU set the mark a week ago at 48 with the semifinal victory over Roanoke. The 2005 championship game was watched before a record crowd of 21,052, and fans weren’t disappointed as they saw the score tied five times.
It was the second time that Phillips has clinched the championship for Salisbury and ended the Middlebury season in the title game. He lifted the Sea Gulls to the 2003 championship with 3:31 remaining in overtime to give SU a 14-13 triumph and a national title.
While Phillips stole the last-second limelight for the second time in three years, senior goalie Dan Korpon kept his squad in the game early and earned the Most Outstanding Player award. Korpon, who was second in the nation in goals allowed per game (6.56), moved up to third place in career saves at Salisbury (470) and improved his career mark at SU to an impressive 76-6 (.927), recorded five saves in the first quarter and five more in the fourth and finished with a game-high 12.
"I’ve been a Danny Korpon fan for years," said a relaxed Salisbury Head Coach Jim Berkman at the post-game interview. He’s gotten no respect for years, but I’m proud that he’s been resilient during his entire career here.
"And you don’t win championships without a great goalie, and Danny has proved over and over he’s exactly that. He played a great game today and deserves the recognition he’s getting now."
Smith’s game-winner came as the Sea Gulls overcame their biggest deficit of the season - two goals - in the final 8:48. Trailing 10-8, the Sea Gulls began taking the momentum back from the Panthers with 5:24 on the clock when junior Mike Hurley (1g, 2a) took a pass from junior Dan Boyer (2a) and scored his 13th goal of the season. SU then tied the score with 4:01 remaining when junior Jimmy Creighton scored his second goal of the contest and ninth of the season.
Salisbury tried to set up the game winner by running down the clock in the final minute before calling timeout. The Gulls worked the ball around the back of the goal and Smith tried to ice the game with 14 seconds remaining when he moved around in front of the goal on the right side. His shot rebounded wide to Phillips and the clutch performer took it upon himself to claim the title.
"I just picked up the ground ball from Smith’s shot and looked up at the clock and there was about 10 second left and I knew I had to go to the goal," Phillips said. "So I just put my head down and went after it."
Salisbury won the contest despite losing 18-of-24 face-offs, a statistic that the Sea Gulls dominated throughout the season. Senior Bryan Bradford came into the contest winning 258-of-391 (.660), but managed to secure only 5-of-18 (.278) against the Panthers.
"I was excited at halftime that the score was tied 5-5," Berkman said when asked about being in the game at intermission despite the troubles on face-offs. "They had dominated the face-offs. I’ve been coaching at Salisbury for 17 years and we’ve had some great face-off guys. Bryan Bradford is one of the best in the country. He’s never been beaten like that ever. We’ve never been beaten like that ever. We had no answer for them."
Salisbury led 2-0 with 4:30 gone in the contest, but only led 3-2 at the end of the first period. Phillips and sophomore Eric Bishop (1g, 1a) scored in the period for SU.
Junior Jimmy Creighton scored one of his two goals in the period and sophomore Mike Edwards scored his 11th goal of the year as the two teams were squared 5-5 at intermission.
After Smith and sophomore Matt Dasinger gave the Sea Gulls a 7-5 lead with 9:22 left in the third period, Middlebury ran off three straight goals to take its first lead of the game, 8-7, with 27.8 seconds left in the quarter.
Salisbury tied the game at 8-8 on Jeff Bigas’ goal with 14:40 remaining, before two straight Middlebury goals put SU in a
http://www.ipa.udel.edu/deshon/lax/SUsports.html[2/26/12 8:30:41 PM] Twice As Sweet - May 29, 2005
two-goal hole with 8:48 remaining.
That’s when the Gulls began their magical comeback.
http://www.ipa.udel.edu/deshon/lax/SUsports.html[2/24/12 9:15:50 AM] One Shining Moment - May 25, 2003
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from The Baltimore Sun
Salisbury claims Div. III crown in OT
Soph Phillips wins it, 14-13, halts Middlebury run at 3
by Christian Ewell Sun Staff Originally published May 26, 2003
Regardless of sport, the most nerve-racking moments of games tend to come at the end of regulation and beyond.
But as Salisbury went into overtime with Middlebury for Division III's men's lacrosse championship yesterday at M&T Bank Stadium, it dawned on sophomore attacker Chris Phillips he could end a game for the first time.
"I went through my career, and I've never gotten an overtime goal - it would be nice to get one now," Phillips recalled thinking moments before his goal from a Chris Lauer pass with 3:31 left in the fifth period. His third goal, to go with three assists, gave the Sea Gulls a 14-13 win for their fourth national championship and first since 1999.
Salisbury (19-1) also ended the three-year reign of Middlebury (17-2), a Vermont school that roared back from a six-goal halftime deficit in quest of another title. And with Most Outstanding Player Josh Bergey as the only senior starter, the Sea Gulls should be the favorite to repeat in 2004. photo from The Baltimore Sun Phillips was typical of a Salisbury team that was unflappable in the face of its own second-half collapse. In control at the intermission, the team actually trailed when Charlie Howe's goal gave the Panthers a 13-12 lead with 6:19 left.
But when it seemed as if Middlebury would continue its mini-dynasty for at least one more year, Bergey made his fourth assist on Andy Arnold's goal to tie the game with 4:35 remaining.
Then Salisbury goalie Dan Korpon, beaten by the Panthers for most of the second half, withstood a pair of close-in shots by Mike Saraceni in the final 37 seconds. Even if the comeback had resulted in defeat, Sea Gulls coach Jim Berkman would have noted the effort. "I give our guys a lot of credit because nothing was going our way," he said.
Middlebury could identify with Salisbury's stretch of Murphy's Law. After keeping the nation's top offense under wraps for most of the first quarter, the Panthers had no answers as the Sea Gulls scored eight goals in 16 photo from The Baltimore Sun minutes to take a 10-4 lead at intermission.
Bergey had three of his four goals in that short period as Salisbury's offensive style—a series of quick passes to set up easy shots—befuddled Middlebury.
Having watched the Sea Gulls on tape, Panthers coach Erin Quinn said coming back wasn't a matter of strategy so much as not being frazzled. Goalie Eric Krieger made several one-on-one saves after halftime to limit Salisbury's offense and six players—including Greg Bastis with three goals—scored to cut the deficit.
"We knew we belonged in this game and our ability to play lacrosse should not have let us slip down by six goals," said Krieger (19 saves).
But while Middlebury seemed to have the momentum heading into overtime, the Sea Gulls had Andy Murray to make sure the hot team didn't get the ball. The sophomore from Ellicott City came in with a 65 percent success rate on faceoffs and won 21 of 31 draws, including the one that began overtime and led to the winning goal.
Phillips' score came on a "little pick play," as Berkman called it, that mirrored a play for the right-handed Bergey earlier. The play required a left-hander like Phillips to "catch the ball and put it in the back of the net." That he did, prompting 42 teammates to rush to embrace him. "I was overwhelmed with joy," he said. "It was awesome. I'll never forget it."
http://www.ipa.udel.edu/deshon/lax/oneshiningmoment/sun.html[2/26/12 8:27:12 PM] One Shining Moment - May 25, 2003
http://www.ipa.udel.edu/deshon/lax/oneshiningmoment/sun.html[2/24/12 9:01:55 AM] One Shining Moment - May 25, 2003
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from The Daily Times
National Champs
Sea Gulls win fourth title in 10 years on Chris Phillips' goal 29 seconds into overtime
by Blair Morse Daily Times Sports Writer Originally published Tuesday, May 27, 2003
BALTIMORE -- The NCAA Division III men's lacrosse championship is back in Salisbury as the Sea Gulls recovered from a fierce comeback by Middlebury College with a goal by Chris Phillips 29 seconds into sudden-death overtime for a 14-13 win at M&T Bank Stadium (formerly Ravens Stadium) on Sunday.
Not only was the game a national championship rubber match between the two schools (Salisbury beat Middlebury for the 1999 title, the Panthers returned the favor in 2000), but they also were playing for national-championship bragging Times Photo by Todd Dudek rights. Middlebury had won the last three titles, while the Sea Gulls also had Chris Phillips shoots the game-winner. "Right at the beginning of overtime I was three in 1994, '95 and '99. kind of running through my whole lacrosse career and I thought, 'You know, I've never On Salisbury's way to a fourth title, they roared really scored an overtime goal before,'" said to a 10-4 halftime lead. Josh Bergey was named Phillips, who had three goals and three the championship's most outstanding player with assists. "I thought it would be nice to get one now." four goals and four assists, but he had only one goal and one assist in the second half as Middlebury scored three goals in the first 3:20 of the third quarter. Johnathan Sisto added the Panthers' fourth straight goal to cut the lead to 10-8 with 4:05 left in the third quarter. Middlebury goalkeeper Eric Krieger (19 saves) was big in slowing the Sea Gulls' momentum with five third-quarter saves.
Kevin Gemmell finally scored Salisbury's first goal of the second half with 2:52 left in the third quarter to extend the lead back to three goals. But Middlebury forced its way back into the picture with three quick goals in the fourth quarter by Ben Tobey, Sisto and Andrew Giordano to tie the game at 11-11 with 11:54 left in regulation.
Andy Murray won the ensuing face-off to set up a quick response goal by Bergey to give the Sea Gulls a short-lived lead. The Panthers' Greg Bastis (three goals) tied the game again with 8:56 left, and then Middlebury took only its second lead of the game with 6:19 Times Photo by Todd Dudek left when Charley Howe (two goals, one assist) faked Eric Martin on the right side of the Chris Lauer gives Chris Phillips goal and went in unabated for the 13-12 Middlebury lead. a lift after Phillips' overtime goal. Andy Arnold, whose unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty had waved off Bergey's first goal of the game, took a feed from Bergey right in front of the net, but Krieger stoned him. Bergey got it right back, worked hard on a defender to get open for the pass and fed Arnold in the same spot. He didn't miss the second time in a row and beat Krieger high to tie the game, 13-13 with 4:35 left.
"Whoa. I mean, you're sitting on the sidelines and you're up 10-4 at halftime and you come out in the second half and get two or three one-on-ones and you think the game's almost going to be over with the next goal, but the goalie comes up big," Salisbury coach Jim Berkman said.
Salisbury goalie Dan Korpon had been solid in the first half with seven saves, but made only two in the third quarter and was admittedly struggling. But in the most crucial moments of the game, Korpon came up big.
After Krieger stopped Bergey with less than a minute left, Middlebury broke back up the field quickly and Dave Leach fed Mike Saraceni right in front. He tried to go low on Korpon's right side, but Korpon kicked out his right leg and made the game-saving stop with 24 seconds left in the game.
"I just got (mad) at myself because I wasn't making any saves," Korpon said. "I'm just glad I made it and didn't screw things up for my team."
"I knew Danny had to make a save for us," Berkman said. "They were on a run, we weren't getting any saves, he's got to make a save. And, finally, he made two big saves at the end that gave us two more possessions. And when he made those saves, I thought we had a chance to win the game."
http://www.ipa.udel.edu/deshon/lax/oneshiningmoment/times.html[2/26/12 8:24:59 PM] One Shining Moment - May 25, 2003
Berkman also gave Salisbury the chance by switching his defensive slide package with six minutes left in the game to stop the Panthers run. Middlebury possessed excellent speed on the wings, which coupled with the messy, slippery field conditions made life difficult for Salisbury's defense.
So Berkman had the defenders on the outside push to the middle into the crease. It worked, for Middlebury didn't score again after the change.
The game went to overtime and Murray—who was dominant in the face-off circle, winning 19-of-29—won the most crucial face-off of his career to give the Sea Gulls possession to start the sudden-death period. Berkman called for the "Cardinal" play, where the offense works the ball behind the net and "picks the picker," in Berkman's terms. Bergey had hit the post early in the game on the same play run to the right side.
This time, they ran it to the left, and Chris Lauer fed Phillips near the right post. Phillips saw his chance and scored the winner, setting off a wild celebration with every player on the roster mobbing Phillips in the muddy corner of the end zone.
"Right at the beginning of overtime I was kind of running through my whole lacrosse career and I thought, 'You know, I've never really scored an overtime goal before,'" said Phillips, who had three goals and three assists in the game. "I thought it would be nice to get one now.
"I was just overwhelmed with joy when I saw all my teammates attacking me. It was awesome, I'll never forget it."
Berkman, a member of the NCAA lacrosse committee, was especially pleased to reclaim the national title in Baltimore.
"When we were talking and discussing this a couple years ago, that was like a dream come true. I started telling these guys how special this was going to be, to be in the Mecca of lacrosse in the stadium in the United States," Berkman said. "It was going to be very, very special.
"I called them when I was here on Thursday. I was out on the field and they were on the bus and I had my assistant put his phone up next to the microphone on the bus and I said, 'That dream that I've been telling you about, how good and how special it was. You need to wake up because I'm standing Times Photo by Todd Dudek here and it's even better.'" Salisbury celebrates at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
http://www.ipa.udel.edu/deshon/lax/oneshiningmoment/times.html[2/24/12 9:02:01 AM] One Shining Moment - May 25, 2003
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from Inside Lacrosse
Salisbury tops Middlebury in OT on Phillips goal
05/25/2003 BALTIMORE—Chris Phillips netted the game-winner after Andy Murray won the overtime faceoff as the Salisbury Sea Gulls defeated the Middlebury Panthers, 14-13, for the NCAA Championship at M&T Bank Stadium.
Salisbury held a 10-4 halftime lead, but Middlebury fought back and held a one-goal advantage twice in the fourth quarter.
Middlebury was coming off a dramatic double overtime win at Cortland in the semifinals last weekend.
"Going into overtime, there wasn't even a question of nerves," said Middlebury's Greg Bastis. "I felt like if we got the opportunity, we were going to stick it. I would have liked to have gotten that opportunity."
Murray was dominant at the center X, leading the Gulls to a 21-10 advantage on faceoffs in the contest.
Josh Bergey was selected Most Outstanding Player of the Division III championship. Bergey put up three goals and three assists in the first half to help Salisbury build the big lead.
"Andy Murray doesn't get enough credit," said Salisbury head coach Jim Berkman. "That kid dominated the faceoffs and gave us the chance at the end of the game. Andy has one move. Everyone in the country knows what it is. He is a big part of why we are here today."
"Right at the beginning of overtime, I was running through my entire lacrosse career and I thought I had never scored an overtime goal," recalled Phillips. "Coach called the Cardinal play and I knew it was coming to me."
http://www.ipa.udel.edu/deshon/lax/oneshiningmoment/insidelax.html[2/26/12 8:22:14 PM] One Shining Moment - May 25, 2003
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from the NCAA
2003 Division III Men's Lacrosse: Salisbury 14, Middlebury 13 (OT)
BALTIMORE—Sophomore attackman Chris Phillips scored the game-winning goal 29 seconds into sudden-death overtime to lift Salisbury to its fourth national championship and first since 1999 with a 14-13 win over Middlebury before 15,417 fans at Ravens Stadium on Sunday.
The Sea Gulls (19-1) built a 10-4 halftime advantage and then watched Middlebury (17-2) rally with a 9-3 second half run to force the extra period. Salisbury's Andy Murray won the face-off to begin overtime, and Phillips scored the championship winner on SU's first shot in the period, beating Middlebury goalie Eric Krieger from the left side.
"Coach called a timeout and called the Cardinal play and I knew it was coming to me," said Phillips, who finished with three goals and three assists. "I just had to do my job, catch the ball and put it in the back of the net. I was overwhelmed with joy. It was awesome. I'll never forget it."
"That play is a 'pick-the-picker' play that we run when we swing the ball from behind the net," explained Head Coach Jim Berkman, who claimed his fourth title since 1994. "You swing the ball behind and (Phillips) came off it and he was wide open and he stuck that shot."
Senior Josh Bergey was named the game's Most Outstanding Player after leading the Sea Gulls with four goals and four assists. Bergey registered his fourth assist on Andy Arnold's goal with 4:35 remaining in regulation that knotted the score at 13-13. Bergey finished the year with 72 goals and 120 points.
Junior Joe Tamberrino added two goals and two assists for SU, registering all four of his points during Salisbury's 7-1 second quarter run. Arnold also finished with two goals.
Salisbury set a new school-record with its 19th win of the season and closed the year with a nine-game winning streak.
http://www.ipa.udel.edu/deshon/lax/oneshiningmoment/ncaa.html[2/26/12 8:17:26 PM]