Sea Gulls use balance scoring to shut out Hood, 21-0

FREDERICK, Md. - The No. 3 Salisbury University women's lacrosse team blanked Hood College 21-0 on Sunday afternoon in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) opener for both teams in Frederick, Md. Salisbury collects its 50th straight CAC victory and 24th consecutive regular-season victory as the Sea Gulls had 13 players register points.

Salisbury (2-0, 1-0 CAC) was outstanding offensively as it had 11 different players score at least one goal and six with two or more goals. Three different Sea Gulls posted four point games led by freshman Sarah Clemmens (three goals, one assist) and junior Beth Rhodey (one goal, three assists) and sophomore Trish DiGirolomo (one goal, three assists) passed out three assists each. All-American midfielders Jessica Chmielewski (three goals) and Robyn Bishop (three goals) recorded hat tricks in the win. The multiple goal scorers for SU include junior Kim Cudmore (two goals, one assist) and freshmen midfielders Alyssa Fowler (two goals, one assist) and Allie Wheatley (two goals). Freshmen Clemmens, Fowler, Georgi Porter (one goal, one assist) and Wheatley scored their first goals in a Sea Gull uniform.

The shutout is Salisbury's first since it faced Hood last season in the CAC quarterfinals on April 20 and came away with a 22-0 win. In the past three meetings with the Blazers the Sea Gulls have outscored them 67-0.

The maroon and gold outshot the Blazers 37-2 on the day and held a 19-4 advantage in draw controls. SU also scooped up 16 ground balls and were perfect 7-for-7 on clear attempts.

The Sea Gulls did not waste much time getting on the scoreboard as Chmielewski tallied two goals within the first four minutes to give SU a quick 2-0 lead. Salisbury did not let up there as it used goals by  Rhodey, Ashleigh Gender, Bishop and Cudmore to take a 6-0 advantage before nine minutes had even elapsed in the game. Fowler and Clemmens poured in their first goals of the game within the next minutes as Salisbury increased its lead to eight. The maroon and gold continued their stellar play as they doubled that score to take a 16-0 lead into halftime.

Clemmens buried her second goal of the afternoon on a feed from Porter to begin the second half scoring for Salisbury. Three minutes later, Meagan Osipowich made the score 18-0 when she took a pass from freshman Mackenzie White. The assists by Porter and White were the first points in their careers at SU. Wheatley and Clemmens each would tally another goal before Porter capped the Salisbury scoring off with a goal of her own.

Salisbury goalie Sonja Stuart (one save) earned her second win of the season as she played the first half before she gave way to sophomore Julie Ann Caulfield (one save), who closed out the game. Hood (1-1, 0-1 CAC) players Kelsey Blackwell and Maria Moss both tallied one shot on goal while goalie Sam Liptrap (four saves) was credited with the loss.

Salisbury returns home to host Virginia Wesleyan College in a non-conference game on Wednesday, February 25, at 6 p.m. in Sea Gull Stadium. The Sea Gulls pinned a 17-8 loss on the Marlins last season and have outscored Virginia Wesleyan 55-14 over the past three seasons.