Salisbury men’s lacrosse projected to be title contenders

SALISBURY, Md. (SU Athletics) – The Salisbury University men’s lacrosse team were slotted in the second spot, according to the States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Top 20 Coaches Preseason Poll.

The Sea Gulls received 340 points in the poll and a first-place vote to be ranked second nationally. The USILA ranking slotted the Sea Gulls the highest among the three preseason polls as the squad was ranked third and sixth respectively by the USA Lacrosse and Inside Lacrosse Magazines.

The back-to-back Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Champions finished the 2022 season with a 20-2 overall record. The Sea Gulls advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals before falling to Tufts, 17-10.

The two-time defending champions, RIT, topped the USILA rankings with 378 points and 18 first-place votes. Tufts, CNU, and York rounded out the top five after the second-ranked Sea Gulls.

The Sea Gulls will play five games against USILA Preseason Top 20 teams with home games against No. 4 CNU, No. 5 York, and No. 13 Cabrini.

There are a number of players on Salisbury’s roster receiving high praise:

Cross Ferrara – The back-to-back C2C Player of the Year and a two-time USILA National Attackman of the Year, Ferrara returns as the all-time leading goal-scorer in SU men’s lacrosse history with 274 career goals. In 2022, Ferrara finished with 119 points on 91 goals and 28 assists. He is currently 26 goals behind the current career goal leader in NCAA Division III history.

Jude Brown – Brown comes to Salisbury as grad transfer after an impressive career at St. Mary’s. Brown was named the United East Conference Player of the Year in 2022 after recording 104 points on 52 goals and 52 assists. He was also named an All-American Honorable Mention by the USILA and Inside Lacrosse Magazine.

Isaac Thrasher – Thrasher returns to the attack after a breakout 2022 season. Thrasher finished the 2022 season with a career-high 52 points, 43 goals, and nine assists. He was named a 2022 All-C2C Honorable Mention.

Joe Carozza – Carozza has been a key piece for the man-up offense for the Sea Gulls. Carozza finished second on the team in 2022 with six man-up goals. On the season, Carozza finished with 21 points on 18 goals and three assists.

“We continue to have the same expectations as every year here at Salisbury. The standard is the standard. We feel that we have a veteran group on the field this year as well as new pieces that will make for an exciting team. We feel that this group can take us to number 13,” said head coach Jim Berkman.

Salisbury will open the home schedule on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 2:30 p.m. against Roanoke.