Monday May 17th, 2021 9:15am
(Photo Courtesy Joey Gardner, FotoJoe Photography/Salisbury Athletics)
The 2021 NCAA Men’s DIII Second Round featured an incredible slate of games that made for an electric Sunday afternoon. The Field of 16 as officially been reduced to eight, and the action will resume next weekend with quarterfinal and semifinal rounds once again back to back on Saturday and Sunday.
The eight remaining teams are Colorado College, Christopher Newport, Lynchburg, York, Tufts, Salisbury, Illinois Wesleyan and RIT. These teams will meet in the Elite Eight at host sites RIT and Salisbury for what will be four fantastic games and set the table for the Division III national championship.
Salisbury’s debut was not the prolific start the consensus had hoped for. They struggled to find a rhythm on offense and were inconsistent on defense in a 10-8 loss to Lynchburg. Key contributors for the Hornets on offense included Brett Rogers, Kyle Lewis and a slew of midfielders; perhaps though the best player on the field that day was defenseman Tyler Gallagher, who has his eyes set on establishing himself as one of, if not the, best defensemen in the country. Gallagher was a major factor in the stalling of the Sea Gull offense that was able to create 15 shots in the first quarter and then just 14 in the entire second half.