SALISBURY, Md. - The 14th-ranked Spartans suffered a heartbreaking 8-7 loss to No. 3 Salisbury in the semifinal round of the CAC Tournament on Saturday at Sea Gull Stadium.

The Basics: 

Game Number: 18

Site: Sea Gull Stadium – Salisbury, Md.

Records: Salisbury 15-2 / York: 12-6

Series: Salisbury leads 17-0

How it happened:

• York opened up with a great start by winning the opening draw and scoring on the first possession less than a minute in as Melissa Meehling registered her 21st goal of the season.
• The Spartans also won the next draw and once again put a tally on the board as this time it was Katelyn Cattrano for her 14th of the season.
• The Sea Gulls finally recorded a save on their defensive on York's third shot of the game and transitioned down to other end for a goal of their own.
• The Spartans won the ensuing draw, their fourth-straight of the game, and once again put a goal on the board as Meehling connected with Jordan Cassella for her 15th tally of the season.
• York went on to tack on another just before the midway point of the first half Allison Kolacy ripped a shot to the upper corner of the net on a free-position attempt.
• In less than 15 minutes of play, the Spartans had put up four goals against a defense ranked fourth in the nation with a 5.19 goals-against average.
• Unfortunately, the Spartans hit a cold spell after scoring their fourth goal as they only recorded two more shots in the remaining 15 minutes of the half. The drought by the Spartans allowed Salisbury to climb back into the game and cut the Spartan lead to 4-3 at halftime.
• The Spartans struggled to regain their mojo to start the second half as Salisbury ripped off three more goals to take their first lead of the game with a 6-4 advantage 10 minutes into the half.
• After a nearly 26-minute scoreless drought, Spartan senior captain Kolacy ended the lull and put a pulse back into York with a goal to cut the deficit to 6-5.
• Salisbury answered back shortly after to regain the two-goal lead.
• Then York got back in business as Cattrano found a soft spot in the middle of the SU defense and finished high for a goal. Meehling then tied the game up 7-7 as she sliced through the middle and tickled the twine after receiving a feed from Cassella.
• After six minutes ran off the clock, Salisbury was the next team to light up the board when Megan Wallenhorst cut through the middle and finished to put SU ahead 8-7 with 6:15 left.
• The Spartans had a quality chance to tie with 3:53 left when Katherine Burk charged the net from the right side, but her shot was saved as she tried to go high to the near corner against Sea Gull goalkeeper Gianna Falcone.
• After making the stop, Salisbury managed to run off enough clock to leave York only a few seconds to attempt a desperation shot as time expired.

Spartan Leaders:

Melissa Meehling – 3 points on 2 goals and 1 assist, 1 caused turnover

Allison Kolacy – 2 goals

Katelyn Cattrano – 2 goals

Megan Strauch – 2 ground balls, 4 draw controls

Sea Gull Leaders:

Gabbi Nieves – 2 points on 1 goal and 1 assist

Dana King – 2 points on 1 goal and 1 assist

Samantha Duranti – 1 caused turnover

Allie Hynson – 2 ground balls

Kacy Koolage – 2 draw controls

Goalie Comparison

Gianna Falcone (SU) – 60:00 min, 5 saves, 7 GA, 1 ground ball, Win (13-2)

Rachel Donovan (YCP) – 60:00 min, 5 saves, 8 GA, Loss (9-5)

Game Notes:

The Spartans owned an 11-6 advantage in draw controls as they won the first four, but lost the last two … the two teams combined for just nine turnovers as York recorded a season-low with five and Salisbury posted a season-low with four … York went a perfect 6-for-6 on clear attempts, making it two-straight games with a 100% clear rate … York's one-goal margin of defeat is the smallest margin defeat against a Salisbury team in program history … the Spartans have lost by a combined total of three goals in two games against Salisbury this season … today marked the sixth-straight season Salisbury has eliminated York from the CAC Tournament as the Sea Gulls are now 6-0 all-time against York in the CAC postseason.

What's Next:

In all likelihood the Spartans will earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament out of Pool C like they have the last four seasons. The 38-team field will be announced the first weekend of May.

Photo courtesy of David Sinclair