SALISBURY, Md. - The No. 2 Salisbury University field hockey team will advance to the CAC tournament championship match after it defeated Wesley College on Wednesday night, 2-1, at Sea Gull Stadium.
The Sea Gulls, the top seed in the CAC tournament, scored the game's first goal in the 12th minute when freshman midfielder Kristina Fusco (Forest Hill, Md.) put a penalty stroke into the back of the cage.
Fourth-seeded Wesley (12-9) would quickly answer with a goal 16 seconds later to tie the game 1-1. The goal was scored by Sheree Pleasanton who made a break down the middle of the field. The two teams went into halftime evenly matched, with Salisbury holding a slight edge on shots, 5-4.
Salisbury (15-1) broke the tie in the second half when Fusco put away her second penalty stroke of the night, in the 50th minute. The game-winning goal was Fusco's eighth tally of the season, and marked the third time in her career that she had scored twice in a match.
The Sea Gulls began to dominate in the second half. They outshot Wesley 8-0 in the final 35 minutes and 13-4 for the game. The Gulls also had eight corners in the half to Wesley's zero.
Sophomore goalkeeper Anna Cooke (Ann Arbor, Mich.) made two saves in the game.
The CAC championship game will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Salisbury University's Sea Gull Stadium. The Sea Gulls will host No. 2-seeded University of Mary Washington, which topped York (Pa.) College, 2-1, on Wednesday. Game time is set for 2 p.m., as Salisbury will be going for its 15th consecutive CAC championship.
