Our Crimson Knights

Knights upset Taft behind Pawlowski and Luey’s hat tricks

With rain pouring down for much of the day, Salisbury traveled to Watertown, CT, this afternoon to face Taft—a mainstay in the national rankings this season. The game served as another prime opportunity for the Knights to get a signature win this season. And though they came up short in the past, today was finally their day, knocking off the Rhinos in a 9–8 victory.

Salisbury applied a lot of good pressure early, but the Rhino defensive front held strong—ultimately switching the field and netting the game’s opening goal. The home team added another midway through the first, creating a 2–0 margin.

That deficit didn’t deter the Knights, however, as a sloppy Taft pass generated an open look for Keegan Luey ‘29, and the third former made the most of the golden opportunity—pocketing it to make it 2–1 entering the second.

Salisbury didn’t need long to tie the game at two apiece in the second, as James Whitehorse ‘26 set up Owen Pawlowski ‘28 for a clean look on net. The fourth former ripped it home with ferocity, firing up the Knights bench. And though Taft beat goaltender Conor Reynolds ‘27 less than a minute later to regain the lead, Brandon Williams ‘26 had the equalizer ready, pulling even at 3–3.

The back-and-forth trend continued as the period drew on, with the Rhinos scoring another go-ahead goal to make it 4–3 at halftime.

In the third, the game remained suffocatingly close, as Garrett Sullivan ‘27’s first tied it at 4–4 just over two minutes into the half. Even when Taft managed to go double duty and pull ahead 6–4, back came Pawlowski & Co.—trimming it to 6–5, then 6–6 less than a minute apart. Coach Spinella couldn’t have asked for a better time for the Hamburg, NY, native to notch his first hat trick of the season.

Upon entering the final quarter of regulation, Salisbury reached a new level of intensity. Luey made quick work of a Taft defender behind the net, creating just enough separation to generate a no-looker into the twine 45 seconds in—giving the Knights their first lead of the afternoon.

Minutes later, a magnificent play in the open field by Tyler Ramirez ‘26 jarred the ball loose from a Taft midfielder, and the Brown commit swiftly found Luey, who lasered it home, making it 8–6. It felt as though Ramirez deserved a goal of his own following the display of brilliance—and that’s exactly what happened. Connor Wambach ‘26 won the ensuing faceoff, blitzed downfield, tossed it to Ramirez, and the future Ivy League star extended it to 9–6 halfway through the fourth.

Taft managed to get one back in the game’s closing minutes, and then, with less than two minutes remaining, a razor-thin shooting angle made life difficult for Reynolds—cutting it to 9–8. A key block in the final seconds put the game on ice, however, and the job had been done.

The victory gives Salisbury a huge boost ahead of a battle of the giants on Friday, May 8, when the Knights welcome Brunswick to the Hilltop. Game time is 7 p.m.

Knights roll past Kent behind season-high 24 goals 

A mere 18 hours removed from a 10-3 victory over Choate Rosemary Hall, Salisbury welcomed Kent to the Hilltop eager to keep momentum rolling. To put it lightly: mission accomplished. 

Due to the quick turnaround, Coach Tom Spinella gave many of his usual starters the afternoon off. That didn’t make a difference in terms of production, however. 

Salisbury wasted no time claiming a 1-0 lead, thanks to Coltan Korpan ‘28 winning the opening faceoff and finding Keegan Luey ‘29. The third former rifled home the goal, putting his team ahead just eight ticks in. 

Kent was able to tie it shortly after, but the Knights regained the lead with 9:14 to play in the first. Will Hudson ‘27 whistled a bounce shot on net that glanced off the post—bouncing right to Luey, who used a nifty behind-the-back shot to make it 2-1. A Cooper Augustine ‘28 goal broke up the Luey streak, but the Canadian prodigy was not to be denied a hat trick—earning it eight minutes into the contest. 

Hudson got one by Kent’s goaltender Trey Lalonde right as the quarter ended, allowing Salisbury to carry a 5-1 lead into the second. 

Max Mullikin ‘28 made it 6-1 less than a minute into the frame, reaching the back of the twine as he fell to the turf. Liam Miller ‘29 added one too—keeping the trend of underclassmen making an impact intact. Alec Garcia ‘28’s first of the day, to make it 8-1, did the same. 

A sixth-form tag team emerged following Garcia’s tally, and they too made quick work of the Lions’ defense. Will Yates ‘26 used a clever no-look pass to find Chris Cobb ‘26, who pocketed it without remorse, pushing it to 9-1 with eight minutes to go until halftime. 

Garcia, Hudson, and Cobb’s second goals of the afternoon came soon after—giving Salisbury a 12-1 advantage at the break. 

Kent snuck two past goaltender Tucker White ‘28 in the third period’s first half, bringing the margin back down to single digits, but a laser from Charlie Merk ‘26 quickly silenced the run. Mullikin and Miller’s second goals of the afternoon did the same—as did Owen Pawlowski’s first with 1:35 to play in the frame. 

The hat-trick clincher from Garcia with under a minute to go pushed the score to 17-3 entering the fourth. 

In the final period, Merk tallied his second early to make it 18-3, and goals by JT Macaluso ‘28, Pawlowski, and Korpan gave Salisbury a three-touchdown-to-one-field-goal lead. Hudson joined the hat-trick club too in the fourth, making it 22-3. 

Macaluso’s second pushed the goal total to 23 as the clock dipped under five minutes remaining, and Hudson’s fourth raised it to 24. 

The Knights will try to make it four in a row on Wednesday, May 6, when they visit Taft. Start time is 4:15 p.m. 

Knights ride 6-0 second-half run to 10-3 triumph over Choate

In front of a fiery Spring Family Weekend crowd, Salisbury welcomed Choate Rosemary Hall to the Hilltop for its first night game of the season. And if the Knights had it their way, they’d probably play all their games under the lights, as proven by tonight’s 10-3 victory.

Salisbury fed off the energy early, jumping out to a 1-0 lead just 2:07 into the opening period thanks to a pinpoint-accurate shot from Garrett Sullivan ‘27. The future Syracuse player trailed to his left as he released it, making life particularly hard for the Choate goaltender. The goal ended up being the lone score of the first, largely due to stellar defensive play on both sides. Salisbury’s Conor Reynolds ‘27, in particular, was magnificent, making several key saves.

In the second, however, scoring picked up, even if only marginally. With 8:28 to play until the half, Brandon Williams ‘26 received a pass from Matthew Niedzialek ‘28 more than 25 yards out from the net. The Maryland commit acted quickly on the open turf in front of him, sprinting 20 yards downfield before launching a shot that squeaked into the net. And by “squeaked,” truly, that’s what it was. The ball was less than six inches past the line.

Less than two minutes later, the Knights made it 3-0 thanks to a lightning-quick shot by Keegan Luey ‘29. The third-former graciously accepted a feed from Brayden Belski ‘27, wasting no time pocketing it. The quickness of the exchange from catch to shot would have been nearly impossible to stop for any goalie.

Choate got one back before halftime, but Salisbury still held a 3-1 lead entering the break.

The second half got off to a drastically different start, though, as the Wild Boars beat Reynolds just 51 ticks into the third quarter, trimming it to 3-2. Salisbury promptly responded to the early score, with James Whitehorse ‘26 netting his first of the night less than two minutes later. But Choate didn’t go away, beating Reynolds once more to make it a one-goal game again.

And then an avalanche happened.

Similarly to Monday’s 13-5 victory over Hotchkiss, in which the Knights were tied 4-4 at halftime, a surge came out of thin air.

Whitehorse started the run with his second of the day, capitalizing on a crisp pass from Tyler Ramirez ‘26. Then came Williams’ second, as well as Luey’s second and third, and one from Ramirez to cap off a 5-0 run to close out the third. Dominance.

The Knights reached double digits and made it a 6-0 run in the fourth when Cooper Augustine ‘28 found the back of the twine, serving as the game’s final score. It must be noted that even as the score ballooned, Reynolds remained composed and made otherworldly saves to keep Choate at bay.

The victory keeps vibes high ahead of a home matchup with Kent tomorrow, May 2, at 2:30 p.m.

Knights ride 9–0 second-half run to 13–5 win over Hotchkiss

Tied 4–4 at halftime, things looked dreary for the uber-talented Knights against Hotchkiss this afternoon. But when you have as much talent as Salisbury does—and the coaching to match—close games can shift in an instant. Today, that’s exactly what happened, as Coach Tom Spinella’s squad rode a commanding 9–0 run in the second half to a Monday “W.”

Hotchkiss grabbed a 1–0 lead early in the first before doubling it with 5:52 to play in the opening frame. While a nifty low shot from Cooper Augustine ’28 cut the deficit in half, the Bearcats responded, keeping the margin at two entering the second period.

The score held until 7:57 to go in the second, when Brayden Belski ’27 ripped an open shot into the bottom-right corner to make it 3–2. Then, three minutes later, Brandon Williams ’26 netted one on the run to tie the game.

A quick goal exchange—Owen Pawlowski ’28 scored a beauty as he drifted to the Hotchkiss goalie’s right—had the game deadlocked at 4–4 at the break.

The second half—especially the third quarter—was a different story.

Salisbury claimed its first lead of the contest two minutes into the half, as a Knight launched a magnificent shot while appearing to run upfield.

With no intention of taking its foot off the gas, Salisbury pushed the lead to 6–4 as Williams notched his second of the afternoon. Another Salisbury goal split a pair of James Whitehorse ’26 scores shortly after, extending the margin to 9–4 entering the fourth quarter.

In the blink of an eye, the 3–1 deficit the Knights faced in the first was forgotten. Perhaps the biggest catalyst for the surge was the play of goaltender Conor Reynolds ’27. The Colgate commit was phenomenal after the three early goals, making countless timely saves to keep momentum on Salisbury’s side.

The dominance continued in the fourth, as a Salisbury player used a nifty pump fake right in the Hotchkiss goalie’s face to push the Knights into double digits. Tyler Ramirez ’26 followed near the midpoint of the period, and a score by the wiry Max Mullikin ’28 made it an even dozen.

John Rovegno ’26 joined in on the fun with just under a minute to go, making it 13–4 before Hotchkiss snuck one home to end the 9–0 run.

The victory marks the Knights’ second straight as they prepare to welcome Choate to the Hilltop on Friday, May 1. Game time is 7 p.m. under the lights.

Luey scores overtime winner in instant classic as Knights top Hill 12-11 

On the heels of a heartbreaking 11-10 overtime loss to Lawrenceville on Saturday, April 18, Salisbury found itself in the exact same situation today. And this time, against a Hill squad coached by Salisbury grad and lacrosse legend Brodie Merrill ’01, the Knights got their One Shining Moment—winning 12-11 in OT. 

Hill Academy coach—and athletic director—Brodie Merrill, a 2001 graduate of Salisbury and often considered one of the greatest long stick midfielders in lacrosse history, made his return to the Hilltop this afternoon looking to do one thing: beat his alma mater. 

Hill grabbed a 1-0 lead 2:25 into the opening quarter, utilizing a well-placed shot to beat Salisbury’s Conor Reynolds ’27 in net. Soon after, a second goal squeaked past the Colgate commit, putting the Knights in an early hole. 

Undeterred, Salisbury got one back with 3:10 to go in the first thanks to Garrett Sullivan ’27. The fifth former trudged through several defenders before firing a shot from a low release point—something Hill goalie Aiden Kellough struggled to stop. Owen Pawlowski ’28 took advantage of this weak spot less than a minute later, launching a knee-level shot into the twine to tie the game at two apiece. 

Hill regained the lead with under a minute to go—only for Tyler Ramirez ’26 to respond with a SportsCenter Top 10-caliber goal right before time expired. The Brown commit possessed the ball behind the net before advancing it seemingly toward midfield, only to turn nearly 180 degrees and rip a shot into the top corner, tying the game at 3-3 entering the second. 

The visitors built another two-goal margin midway through the period, but a quick score by John Rovegno ’26 cut it back down to 5-4. The postgraduate from Duxbury, Mass., was particularly fired up about the goal afterward. Despite that jolt of energy, Merrill’s squad tallied another—carrying a 6-4 advantage into the break. 

Salisbury needed just 11 seconds to make it 6-5, and two more additional minutes to find the equalizer in the third. Connor Wambach ’26 set up Keegan Luey ’29—who used that same low release point—for the former, and Ramirez netted the second, breaking even at 6-6. 

But as Hill had done all afternoon, Hill scored another go-ahead goal to keep pressure on the Knights’ offensive attack. 

A little added pressure was no problem, though. James Whitehorse ’26 rifled his first of the day into the net as the midpoint of the period neared, tying it once more, and Ramirez scored his third—securing the hat trick—a minute later, giving Salisbury its first lead of the afternoon at 8-7. 

Then at 4:37 to go in the third, Whitehorse added his second, and Brayden Belski ’27 followed suit shortly after, pushing it to 10-7 Knights. Another late goal by Hill made it 10-8 entering the final frame of regulation. 

In the fourth, Hill refused to go away. Belski’s second of the day momentarily provided relief when the visitors cut it to 10-9, but two more from the northerners tied it at 11-11 with two minutes remaining—ultimately sending it to overtime. 

And there, for the first time this season, Salisbury got its golden goal. With the first bonus period nearing its finish, Luey approached the net from the far corner and whistled a low shot—the same technique that worked all day long—into the net, giving his team the walk-off victory. 

What a moment for the Canadian third former. 

The victory serves as a much-needed morale boost ahead of a clash with Hotchkiss on Monday, April 27. Start time is 5 p.m. 

Knights ride dominant third quarter to 14-10 win at Berkshire

Salisbury traveled for its first true road game this afternoon, making the quick trip up to Berkshire to take on the Bears. The Knights aimed to build off a 21-3 drubbing of Millbrook on Monday and, while not perfect at times, did just that—heading home with a 14-10 victory.

Berkshire jumped ahead 2-0 in the game’s first two minutes, utilizing strong passing to generate open looks on Salisbury goaltender Conor Reynolds ‘27. The Knights responded with urgency, though, as Connor Wambach ‘26 found an open Tyler Ramirez ‘26, who pocketed the ball and cut the deficit in half. It only took two more minutes for them to find the equalizer—as Owen Pawlowski ‘28 set up Keegan Luey ‘29 for the latter’s team-leading 13th goal of the season.

The game held at 2-2 entering the second quarter, largely due to several impressive saves by Reynolds. Close-range, bounce shots, last-second passes—it didn’t matter. The Colgate commit was ready.

But even so, Reynolds is still human, and Berkshire squeaked one by him early in the period to regain the lead. They added a second with 8:39 to go in the half, and just like in the first, Salisbury found itself down by two.

To the surprise of few, the Knights responded. Jackson Allen ‘26 launched a pinpoint-accurate pass to Luey, who had leaked behind the Bears defense, and the freshman utilized a no-look, behind-the-back shot to make it 4-3. A minute later, Ramirez went to the low corner to beat the Berkshire goalie—tying the game once more.

The Bears briefly regained the lead following Ramirez’s second, but it didn’t last for long. The game’s third tie came on the heels of a beautiful one-handed, leaping interception by James Whitehorse ‘26—setting up Ramirez for the hat trick. Seconds later, Wambach won the faceoff—like he does so often—and whipped it to Ramirez once more. The Brown commit buried it immediately, giving Salisbury its first lead of the day with 2:43 remaining in the frame.

Salisbury doubled its lead less than a minute later, as Ramirez whipped it through heavy traffic to Luey, making it 7-5 Salisbury. A late goal by Berkshire made it 7-6 at the break.

The Knights came out firing in the second half—tallying two goals in the first three minutes. Whitehorse set up Luey for the first, then Luey was the shot creator, setting up Garrett Williams ‘27 for the second.

Luey added his fifth midway through the quarter, and Brayden Belski ‘27 joined the party right after—pushing it to 11-6 Salisbury with 5:15 remaining in the third. Brandon Williams ‘26—making his first appearance this season—followed up with his first of the season, and suddenly, the Knights had doubled their opponents. A game that was once the pinnacle of back-and-forth had now become a runaway.

Or so it seemed.

In the final frame, Berkshire got one back early and added a second, trimming it to 12-8 halfway through the fourth. Then, as the clock dipped under six minutes remaining, an errant Salisbury pass deep in the Bears zone caused the Knights to miss out on a golden opportunity to end the run. Instead, Berkshire capitalized and made it 12-9.

With pressure building to silence the energetic home crowd, the Knights needed a goal. And they needed it fast. Enter: Chris Cobb ‘26.

The postgraduate Sixth Form Rep and Hobart commit launched an absolute ripper into the twine—pushing the margin back to four. Crisis averted.

A late goal by Wambach pushed it up to 14-9, allowing Salisbury to properly catch its breath.

The win improves the Knights’ record to 3-1 on the season, with a home clash against Trinity-Pawling on Wednesday, April 8, next on the docket. Game time is 3 p.m.

Luey notches seven goals as Knights roll past Millbrook 21–3

Two days removed from a 17–13 loss at the hands of Loomis Chaffee, Salisbury welcomed Millbrook to the Hilltop with one clear goal: get back in the win column. Much to the delight of the home crowd, the Knights did exactly that, topping the Mustangs 21–3.

Salisbury jumped out to a 2–0 lead early in the first—a refreshing outcome following Saturday’s slow start. Syracuse commit Garrett Sullivan ‘27 caught a Millbrook defender on his heels, creating more than enough breathing room to fire off a clean shot. St. Lawrence commit Will Yates ‘26 doubled the lead a minute later, faking a shot on goal before racing behind the crease and tucking it in.

The Knights pushed it to 3–0 with 2:24 to play in the opening frame, as Brown commit Tyler Ramirez ‘26 capitalized on a nice feed from Cooper Augustine ‘28. The score held entering the second.

It only took 46 seconds for Salisbury to find the back of the twine in the second, thanks to a goal by Virginia commit James Whitehorse ‘26. The future Cavalier made a nice adjustment off a pass from Matthew Niedzialek ‘28 to make it 4–0. Soon after came third form phenom Keegan Luey’s first of the day, with the Ontario native going five-hole after collecting a pass from Ramirez. Yale commit Brayden Belski ‘27 got involved a minute later, pushing it to 6–0 Knights with 7:30 to go in the half.

Six seconds later—yes, only six ticks—faceoff specialist Colton Korpan ‘28 did it all himself, winning the draw before racing downfield and firing a bounce shot into the net. The goal marked the first of his Salisbury career.

Ramirez notched his second of the day at the midpoint of the frame, making a crisp mid-air catch off a pass from Whitehorse before finishing it. Sullivan joined the multi-goal club minutes later, extending the lead to 9–0 with under four minutes to play.

Millbrook ended the shutout bid as the clock neared three minutes, with the Mustangs finally beating goaltender Conor Reynolds ‘27. The Colgate commit, though tested minimally, played excellently all half. The same could be said about the entire Salisbury defense, especially Ohio State commit Joe Florada ‘26 and Army commit Devin Maguire ‘26.

Luey’s second of the contest pushed the Knights to double digits with 41 seconds remaining, making it 10–1 at halftime.

Fourth former Tucker White assumed goaltending duties in the second half and, much like his counterpart, received swift support. Kane Pritchett ‘28—a standout receiver on the gridiron this fall—advanced the ball downfield and dumped it off to Hobart commit Chris Cobb ‘26. The postgraduate attackman then went behind the back from close range and finished it.

Immediately after, Luey tallied his third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh goals of the day, extending the lead to 16–1 with 2:15 to go in the third. His fifth marked his 10th of the young season, making him the first Salisbury player to reach double digits this year. Not bad, not bad at all.

Millbrook snuck one past White as the clock dipped under 60 seconds, but the Knights responded, with Max Mullikin ‘28 ripping one while running to his right. The score sat at 17–2 entering the final period.

Even after being knocked to the ground on a check from behind, the Kentucky fourth former popped right back up and fired one home. Augustine added his first—and second—soon after, pushing Salisbury past the 20-goal threshold.

Millbrook got one back with just over three minutes to play, but the margin was extended once more, this time by Niedzialek.

The win serves as a much-needed rebound ahead of a Saturday matchup at Berkshire. Game time is 4 p.m.

Belski tallies five goals as Knights roll past Thayer, 14–6

Salisbury ventured north to Springfield College this afternoon to take on Thayer in a neutral-site clash. The Knights, ranked a consensus preseason top-10 team in the nation by almost every media outlet, looked to start fast and get win No. 1 under their belt. They did exactly that, with seven different players scoring goals—highlighted by Yale commit Brayden Belski’s five tallies.

Salisbury built a commanding 10–2 lead thanks to stellar goaltending by Colgate commit Conor Reynolds ’27 and solid faceoff play from Duke commit Connor Wambach ’26. Each of their respective performances was vital in building the large lead.

Even when Thayer was able to cut the deficit to 10–5 in the second half, the Knights responded, ripping off four unanswered goals to put the game out of reach.

Along with Belski’s five, Brown commit Tyler Ramirez ’26 notched a hat trick of his own, scoring three. Two future ACC players—Syracuse commit Garrett Sullivan ’27 and Virginia commit James Whitehorse ’26—each tallied two goals apiece. Wambach added one himself, as did Maryland commit Jackson Allen ’26. Allen was also a force on the defensive side of the ball and was credited with three caused turnovers.

The highlight of the day, however, came from the stick of Keegan Luey ’29. The third former from St. Catharines, Ontario, earned his first career goal, serving as the icing on the cake of an already great day.

The victory gets Salisbury moving in the right direction as it hosts Loomis Chaffee on Saturday, March 28, for a top-10 showdown. Start time is 3:30 p.m.