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The margin of error is slim come playoff lacrosse, a truth that played out to the finest margin in the Division III men’s NCAA championship semifinals on Sunday.

Salisbury and Wesleyan both advanced to the national title game with one-goal wins, making it a case of back-to-back national champions versus first-time hopefuls at Gillette Stadium on Memorial Day weekend. The Seagulls pulled away in the fourth quarter to edge Gettysburg 8-7, while the Cardinals struck down previously-undefeated and No. 1 RIT 19-18.

With that, Division III bragging rights will come down to the CAC Tournament winners against the NESCAC regular-season champs. Legendary Salisbury coach Jim Berkman is pitted against longtime Wesleyan coach John Raba. Then there’s Salisbury’s stingy defense facing Wesleyan’s high-powered offense.

It’s setting up to be an intriguing matchup, so let’s break down how each squad got there.

Wesleyan Upsets RIT

After losing in 2017’s national title game and entering Sunday 21-0, RIT seemed destined for a chance to redeem itself on Division III's biggest stage. The Cardinals, however, had other ideas.

With just under eight minutes left in regulation, Wesleyan had built up a 17-9 lead. They went on runs of five and six goals at various points, and the Tigers seemed down for the count. But, as all good teams do, they rallied back.

RIT scored nine of the game’s final 11 goals, falling just short of a complete comeback. A five-goal day from Kyle Killen, four more from Ryan Tandy and six assists from Ryan Barnable weren’t enough to keep their quest for perfection alive.

Harry Stanton, a two-time All-American and a Second Team All-NESCAC honoree in 2018, put up six goals, including the eventual game-winner with 1:08 left. Wesleyan hat tricks also came from Ronan Jacoby and Cole Turpin, indicative of the balanced offense they’ve relied on all year.

One year ago, Wesleyan fell to RIT in the national semifinals. This go around, they got sweet revenge when travelling to upstate New York.

Salisbury Keeps Trending Up

In late March, Salisbury had dropped three of six games and serious questions arose as to whether or not they could make it three titles in as many years. By downing Gettysburg, the regular season Centennial Conference champs, 8-7, the Seagulls are one step away from proving all naysayers wrong.

They’ve rattled off 14 straight wins, won the CAC Tournament, and now knocked off three ranked opponents in the NCAA Tournament. Berkman’s group, quite simply, is peaking at the perfect time.

Against the Bullets, Salisbury never led by more than one goal, though. Their first lead didn’t even come until 9:38 left in the fourth quarter, when Zach Pompea potted an unassisted goal. A minute later, Will DeMartin answered right back for Gettysburg, only for Emory Wongus to score the game-winner with 4:15 remaining.

In all that back and forth, Griffin Moroney had a stellar day for the Seagulls. He recorded a hat trick, making it 57 points (46 goals, 11 assists) on the year.

With the win, Salisbury exacted revenge on Gettysburg for an early-season loss. They visited Pennsylvania back on February 24, falling 11-10 in double overtime. With this visit, Berkman’s group emerged on top.