By Aaron Rodenhausen
Incoming Editor-in-Chief
Last Friday, the Shoremen competed with rival Salisbury University in the final game of the regular season for the vaunted Charles B. Clark Cup.
Known as the “War on the Shore,” this non-conference matchup is an annual tradition that reaches back to 1974. Having not held the Cup since 2013, the Shoremen approached the game against the seventh-ranked Sea Gulls with high anticipation.
“We have been looking forward to this game all year because of the rich history of this rivalry,” sophomore attacker Nate Winters said.
WC’s athletes were also excited to take on a nationally ranked opponent.
“We feel confident in our ability to play at that high of a level and want to show that we can play with some of the best in the division,” junior attacker Peyton Gestole said.
Host Salisbury scored the first goal at Sea Gull Stadium, but the Shoremen netted two of their own toward the end of the first quarter. Junior midfielder Carson Crawford made WC’s first tally of the game, and junior attacker Aiden Ventura put the Shoremen in the lead a few minutes later. The Sea Gulls responded with a barrage in the second quarter, scoring three goals in an 11-second span. WC went into halftime down 2-4.
Salisbury dominated the third quarter as well, with two goals to the Shoremen’s zero. The WC team pushed back in the final stanza when junior midfielder Jake Laubach hit the back of the net. About seven minutes later, Laubach made a pass to fellow junior midfielder Reeve Hargrave, who tallied the final goal of the game.
The Sea Gulls secured a narrow 6-4 victory when the clock ran out, a far cry from their 20-6 landslide in 2025. In fact, this year represented the fewest total goals scored in the history of the War on the Shore. The previous low-score record was Salisbury’s 8-4 win in 2006.
Despite the defeat, the Shoremen proved their ability to go toe-to-toe with a daunting opponent and are now focused on the looming playoffs.
“We’ve had a good year, but the job is far from over. We must continue to improve and take it one game at a time,” Gestole said.
Next up, the Shoremen will go on the road to participate in the Centennial Conference Tournament Semifinals on April 30.
Photo Caption: The Shoremen charged to meet their rival, seventh-ranked Salisbury, in the War on the Shore, resulting in a historically low-scoring game.
Photo courtesy of WC Athletics