Washington College Magazine
War On The Shore Invades Baltimore
Andrew Ostrusky '07 had four ground balls in last year's contest, which the Shoremen lost 11-10.
The "War on the Shore" is one of the hottest rivalries in NCAA Division III men's lacrosse. On April 29 at 8:30 p.m., Washington College will square off against three-time defending National Champion, Salisbury University. This year's contest will be held in conjunction with the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Tournament at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
The "War on the Shore" pits the only two Division III institutions on Maryland's Eastern Shore—each with a top-tier lacrosse program. "The Washington College/Salisbury University rivalry is one of the best in college lacrosse and certainly is one of the strongest in Division III," says Athletic Director Bryan Matthews. "The current rivalry is a non-conference game between two top ten teams who are always battling for playoff positions. The intensity of the game brings out the best of both teams, which provides for great lacrosse."
Head Coach J. B. Clarke agrees. "Army has Navy; Carolina has Duke; and we have Salisbury."
So who has the advantage? Clarke says the odds are in Salisbury's favor. "This is a great move for Salisbury. They are used to playing in this type of venue, and we are not." Salisbury won both the 2003 and 2004 NCAA Division III National Championship games at M&T Bank Stadium. Both teams will be competing for the Charles B. Clark Cup, which was introduced to the rivalry in 2004. Clark was a student-athlete, educator and men's lacrosse coach at Washington College and later taught and coached at Salisbury University.
Coach Clark, who graduated from WC in 1934, is a member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and led both institutions to national lacrosse prominence while demonstrating and teaching the highest ideals of sportsmanship, teamwork and competitive athletic spirit. "A great deal of the credit for [the rivalry's] origin belongs to the late Charlie Clark, who had a tremendous history with both schools," says Matthews.
In spite of the hype surrounding the game, don't expect the Shoremen to do anything differently leading up to the contest. "The game is only one week prior to the Centennial Conference playoffs. We simply do not have the opportunity to prepare differently," says Clarke.
"This game garners national attention, which is positive for the school and our lacrosse program," adds Clarke. "We hope that a lot of our fans come out and support us on April 29. The crowd will help get our players excited, hopefully leading us to a big victory."
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