Courtesy of Salisbury Athletic Communications

SALISBURY, Md. – The third-ranked Salisbury University will return to the NCAA Final Four after blanking the 16th ranked Lynchburg, 2-0, in the NCAA Third Round on Sunday.

THE RUNDOWN

Final Score: No. 3 Salisbury 2, No. 16 Lynchburg 0
Records: Salisbury (20-1) | Lynchburg (20-4)
Location: Sea Gull Stadium – Salisbury, Md.

BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Salisbury had a couple of chances in the 11th minute off of a penalty corner. Lynchburg's Laurel Nicks made several diving stops in front of the cage to keep Salisbury off the board.
• Salisbury kept the pressure up in the second quarter as the defense held Lynchburg out of their side of the field.
• The Sea Gulls earned a late penalty corner right before the halftime horn but Nicks was able to get a stick on the Camryn Dennis shot from the top of the arc as the horn sounded to keep the game scoreless.
• The scoreless tie didn't last long in the second half. A minute into the half, Salisbury earned a penalty corner. Arielle Johnston played the corner short to Jenna Partilla on the far side of the arc. Partilla passed it back to Johnston as her low shot towards the cage got through the Lynchburg defense and off the backboard for the first goal of the game.
• Salisbury looked to double their lead in the latter part of the third but Nicks made several stops to keep Lynchburg in the game.
• In the 51st minute, Salisbury got the insurance that they were looking for as Partilla corralled her own rebound from just in front of the end line. She passed it over to McKenzie Mitchell in front of the cage. Mitchell gave the ball back to Partilla on the far side of the cage and shot it past a diving Nicks to give Salisbury a 2-0 lead.

GAME NOTES

• Salisbury did not allow a Lynchburg shot or penalty corner in the game.
• Jenna Partilla tallied a goal and an assist for Salisbury.
• Arielle Johnston notched the game-winning goal.
• McKenzie Mitchell added an assist on Partilla's fourth-quarter goal.
• Lynchburg's Laurel Nicks made 14 saves in the cage.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Salisbury advances to their 15th NCAA Final Four

UP NEXT

• Salisbury will take on No. 2 Middlebury in the national semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 23 at Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Pa.
• The game is set for a 2 p.m. start.
• Live links and ticket information will be available at a later time.