War on the Shore
SportLacrosse
Teams
First meetingApril 6th, 1974
Washington 16, Salisbury 11
Latest meetingApril 15th, 2023
Salisbury23, Washington 9
StadiumsRoy Kirby Stadium & Sea Gull Stadium
TrophyCharles B. Clark Cup
Statistics
Meetings total55
All-time seriesSalisbury, 35-20
Largest victoryWashington, 24-4 (1986)
Longest win streakWashington, 12 (1982-1990)
Salisbury, 12 (2003-2012)
Current win streakSalisbury, 9 (2014 - Present)

The War on the Shore is the annual Men's Lacrosse game between rivals Washington College and Salisbury University.[1] These two schools are located on Maryland's eastern shore and are just 82 miles (132 km) apart. This game is nicknamed "The War on the Shore" because they are two major colleges on the eastern shore of Maryland and the close proximity creates a natural rivalry between the schools. This Division III game is played every spring and is considered one of the most anticipated games of the year in lacrosse.[2]

Charles Branch Clark, a 1934 graduate of Washington College and lacrosse coach at both schools, has been called the "tie binding the lacrosse traditions of both schools."[3] After Clark's passing in December 2003,[4] the Charles B. Clark cup was named in his honor and has since been awarded annually to the winner of the war on the Shore. The game between these two teams draws several thousand fans each year earning this game the title "The Biggest Little Lacrosse Game in America."[3]

The Shoremen and Sea Gulls have faced off 53 times, with Salisbury leading the overall series 35-20, since the series began in 1974, including 10 times in the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship.[3] The competition did not occur in 2020 or 2021 amid both universities closing for the COVID-19 pandemic,[5] but returned in 2022.

From 2002 to 2012, the Sea Gulls of Salisbury had won 10 straight games over the Shoremen of Washington until the Shoremen broke the streak with a 7-6 victory in 2013. Each game is played either at Roy Kirby Stadium on the campus of Washington College or Sea Gull Stadium on the campus of Salisbury University.

Results

Salisbury victoriesWashington victoriesTie games
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 April 6th, 1974 Chestertown, MD Washington 16–11
2 April 30th, 1975 Salisbury, MD Salisbury 10–8
3 April 28th, 1976 Chestertown, MD Washington 13–10
4 May 5th, 1981 Salisbury, MD Salisbury 20–15
5 May 1st, 1982 Chestertown, MD Washington 15–9
6 April 30th, 1983 Salisbury, MD Washington 11–10
7 May 11th, 1983 Geneva, NY Washington 19–7
8 April 21st, 1984 Chestertown, MD Washington 14–7
9 May 13th, 1984 Geneva, NY Washington 13–8
10 April 28th, 1985 Salisbury, MD Washington 16–6
11 April 19th, 1986 Chestertown, MD Washington 16–7
12 May 7th, 1986 Geneva, NY Washington 24–4
13 April 18th, 1987 Salisbury, MD Washington 18–7
14 April 9th, 1988 Chestertown, MD Washington 14–6
15 April 29th, 1989 Salisbury, MD Washington 13–8
16 April 28th, 1990 Chestertown, MD Washington 14–12
17 April 27th, 1991 Salisbury, MD Salisbury 20–4
18 April 25th, 1992 Chestertown, MD Salisbury 22–8
19 April 24th, 1993 Salisbury, MD Salisbury 17–5
20 May 16th, 1993 College Park, MD Washington 12–11
21 April 23rd, 1994 Chestertown, MD Salisbury 13–8
22 May 15th, 1994 College Park, MD Salisbury 24–6
23 April 22nd, 1995 Salisbury, MD Salisbury 21–8
24 April 20th, 1996 Chestertown, MD Salisbury 23–11
25 May 18th, 1996 College Park, MD Washington 11–10
26 April 19th, 1997 Salisbury, MD Salisbury 16–5
27 April 18th, 1998 Salisbury, MD Salisbury 24–11
28 May 17th, 1998 New Brunswick, NJ Washington 12–10
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
29 May 1st, 1999 Chestertown, MD Salisbury 16–15
30 April 29th, 2000 Salisbury, MD Washington 15–10
31 May 14th, 2000 Salisbury, MD Salisbury 21–9
32 May 5th, 2001 Chestertown, MD Salisbury 8–7
33 May 4th, 2002 Salisbury, MD Washington 14–10
34 May 3rd, 2003 Chestertown, MD Salisbury 17–12
35 May 1st, 2004 Salisbury, MD Salisbury 21–7
36 May 23rd, 2004 Salisbury, MD Salisbury 13–11
37 April 30th, 2005 Chestertown, MD Salisbury 11–10
38 April 29th, 2006 Baltimore, MD Salisbury 13–7
39 May 17th, 2006 Salisbury, MD Salisbury 8–4
40 April 28th, 2007 Chestertown, MD Salisbury 13–5
41 April 26th, 2008 Salisbury, MD Salisbury 15–11
42 April 25th, 2009 Chestertown, MD Salisbury 12–11
43 May 8th, 2010 Salisbury, MD Salisbury 12–7
44 May 7th, 2011 Chestertown, MD #1 Salisbury 17–3
45 April 21st, 2012 Salisbury, MD #1 Salisbury 17–5
46 April 17th, 2013 Chestertown, MD #12 Washington 7–6
47 March 19th, 2014 Salisbury, MD #2 Salisbury 12–7
48 May 18th, 2014 Salisbury, MD #2 Salisbury 13–8
49 April 18th, 2015 Chestertown, MD #10 Salisbury 23–5
50 March 16th, 2016 Salisbury, MD #2 Salisbury 14–2
51 March 11th, 2017 Chestertown, MD #1 Salisbury 14–1
52 March 17th, 2018 Salisbury, MD #8 Salisbury 7–6
53 April 13th, 2019 Chestertown, MD #1 Salisbury 15–142OT
54 April 9th, 2022 Salisbury, MD #1 Salisbury 22–8
55 April 15th, 2023 Chestertown, MD #2 Salisbury 23–9
Series: Salisbury leads 35–20

Sources: [6][7]


References

  1. ^ "No. 1 Salisbury lacrosse rallies to beat rival Washington College to win War on the Shore". www.ncaa.com. April 13, 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  2. ^ Wilson, Connor (April 7, 2014). "The Greatest Lacrosse Rivalries Ever". Lacrosse All Stars. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "War on the Shore to be televised". MyEasternShoreMD. May 5, 2011. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  4. ^ Dewar, Heather (December 14, 2003). "Charles B. Clark Sr., 90, teacher, lacrosse coach". baltimoresun.com. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  5. ^ "2020 Men's Lacrosse Schedule". Salisbury.
  6. ^ "Men's Lacrosse History vs Salisbury University". Washington College. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  7. ^ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_lacrosse_champs_finals_records/2019/D3ResultsRecs.pdf
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