Four of Salisburys top six midfielders graduated from last years squad that captured the programs 11th NCAA Division III championship. So its not shocking to coach Jim Berkman that the first line of senior Brendan Bromwell, junior Garrett Reynolds (Archbishop Curley), and sophomore Corey Gwin is in the middleof trying to find a rhythm.

Weve just got a little work to do at the midfield, he said Friday. Were young at the midfield, and weve got a lot of new guys playing. So it takes time to figure it out. We knew that going into the season.

Reynolds ranks fourth in points with seven, and Bromwell and Gwin are tied for fifth with five points each. The trio combined for two goals and two assists in a 9-8 decision against Lynchburg on Feb. 11 and three goals and one assist in a 9-7 win against Montclair State a week ago, but they are still developing their cohesion, according to Berkman.

Theyre learning to play together, he said. Youve got Bromwell who has been on the first line, and youve got a kid [Gwin] who was on the third line last year and who has had a couple big goals in each game and who is in the limelight for the first time as a sophomore. You have Garrett who is stepping up from the second line to the first line and is playing a whole lot more than hes used to. Theyve got to be consistently good over a period of time. Its a little bit of growing period. They show signs of brilliance, but theyre a little lacking in consistency.

A drop-off from the first midfield of Thomas Cirillo (54 goals and 32 assists in 2016), James Burton (33 G, 51 A), and Bromwell (25 G, 15 A) is not unexpected. But the current threesome is capable of matching last years group as witnessed by Berkman during Mondays practice.

In Mondays practice, I would have taken them over last years first midfield line, he said. Thats how good they were on Monday. On Monday, they were unbelievable. They can all shoot the ball. All three of them have cannons. So there is a lot of potential there. The biggest thing is just being consistently consistent.

Originally posted here:
Starting midfield for Salisbury men's lacrosse is still developing chemistry, producing points - Baltimore Sun (blog)