SALISBURY, Md. — The Catholic University men's lacrosse team tested itself against one of the most complete teams in the country on Wednesday night, dropping a non-conference contest to No. 2 Salisbury.

The Sea Gulls jumped on the Cardinals early in the game, scoring the first six goals before a Luke D'Ambrogi strike late in the first quarter ended the run.

The second quarter was a positive one for Catholic as each team exchanged goals with neither side scored more than one goal in succession. Mike Mulligan netted twice for the Cardinals in the second stanza. He and D'Ambrogi each scored twice in the contest.

Salisbury came out of halftime on a mission to end all doubt, shutting out Catholic 5-0 in quarter three. The third quarter has been a problematic period for the Cardinals throughout the campaign, dating back to early in the season.

The Sea Gulls extended the second-half run to 7-0 in the fourth quarter before consolation goals from Victor Rosado and Danny Fitzgibbons.

Salisbury outshot Catholic 63-26 and took care of the ball extremely well, only turning it over 12 times and going a perfect 25-for-25 on clears. The Cardinals turned it over 21 times and were only 75 percent efficient on clearing attempts, going 17-for-24.

Nic Pezone made 12 saves and claimed four ground in the cage for Catholic and Colin McDonnell added five saves in relief. Mike Tayloe had a big day on defense, scooping up four ground balls and causing a team-high three turnovers.

Three players scored hat tricks for the Sea Gulls with Brice Bromwell leading the way with five goals.

Jon Sax's team now turns its attention to an immense Landmark Conference finale on Saturday. 

As things stand, Catholic can finish the regular season in first, second or third position in the conference standings. If the Cardinals defeat the Blue Jays in Elizabethtown on Saturday, they will at least host a tournament semifinal. If the win were to come by four or more goals, Catholic will claim the regular season title on a three-way tie-breaker and earn the No. 1 seed in the Landmark Conference tournament.

If Catholic falls to Elizabethtown on Saturday, it will earn the No. 3 seed and be on the road for the entirety of the conference tournament. Opening face-off is set for 1 p.m. in the massive affair.