ON AIR: Wednesday’s game can be seen live on ESPN3 with John Sadak handling the play-by-play duties and Vince Angotti providing analysis.

SETTING THE STAGE: The Tigers are set to host Delaware, one of the hottest teams in the Colonial Athletic Association, on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at the Towson Center Arena. The Tigers have lost six straight since topping UNC Wilmington at home on Jan. 28, while the Blue Hens are riding a six-game winning streak. Wednesday will be the final home game for three Towson seniors who will be honored pregame. Wednesday’s game is being sponsored by PNC BANK, the official bank of Towson University.

ROB’S CAREER NIGHT: Towson senior Robert Nwankwo, who has scored in double figures in five straight games, poured in a career-high 20 points to go along with 13 rebounds against New Hampshire on Saturday. In a pair of games last week, the forward averaged 19.5 points, 13.0 rebounds and shot 52.2 percent from the field.

BATTLE DOWN LOW: Wednesday’s game will feature two of the best rebounders in the country. Delaware’s Jamelle Hagins currently ranks fifth in the NCAA averaging 11.2 rebounds per game. Hagins is first in the CAA in both total rebounds and defensive rebounds (8.6/game). Towson senior Robert Nwankwo is fourth in the league averaging 9.6 rebounds and the forward leads all CAA players with 4.2 offensive rebounds per game. Hagins and Nwankwo are also two of the top players in the country in blocks per game. Both are Top 25 nationally in rejections with Hagins averaging 3.0 and Nwankwo recording 2.5 per contest.

SCOUTING THE BLUE HENS: Delaware comes into Wednesday’s matchup with the Tigers as one of the hottest teams in the CAA. The Blue Hens have won six straight and are currently tied for fifth-place in the league standings. Delaware boasts the second ranked scoring offense in the conference, averaging 68.3 points per game. Sophomore Devon Saddler is second in the CAA averaging 18.6 points per game. The Blue Hens have also been solid defensively, rejecting 4.9 shots per game to rank second in the league in blocks. Junior Jamelle Hagins is second on the team in scoring (12.9 ppg), but his biggest contributions come on the defensive side of the floor. The forward averages a CAA-leading 11.2 rebounds per game and his 3.0 blocks per game is second in the conference.

LAST TIME OUT: Towson senior Robert Nwankwo posted his 13th double-double of the season, but a balanced New Hampshire squad outlasted the Tigers to pick up a 72-58 BracketBuster win Saturday afternoon at Lundholm Gymnasium. The Tigers won the battle of the boards (38-37) for the 10th time in the last 11 games. Towson also committed a season-low eight turnovers, but the Tigers were dominated from beyond the arc. New Hampshire made 10 three-point field goals, including a 6-for-15 shooting clip in the second half, while Towson was only able to hit two of its 17 attempts from deep. Tiger sophomore Marcus Damas had 11 of his 13 points in the second half and now has 20 double digit scoring games this season. The forward handed out a team-high four assists, but missed all eight of his three-point field goal attempts. Freshman Deon Jones put forth a solid effort with eight points and six rebounds in 30 minutes of action.

HONORING OUR SENIORS: Prior to Wednesday’s 7 p.m. tip, Towson will honor its seniors. A short ceremony honoring Bryan Blackstone, Deyon Cook, Robert Nwankwo and four senior managers will take place approximately 10 minutes prior to tip.

BALTIMORE, MD – The third-ranked Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team built a five-goal, third-quarter lead then held off a furious rally by 16th-ranked Delaware as the Blue Jays improved to 2-0 on the year with an 8-6 win over the Blue Hens at Homewood Field Tuesday evening. Hopkins also extended its home winning streak to eight games with the win and moved to 9-0 all-time against the Blue Hens.

After batting to a 2-2 tie through the first 20 minutes, the Blue Jays slowly began to take control. The second of Brandon Benn’s three goals with 9:34 remaining in the second quarter gave JHU a 3-2 lead and sophomore Rob Guida pushed the lead to 4-2 seven minutes later when he spun inside a defender and beat Delaware goalie Chris Herbert to the near post.

The two-goal lead held until midway through the third quarter, when sophomore Greg Edmonds got free on the crease and slipped home his first goal of the season off a nifty feed from freshman Wells Stanwick, who spun away from a defender behind the goal and found Edmonds to pick up the assist.

Benn completed the first hat trick of his career just over five minutes later when he scored from in tight – also off a Stanwick assist – and junior Lee Coppersmith added a transition goalie just under two minutes after Benn’s strike to give JHU what seemed to be a comfortable 7-2 lead.

The Blue Jays won the faceoff after Coppersmith’s goal and junior John Ranagan unloaded on Herbert, but he was equal to the task and jump-started the Blue Hen transition, which ended with a Grant Kaleikau goal just 24 seconds after Coppersmith’s goal.

Delaware had gone more than 29 minutes without scoring before Kaleikau’s goal, but needed just seven seconds after that to score again as Mark Yetter blew home his third goal of the season off a skip pass form Kaleikau off the ensuing faceoff and the Hens had quickly sliced into the lead and grabbed the momentum.

JHU’s 7-4 lead held until midway through the fourth quarter, when Delaware struck twice in less than 45 seconds to draw within a goal. Danny Keane’s ninth goal of the year made it 7-5 with 6:27 remaining and Tom Holland got topside on his defender and beat JHU goalie Pierce Bassett from eight yards out while falling to the ground to make it 7-6.

Delaware had two possessions in the final five minutes, but the Blue Jay defense, which has now allowed a total of just 12 goals in two games this season, held the Hens off the board and Ranagan added an insurance goal – an extra-man tally – with 31 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Benn led the Blue Jays with the three goals and one assist, while Stanwick tallied the first goal of his career and added the two assists as well. Guida (1g, 1a) was the only other Blue Jay with a multi-point game and Bassett posted six saves to pick up the win in goal. JHU held advantages in shots (35-23) and ground balls (30-27) and got a boost from junior Mike Poppleton, who returned to the lineup after missing the season-opener vs. Towson and won 9-of-15 faceoffs with six ground balls.

Kaleikau scored the one goal and added three assists, while Yetter chipped in with the one goal and one assist. Herbert was solid in goal for the Blue Hens as he posted 12 saves, but UD failed on 9-of-26 clears and had 22 turnovers as well.

#16 Delaware (2-2) 2-0-2-2/6
#3 Johns Hopkins (2-0) 2-2-3-1/8<

Goals: D: Kaleikau, Yetter, Holland, Keane, McRoy, Finegan. J: Benn-3, Stanwick, Guida, Ranagan, Coppersmith, Edmonds. Assists: D: Kaleikau-3, Sebastiani, Yetter. J: Stanwick-2, Benn, Guida, Palmer. Saves:D: Herbert-12. J: Bassett-6. Shots: D-23. J-35. EMO: D: 1-for-1. J: 2-for-3. Attendance: 800.

The Game: Johns Hopkins welcomes Delaware to Homewood Field for the ninth all-time meeting between the two teams. The Blue Jays (1-0) opened the 2012 season with a 12-6 win over Towson last Friday night, while the Blue Hens are 2-1 on the year after dropping a 13-8 decision at Loyola on Saturday.

Series History: Johns Hopkins and Delaware are meeting for the ninth time in a series that dates to a 19-6 Johns Hopkins victory in 1980. The Blue Jays have won all eight previous meetings, including last season’s 18-5 victory at frigid Delaware Stadium.

In February: Johns Hopkins has played just 14 all-time games in the month of February and the Blue Jays are 11-3 in those 14 games.

For Openers: Johns Hopkins improved to 10-2 under head coach Dave Pietramala in season-openers with the 12-6 win over Towson.

These are the Facts: Johns Hopkins enters this week’s game against Delaware with an all-time record of 913-294-15 (.753). The Blue Jays own nine NCAA titles, 29 USILA titles and six ILA titles for a total of 44 national championships.

Career Win Number 150: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala picked up career win number 150 with the 12-6 victory vs. Towson in the season opener. He now sports an all-time record of 150-58 (.721), including a 127-41 (.756) record at Johns Hopkins. He ranks second all-time in school history in career coaching victories as only Hall of Fame coach Bob Scott (158 wins from 1955-74) has more victories than Pietramala while patrolling the sidelines at Homewood.

Noting JHU in the NCAA Tournament: Johns Hopkins made its 40th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. By comparison, the next six longest active streaks of qualifying for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament add up to exactly 40 consecutive appearances.

First to 900: Johns Hopkins’ 10-6 win at Towson in the 2011 season opener not only got the season off on the right foot for the Blue Jays, but also made history. The win was the 900th all-time in school history, making Johns Hopkins the first program to record 900 all-time wins. JHU now has 913 all-time wins.

That’s 619 Games Over .500: The Blue Jays’ all-time record is now 913-294-15 (.753) … that’s 619 games over .500. To put this in perspective: JHU has played an average of just over 15 games per season under head coach Dave Pietramala. Using a 15-game season as a reference, if the Blue Jays posted a 5-10 record for 123 straight seasons, they would still be four games over .500.

13-Win Seasons: With a 13-3 record last season, Johns Hopkins reached the 13-win mark for the fifth time under head coach Dave Pietramala and the 12th time in school history.

Home Cookin’: Johns Hopkins will enter this week’s game against Delaware having won seven straight games at Homewood Field. The streak is tied for the third-longest under head coach Dave Pietramala, who sports a gaudy 74-12 (.861) record at Homewood Field in his 12 seasons.
JHU won a school and national-record 37 straight home games from 2001-06 under Pietramala’s guidance and the current seven-game home winning streak is the fourth home streak of seven or more since he arrived.

Striking the First Blow: Johns Hopkins scored on its first shot of the game seven times in 2011. The Blue Jays weren’t nearly as fortunate in the season-opening win vs. Towson … it took JHU all the way until its second shot of the game to find the back of the net vs. the Tigers.

Attack Oriented: The starting attack unit of senior Chris Boland, junior Zach Palmer and sophomore Brandon Benn combined for nine goals and three assists in the 12-6 win vs. Towson. Add in two assists by freshman Wells Stanwick,who played a regular role throughout the game, and JHU got nine goals and five assists from its four primary attackmen.
Boland punched up four goals before leaving the game midway through the third quarter, while Palmer added three goals and three assists. Benn (2g) and Stanwick (2a) also enjoyed multi-point games for the Blue Jays, who saw the quartet tally their nine goals on just 15 shots.

Bassett Among National Leaders: Sophomore goalie Pierce Bassett picked up his 17th career victory in goal with the 12-6 win vs. Towson last Friday night as he posted seven saves and allowed six goals to improve to 17-7 in his 24 career starts. He is 14-3 in his last 17 starts dating back to the start of the 2011 season.
Bassett concluded his first full season as the starter for the Blue Jays last season and posted a 7.07 goals against average and a .570 save percentage last season. He finished fifth in the nation in GAA and 10th in save percentage. His fifth-place finish in GAA is the highest by a JHU goalie since Jesse Schwartzman led the nation in 2005 (6.68), while he is just the third Blue Jay to finish in the top 10 in save percentage since the NCAA began tracking men’s lacrosse statistics in 2000.
Bassett’s 7.07 goals against average is the second best by a JHU goalie since 1993 (Schwartman’s 6.68 GAA in 2005 is the best since records became available in ‘93).

The Fab Five: While the Blue Jays had just one midfielder earn All-America honors last season (John Ranagan), they return four others who performed steadily throughout the 2011 season. The first unit of sophomores John Greeley and Ranagan and freshman Rob Guida started all 16 games together, while the second group returns senior Mark Goodrich, and junior Lee Coppersmith.
The five combined for 58 goals and 30 assists in 16 games last season. While the first two lines, which also include sophomore Greg Edmonds, totaled just two goals and two assists vs. Towson, this is an area the Blue Jays will look to as the season unfolds.

Must be the Speech: Whatever the coaching staff said in the locker room before the game and at halftime worked throughout the 2011 season. Johns Hopkins outscored the opposition 44-25 in the first quarter last season and 51-29 in the third quarter. While JHU was a bit slow getting going against Towson, the halftime speech worked to perfection as the Blue Jays held the Tigers scoreless in the third quarter and tallied the first six goals of the second half to stretch a 5-3 halftime lead to 11-3.

Streaking: Johns Hopkins is 102-29 in its last 131 regular season games dating back to the end of the 2001 season and 119-37 (.763) overall since the start of the 2002 season.

Poll Position: The Blue Jays check in at number three in this week’s USILA Coaches Poll and second in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. The Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications Office uses the USILA Poll to represent JHU’s official ranking at the time of a game. Prior to falling out of the top 20 of the USILA Poll on April 26 and May 3, 2010 (JHU was receiving votes in both polls), the Blue Jays had been ranked in the top 20 in 367 consecutive polls dating back to the first poll in 1973.

More Poll Position: Including this week’s USILA Poll, there have been 385 weekly polls since the inception of the poll in 1973. Amazingly, JHU has been ranked in the top 20 in 383 of those 385 polls. The Blue Jays have been in the top 10 in 362 of the 385 and the top five in 288 of those 385.
State Rivalries: Without question the Blue Jays play one of the most difficult schedules in the nation and a big part of the schedule are the in-state rivalries the Blue Jays have. Including the season-opening win vs. Towson, JHU is 54-4 (.931) against teams from Maryland under head coach Dave Pietramala.
Below is a breakdown of JHU’s record against teams from the state of Maryland under Pietramala.

Loyola (11-0)
Maryland (8-3)
Mount St. Mary’s (4-0)
Navy (11-1)
Towson (13-0)
UMBC (7-0)

Offensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes about the JHU offense:
• JHU scored at least two goals in all four quarters vs. Towson and three or more in three of the four.
• Hopkins fired 42 shots on Towson last week. JHU generated 40 or more shots just four times last season.
• The Blue Jays scored on their first shot of the game seven times last season.
• Johns Hopkins finished 10th in the nation in scoring offense (11.25), second in scoring margin (+4.0), 12th in assists per game (6.19) and 10th in points per game (17.44) last season.

Defensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest concerning the JHU defense:
• Hopkins held Towson to just 18 shots – the fewest the Blue Jays have surrendered since holding Mount St. Mary’s to 16 shots on April 27, 2009.
• JHU held Towson scoreless for a stretch of 31:05 midway through the game.
• One year after holding the opposition to one goal or less in 32 of 64 (50%) quarters, JHU hit .500 in the season opener as Towson scored just once in the second quarter and was held scoreless in the third.
• Johns Hopkins held the opposition scoreless for a stretch of 15 minutes or longer 16 times in 16 games last season. The Blue Jays held the opposition scoreless for 10 minutes or longer 33 times.
• The Blue Jays finished sixth in the nation in scoring defense (7.25) last season.
• The starting attack units the Blue Jays faced last season combined for a total of 39 goals and 36 assists (4.69 points per game). Six of those units were held to three points or less and only five generated more than five points. The JHU starting defense of Tucker Durkin, Chris Lightner and Gavin Crisafulli picked up where they left off last season as Towson’s starting attack totaled just two goals and two assists against JHU.

CENTERVILLE, Mass. – Loyola University Maryland junior long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff earned the first ECAC Lacrosse League Defensive Player of the Week honor of the 2012 season Monday, the conference office announced.

Ratliff led the Loyola possession effort on Saturday afternoon as the Greyhounds defeated No. 19 Delaware, 13-8, to open the 2012 season. The native of Marietta, Ga., finished with game-highs of seven ground balls and two caused turnovers, and he also scored a transition goal for the Greyhounds.

His seven ground balls set a new career-high.

Ratliff helped Loyola overcome a 3-0 first-quarter deficit that the preseason Colonial Athletic Association favorite had built. The Greyhounds went 0-of-4 on face-offs, and the Blue Hens picked up nine ground balls to Loyola’s four, during that first quarter.

For the rest of the game, Loyola was 14-of-21 on restarts, and the Greyhounds led 30-19 in ground balls, thanks in large part to Ratliff’s efforts on the ground. Nearly three-quarters of the way through the third quarter, Loyola goalkeeper Michael Bonitatibus made a clean save on a point-blank Delaware shot, and he found Ratliff running to the top of the box to start a clear.

Ratliff executed a one-man clear, faked a pass at the top of the Loyola box to freeze an onrushing defender, and he then shot a low, hard shot for his fifth career goal.

The award is the second of Ratliff’s career after he earned the same honor from the ECAC on March 28, 2011.

Loyola is back in action against Towson University on Saturday afternoon at Ridley Athletic Complex. Face-off is scheduled for 1 o’clock.

BALTIMORE – Eric Lusby returned to the Loyola University Maryland men’s lacrosse lineup Saturday afternoon after missing most of last season with a knee injury, and he finished with a career-high four goals in the Greyhounds’ 13-8 victory over 19^th-ranked University of Delaware at Ridley Athletic Complex.

Lusby scored Loyola’s first goal, 2:59 into the second quarter, on an extra-man opportunity, sparking a 5-0 run that saw the Greyhounds rally from three down to two up in the span of less than six minutes.

Delaware (2-1) dominated play in the first quarter and led 3-0 when Nick Diachenko scored with 2:15 left in the frame.

The Greyhounds, however, had a long possession to start the second, and then got the ball back when goalkeeper Michael Bonitatibus made a save on Diachenko. After Loyola cleared the ball, Mike Sawyer took a shot that went off the cross bar, but Delaware was whistled for a check to the head, putting the Greyhounds on the extra-man.

Twenty-five seconds into the possession, Sawyer slipped a pass to Lusby who wound up and shot from almost 15 yards out, scoring his first goal since 2010.

Lusby tore his right ACL in the 2010 NCAA First Round game at Cornell. He attempted a comeback last season, but the injury hampered him early, and he received a medical redshirt after playing slightly in just two games.

The Greyhounds scored again to pull within two when Sawyer took a Sean O’Sullivan pass, faked a pass of his own and shot from 12-plus yards, scoring an extra-man goal of his own at 6:05.

Just 31 seconds later, after another Loyola face-off win, Davis Butts used a spin move at the top of the right alley, drove toward the goal and scored high-to-low, tying the game at 3-3.

Loyola’s run continued when Delaware drew another illegal body check penalty on the ensuing face-off. Blue Hens goalkeeper Chris Herbert saved a Sawyer shot, but the ball trickled outside the crease where Patrick Fanshaw picked up the ground ball and dumped a shot over Herbert’s shoulder to put Loyola in front for the first time with 5:03 to go in the half.

J.P. Dalton won another face-off for Loyola, his fifth in a row, and Fanshaw scored again off a Justin Ward pass with 4:22 on the clock, putting the Greyhounds up, 5-3.

Delaware got one back on a Grant Kaleikau goal 1:22 before the break, sending the teams to the locker room with Loyola up, 5-4.

Dalton’s play at the ‘X’ was key to Loyola’s 5-0 run that covered 5-minutes, 39-seconds. Delaware’s Dan Cooney won all four restarts in the first quarter, but Dalton won the first five of the second, helping the Greyhounds control possession and the quarter’s tempo.

“I thought that after we settled down, J.P. made it a battle out there,” Head Coach Charley Toomey said. “This is one of J.P.’s first games where he’s taken all of the face-offs in his career, and we are asking a lot of him to win the face-offs and then play offense. He really went out there and did a great job of getting the ball out to our wings, and that started to change the game for us.”

Dalton finished the game with a 14-of-25 mark at the ‘X’, winning 5-of-7 in both the second and third quarters.

“I don’t think that we were whistle-ready to start the game,” Toomey said. “(Delaware) had played two games, and we were not as sharp, but I think we started to let the game come to us a little bit more, and that’s when good things started to happen.”

Neither team was especially sharp to start the third quarter, as Loyola hit two posts with shots on its first possession, and the Blue Hens misfired on their first three.

Jeff Fletcher caused a Kaleikau turnover, picked up the ground ball and started a Loyola clear near the nine-minute mark in the third, a possession that culminated when Lusby rolled at the top of the right alley and fired a shot into the upper left corner of the net with 8:29 on the clock.

Herbert saved two O’Sullivan shots on Loyola’s ensuing possession after the Greyhounds controlled the face-off, and Delaware took the ball into its offensive end.

Connor McRoy ripped a shot from inside eight yards, but Bonitatibus saved it cleanly and quickly threw an outlet pass to Scott Ratliff who executed a one-man clear to the offensive zone.

Ratliff faked a pass at the top of the box, freezing an onrushing Delaware defender, and he scored in the unsettled situation, pushing Loyola’s lead to three.

Less than a minute later, Sawyer used a spin move at goal-line extended on the left side, got free and shot from inside 10 yards for his second goal of the game.

Dalton and Ratliff again combined to win the faceoff, and after a Ward shot went high, Lusby took an O’Sullivan pass and shot on Herbert. The shot initially appeared to be thwarted by Herbert, but it tricked loose and rolled over the goal line to give Loyola a 9-4 lead with 3:58 left in the third quarter.

A Loyola penalty led to a Delaware extra-man goal 40 seconds later, this one scored by Brenden Gilson, but Lusby struck again 41 ticks later, spinning to his right and scoring.

His four goals were a career-high after he had scored three on four previous occasions.

Delaware scored twice in the first five minutes of the final quarter, cutting Loyola’s lead to 10-7 when Kaleikau assisted on a Danny Keane goal, but Loyola ran over three minutes off the clock after that, and Phil Dobson scored his first collegiate goal with a low-to-low shot form 15 yards out.

Loyola again wound down the clock, and after killing more than two minutes, Delaware got the ball back, but Ratliff caused a Blue Hens turnover, and Loyola went back on the offensive.

Nikko Pontrello, playing in his first collegiate game,wrapped around the crease and scored with 3:46 left in the game.

The teams traded goals after that, Delaware scoring on the extra-man, and Sawyer tallying his third of the game, man-down with 33 seconds to play.

Bonitatibus made his first collegiate start in the game and finished with seven saves, five ground balls and two caused turnovers.

Loyola picked up 34 ground balls to the Blue Hens’ 28, led by Ratliff’s seven. The Greyhounds also held a 44-23 shot advantage in the game, and they were a perfect 16-of-16 clearing the ball.

The victory was Loyola’s third-straight in season-openers and 19^th in a row over Delaware.

The Greyhounds return to action next Saturday when they host Towson University at 1 p.m. at Ridley Athletic Complex.

Game Data

Loyola University Maryland opens its 73rd season of men’s lacrosse on Saturday, February 18, 2012, when it hosts the University of Delaware at 1 o’clock.

The game will also mark the start of the third season of play for the Greyhounds at Ridley Athletic Complex.

Series History

The Greyhounds and Blue Hens will meet for the 29th time on the lacrosse field but the first time in nearly a decade. Loyola last played Delaware on February 22, 2003, a 9-6 victory by the Greyhounds on their former home pitch, Curley Field.

Loyola leads the all-time series between the teams, 21-6-1. The Blue Hens won six of the first 10 meetings between the teams, but the Greyhounds have won each of the last 18 games.

In The Polls

Loyola is receiving votes in both the USILA Coaches and Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Polls. Delaware, meanwhile, checks in at No. 19 in the USILA preseason rankings and is also receiving votes in the media version.

Greyhounds Picked Second In ECAC

The Greyhounds were picked to finish second in the ECAC Lacrosse Leagues by the head coaches of their peer schools. Loyola received 54 points in the poll, trailing only Denver University which had 61.

Preseason Honors For Pair

Junior attack Mike Sawyer and junior long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff were both named to the Preseason All-ECAC Team by the conference’s coaches. Sawyer led the Greyhounds in points and goals last season, while Ratliff topped the squad in caused turnovers.

Sawyer was also named to the Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America Honorable Mention last month.

Scorers Back

Mike Sawyer returns in 2012 as the team’s leading scorer after finishing last year with 31 goals and five assists for 36 points. He took 124 shots during the 2011 season, 59 more than anyone else on the team.

The Greyhounds also welcome back one of their top scorers from two seasons ago. Eric Lusby, who will play as a graduate student this year, returns to the lineup after missing all but two games last year following a knee injury in the 2010 NCAA Championships. Lusby scored 20 goals and assisted on five from the Greyhounds’ midfield in 2010.

Two other players who scored 10 or more goals a year ago are back in 2012 for the Greyhounds Patrick Fanshaw returns after tallying 12 goals, six of the extra-man variety, last season, and Davis Butts is also back after tallying 10 goals and five assists.

Transfer Talent

Loyola’s midfield will be bolstered by the addition of two transfer student-athletes that have joined the program. Juniors Chris Layne and Sean O’Sullivan will suit up for the Greyhounds after spending previous seasons at North Carolina and Army, respectively.

Layne, who is the younger brother of former Loyola All-American Steve Layne, scored five goals as a sophomore on the Tar Heels’ second midfield after playing in 15 games  as a short-stick midfielder during his first season in Chapel Hill.

O’Sullivan played two seasons at West Point, scoring 16 goals as a midfielder in 2010.  He earned All-Patriot League Second Team honors following his sophomore season, as well.

Experienced Defense

The Greyhounds return two starters on close defense, their top two long-stick midfielders and top three short-stick defensive middies in 2012, forming a cohesive group on the defensive end of the field.

Senior co-captain Dylan Grimm is joined on defense by another returning starter, junior Reid Acton. Grimm finished his first year as a starter, 2011, with 22 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers, while Acton tallied 19 and 15, also in his first season as a starter.

The duo is joined by sophomore Joe Fletcher who played in 13 games and started one as a freshman. Fletcher saw considerable time as an extra-man and fourth defender for the Greyhounds a year ago.

Scott Ratliff and Kevin Moriarity created a formidable long-stick midfield duo last year, combining for 50 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers. Ratliff also added three goals and three assists on the offensive end of the field.

Josh Hawkins, Pat Laconi and Kyle Duffy return as short-stick middies for the Greyhounds  after each saw action in all 13 games last year.

New Look In Goal

Loyola will feature a new starter in goal this season after 2011 graduate Jake Hagelin started 53 of the Greyhounds’ last 55 games since taking over between the pipes at the start his freshman season in 2008.

A pair of goalkeepers are likely to see the field for the Greyhounds to start the season, as they have split time throughout practice and scrimmages. Junior Michael Bonitatibus and sophomore Jack Runkel both made their collegiate debuts last year against Duke and will anchor Loyola’s defense from inside the crease.

Record At Ridley

Loyola will open its third season at Ridley Athletic Complex when it plays Delaware where the Greyhounds have experienced considerable success on Awalt Field.

Loyola is 8-3 in 11 home games at Ridley after going 4-1 last season at home.

Second Half Scoring

Loyola outscored its opponents 69-52 after halftime last season (including two overtime goals) despite being outscored 54-39 in the first halves of games.

The Greyhounds scored 34 third-quarter goals to their opponents’ 27. In 2010, they outscored opponents 41-24 in the third quarters of games and 76-55 overall after halftime.

The UMBC men’s lacrosse team opens its 45^th season of intercollegiate lacrosse on Saturday, Feb. 18 when the Retrievers host Robert Morris University. This will be the first meeting between UMBC and RMU on the lacrosse field. The opening face-off takes place at 1:00 p.m. at UMBC Stadium. All UMBC home lacrosse games are streamed with several cameras and audio on www.umbcretrievers.tv.

SCOUTING THE RETRIEVERS

In 2012, head coach Don Zimmerman enters his 19^th season at UMBC. Amongst active Division I coaches, he is ninth in total victories (208) and 14th in winning percentage (.615). Ed Stephenson, who spent six years (1995-2000) at UMBC, returns as associate head coach and joins former Retriever Andy Gallagher and Rocco Vicchio on the sidelines.

Twenty-five players and eight starters return from last year’s squad. The Retrievers (6-7, 3-2 AEC) had a winning league record and earned a spot in the four-team America East Conference Championships for the eighth consecutive year.

SR A Rob Grimm JR A Scott Jones and JR D Ethan Murphy have been named captains for the 2012 Retrievers. Grimm is UMBC’s active scoring leader with 89 points (43-46-89). He needs 11 points to become the 29th player in school history to hit the 100-point plateau.

UMBC is now in its 45th season of varsity men’s lacrosse with a record of 333-275 (.548). They are 217-210 (.508) in their 31st year at the Division I level. The Retrievers are 34-12 (.739) at home in the last six seasons.

SCOUTING THE COLONIALS

For the first time in school history, the Robert Morris University men’s lacrosse program had former Colonials selected in a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) draft as Trevor Moore and Patrick Smith were both chosen in the 2012 MLL Supplemental Draft held in December. Moore, who led the nation in goals per game in 2011, was picked in the 10th round by the Chesapeake Bayhawks, while Smith was taken in the 12th round by the Ohio Machine.

Senior Kiel Matisz and junior Jake Hayes both tallied hat tricks to help first-year mentor Andrew McMinn earn a win in his collegiate head-coaching debut as the Robert Morris men’s lacrosse team held off a late Bellarmine charge to claim a 9-8 victory in each squad’s 2012 regular-season opener last Saturday afternoon.

Robert Morris earned its first postseason berth in school history in 2011 and also became the first Division I program since 1997 to lead the nation in scoring offense in back-to-back seasons. The Colonials’ victory over Bucknell was also its first over a nationally-ranked opponent in school history.

Senior midfielder Kyle Buchanan is the Colonials’ leading returning scorer- he had 20 goals and 16 assists in 2012.

TOP DAWG: In 2009, Head Coach Don Zimmerman earned his third America East Coach of the Year honors in the four years.  Zimmerman enters the 2012 season 9th in victories (208) and 14th in winning percentage (61.5%) amongst active Division I coaches. The win over Binghamton on April 10, 2010 was the 200th in the career of UMBC head coach Don Zimmerman. He is now 208-130 in his 26th year as a collegiate mentor. Zimmerman is the 10th active coach to record 200 victories. He  coached his 250th game at UMBC vs. Hartford on May 4, 2012.

Zimmerman’s Records

Career Record:            208-129 (.617) (26th season)

at UMBC:                    135-114 (.542) (19th season)

TEAM CAPTAINS: The UMBC men’s lacrosse team has selected senior attackman Rob Grimm (Black River, N.Y./Carthage), junior attackman Scott Jones (Port Coquitlam, B.C./Terry Fox) and junior long-stick midfielder Ethan Murphy (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca East) as its captains for the 2011-12 season.

“We are pleased with the selection of Rob, Scott and Ethan as this year’s captains,” head coach Don Zimmerman said. “They are outstanding individuals in their own right, and this trio will now have the opportunity to work together as leaders, representing the 2012 Retrievers on and off the playing field.”

CONGRATS: Four returning players received their first conference accolades. Junior attackman Scott Jones and junior defender Sam McKelvey earned Second Team All-Conference honors. Sophomore Zach Linkous was named to the league’s All-Rookie Team and sophomore Neill Lewnes earned a spot on the conference’s All-Academic squad.

Sixty Retrievers have been honored by the America East Conference on all-league teams since 2004.

BEASTS OF AMERICA EAST: UMBC is now 33-9 in eight years of America East competition and 18-3 at UMBC Stadium.

WINNING THE TIGHT ONES: UMBC is now 23-12 in games decided by three goals or less since the beginning of the 2007 season. UMBC had won eight straight overtime decisions from 2007-09  until dropping a Feb. 20, 2010 triple overtime decision to Delaware. UMBC’s previous overtime loss was an 11-10 setback at Penn early in the 2006 season. In one-goal decisions, UMBC has now won four  in a row (dating back to a 6-5 loss to Princeton in 2009)  and 15 of its last 19.

UMBC is now 15-5 in Don Zimmerman’s 17 seasons in overtime and in his career, Coach Zimmerman is 17-7 in extra time.

HOME, SWEET HOME: After 14 consecutive winning seasons at UMBC Stadium, the Retrievers were 1-6 at home in 2010. However, UMBC bounced back to go 4-1 last year and is 34-12 (.739) at home since 2006. The Retrievers have currently won four in a row at UMBC Stadium.

FOR OPENERS: Prior to the loss to the Blue Hens last sesaon, UMBC had won its last seven home openers since an 11-4 loss to Navy in 2002. After the setback to Rutgers last week, Coach Zimmerman is now 11-7 in UMBC home openers.

THE HITS JUST KEEP COMING: UMBC’s 45 wins over a four-year period (2006-09) is the most in the school’s history, surpassing the 42 wins recorded from 1974-1977. For the first time in school history, UMBC won 10 or more games in four consecutive seasons.

Programs With Most Victories, 2006-09

1. Virginia 58

2. Duke 56

3. Cornell 50

4. Syracuse 47

5. UMBC 45

DON’T LOOK BACK: UMBC is now in its 45th season of varsity men’s lacrosse with a record of 333-275 (.548). The Retrievers played their 600th intercollegiate match on March 18, 2012 at Maryland. They are 217-210 (.508) in their 31st year at the Division I level, achieving win No. 200 vs. Ohio State on March 21, 2009. Before the win over Towson on April 1, 2008, the last time the program was last over the .500 mark at the Division I level was when at the end of its third season (1983) when the record was 19-18.

POWERFUL POWER PLAY: UMBC has been nationally ranked in man-up percentage in four of the past six years. In 2009, the Retrievers led the country in man-up situations and set a school record by converting on 51.7% (30 of 57) of its opportunities.

Year    Man-Up Pct. Year-End National Rank

2009    .517                  1st

2007    .464                  5th

2006    .417                  7th

2005    .444                  2nd

2004    .379                  10th

Junior attackman Rob Grimm is UMBC’s active scoring leader with 89 points (43-46-89). He needs 11 points to become the 29th player in school history to hit the 100-point plateau.  Grimm has points in 36 of 41 games played in his career.

Grimm’s Five-Point Games

March 31, 2009            2g, 3a vs. Towson

Feb. 19, 2011              1g, 4a at Presbyterian

March 5, 2011              3g, 2a at North Carolina

April 6, 2011                3g, 2a vs. Towson

May 3, 2012                 4g, 1a at Hartford

HAT TRICKS: Sophomore Scott Jones posted his second career three-goal game by tallying UMBC’s first three of the contest at Maryland. He recorded four goals in the opener at Presbyterian, added five at Albany on April 16 and recorded his fourth of the campaign vs. Vermont. UMBC’s had 11 hat tricks in 2011 -  others have come from Dave Brown (4g at Presbyterian, 3g vs. Binghamton) Rob Grimm (UNC, Hartford), Scott Hopmann (Presbyterian), Joe Lustgarten (Hartford)  and Jamie Kimbles (Albany).

WHAT BROWN CAN DO FOR YOU: Dave Brown posted a six-point game (1 goal, 5 assists) at Albany on April 16. The five assists in a game was tied for sixth in the nation last season and was UMBC’s top-assist game since Drew Westervelt had six vs. Vermont on April 21, 2007.

TOUGH STANZA: In its seven losses in 2011, UMBC was outscored, 30-9, in the second quarter. UMBC had scored 13 goals in the second quarter in its first eight games before exploding for six in a 6:50 span of the second stanza vs. Binghamton on April 9.

TOUGHER STANZA: UMBC was outscored, 39-17, in the third quarter last season, including 17-6 in five America East games, plus the semifinal contest at Hartford.

GOOD STANZA: In UMBC’s six wins, UMBC has outscored its foes, 19-9, in the fourth quarter. For the season, UMBC has won the fourth period, 36-24, and are a +6 (14-8) in 2011 league play.

REMEMBER THIS ONE?: The Retrievers trailed Quinnpiac, 5-4, after three quarters before rallying to win, 9-7. UMBC’s last win when trailing after three quarters occurred in the 2008 America East title game vs. Albany when the Retrievers were behind 12-9 after 45 minutes.

Game Preview
• Navy opens up its 105th season of men’s lacrosse on Saturday afternoon, when it plays host to VMI … action is set for 12:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• Saturday’s game will be streamed online via Navy All-Access with live stats available at www.NavySports.com … this week’s All-Access feed will be provided free of charge, however, the remainder of the season will be subscription based.
• The Navy-VMI tilt is one of nine games slated for Saturday in what marks the second weekend of action among the Div. I ranks … Delaware and Detroit officially kicked off the 2012 campaign last Saturday in Newark where the Fightin’ Blue Hens topped Detroit, 19-6.
• Navy is one of five Patriot League teams in action this weekend … Army played host to UMass on Friday afternoon at 3:00 pm, while Delaware travels to Bucknell on Saturday at 1:00 pm, Bryant heads to Colgate on Saturday at 1:00 pm and Lehigh makes its way to Philly to play Saint Joseph’s on Saturday at 2:00 pm.
• Entering his 13th season as a collegiate head coach, Rick Sowell will officially open the chapter on his Navy coaching career on Saturday.  Sowell, who has been involved with rebuilding programs at Georgetown, Dartmouth, St. John’s and most recently Stony Brook, owns an 86-81 career record.
• Sowell compiled a 47-26 (.644) record in five seasons at Stony Brook and was named the America East Coach of the Year in each of the last two seasons as he guided the Seawolves to back-to-back America East regular-season titles (2010-11).
• Navy returns eight starters off last year’s team, including its entire starting attack line.  Sophomores Tucker Hull and Sam Jones led the charge a year ago, mirroring one another’s stats.  Both players scored a team-high 38 points on a team-best 23 goals and 15 assists.  Hull was rewarded for his play by being named the 2011 Patriot League Rookie of the Year and has been named a 2012 Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American.  Senior co-captain Taylor Reynolds rounds out the starting attack and is coming off a 10-goal, two-assist season.
• Meanwhile, senior Nikk Davis anchors a midfield line that will blend both youth and veteran players.  Davis is entering his fourth season as a starter and is coming off 14-goal, 4-assist season.  He will be joined by junior Bryce Dabbs and sophomore Pat Durkin.  While Dabbs has been in the program, he did not play as a plebe and was ineligible last spring.  Durkin played among the Mids’ second midfield line a year ago, but will be asked to step up his play this spring as a starter.
• Senior Logan West returns as the Mids’ faceoff specialist after finishing the 2011 season ranked 29th nationally with his 52.1 winning percentage (110-211). He enters the season ranked sixth on Navy’s all-time career faceoff wins list with 175.
• Look for juniors Jay Mann and Jordan Seivold to play both ways this spring.  Mann, who was a starter on the offensive midfield a year ago and scored 11 goals, will be used primarily as a defensive midfielder, while Seivold will be used heavily on the offensive side of the field, but played mostly defensive midfield his first two seasons at the Academy.  The athleticism the two present give the Mids a better opportunity in the transition game.
• Navy will rely heavily upon veteran close defenseman Matt Vernam and senior goalkeeper RJ Wickham to manage the defense.  Vernam has been a starter since his freshman year, while Wickham, who was a Tewaaraton Trophy nominee in 2010, is in his third season as a starter in goal.  Additionally, second-year standout Pat Kiernan will fill the long pole position and has quickly emerged as one of the Mids’ most potent defensive weapons.  He produced 11 takeaways a year ago and picked up 35 ground balls.

Taking the Field In …
10 – Navy owns an 88-15-1 all-time record in season openers, including wins in each of its last 10 dating back to a 16-2 win over Saint Joseph’s in 2002 … the Mids have won each of their last four openers against the Keydets.
9 – Senior goalkeeper RJ Wickham needs 17 saves to move into ninth on the Mids’ all-time saves list … he has turned away 338 shots over his career and trails 1990 graduate Louis Brown who amassed 355 saves.
8 – Navy has held VMI to eight or fewer goals in each of his previous four meetings.
7 – Senior faceoff specialist Logan West needs seven wins on Saturday to take sole possession of fifth on Navy’s all-time career faceoff wins list … he has won 175 over three seasons.
6 – Navy will play six games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in 2012 … the Mids own a 39-16 record (70.9) in games played on their home field since the start of the 2004 campaign, outscoring its foes, 587-392.
5 – Navy has lost just five games (46-5) when scoring 10 or more goals since the start of the 2004 campaign, including a pair last spring.
4 – Four of Navy’s 2012 opponents are ranked in the 2012 USILA Coaches Preseason Poll – Johns Hopkins (2), North Carolina (6), Maryland (7), Bucknell (12), while Army and Colgate are receiving votes.
3 – With a 750-308-14 record, Navy is the third-winningest program in Div. I men’s lax behind Johns Hopkins (912-294-15) and Syracuse (821-312-16).
2 – The attack duo of Tucker Hull and Sam Jones paced the Mids a year ago with 38 points on 23 goals and 15 assists.
1 – Over the last four seasons, 22 (9-13) of the Mids’ 60 contests have been decided by one goal.

Navy vs. VMI – The Series
• Meeting in each of the last four years’ season openers, Navy holds a 4-0 series advantage against VMI.
• The Midshipmen have scored double digits against the Keydets in each of the four previous meetings, while holding VMI to single digits in all four contests.
• VMI has held an advantage in the faceoff column in each of the last three meetings, including a slight 14-12 edge a year ago.
• Last year, Navy’s rookie class accounted for eight goals, including four by attackman Sam Jones, en route to capturing a 14-8 victory over the Keydets.  After giving up six goal in the first half, Navy’s defense surrendered just two second-half goals to the Keydets.
• In 2010, Eleventh-ranked Navy jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back as the Mids claimed a 16-5 win over VMI at Rip Miller Field in what was both teams’ season opener.  A strong offensive display that featured goals by 11 different Midshipmen, helped Navy weather a rare pair of three-minute stick penalties.
• The Midshipmen outscored VMI 8-0 in the second half, surviving a first-half scare to earn a 13-5 victory over the Keydets at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in 2009.  Deadlocked at five apiece at the half, Navy peppered VMI with 30 second-half shots while its stifling defense gave the Keydets just five looks at the goal over the final 30 minutes.
• In the inaugural meeting in 2008, the Mids’ balanced offensive attack featured eight different players scoring 10 goals en route to a 10-2 win.

2011 Navy-VMI Recap
• Navy attackman Sam Jones made his debut in front of his hometown crowd a memorable one, scoring a team-high four goals to lead Navy to a 14-8 victory over VMI in both teams’ opener at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• Jones, however, wasn’t the only Navy rookie to have a successful collegiate opener.  Fellow starting attackman Tucker Hull scored one goal and dealt out assists on three others, while Ellicott City product Harrison Chaires turned in a goal and an assist and Austin Heneveld pumped an extra-man strike late in the third.  In sum, Navy’s rookie class accounted for 12 points with eight goals and four assists.
• The Mids also saw midfielder Nikk Davis score a pair of goals, while a relatively unknown Taylor Reynolds got the opportunity he’s long waited for at attack and capitalized.  Not only did Reynolds score his first-collegiate goal, he also produced his first-career hat trick in what was his first-career start.
• While Navy’s offense seemed to be a well-oiled machine, it seemed to take a quarter of play before the Mids were truly settled on both sides of the field.  In fact, after the first quarter of play, the game was locked up at 4-4 and two of Navy’s goals were scored on extra man.
• Navy, indeed, was the dominant team in the second stanza, outscoring the Keydets 6-2 to take a 10-6 at intermission.  It was during that quarter that Navy’s attack was nearly unstoppable, scoring all six goals.  Jones, in particular, was stellar, scoring three goals in the period, including a goal where he was falling down and was surrounded by three defensive players.
• The Mids cooled off in the second half, scoring just four goals, but the damage had been done.  Additionally, Navy’s defense held its ground and kept the Keydets off the scoreboard for roughly 15 minutes, giving up a goal at the 2:23 mark in the second and not again until 2:07 in the third.
• Defensively, Peter Rogers made his debut where he paced the Mids with four caused turnovers and grabbed three ground balls.  Pat Kiernan was also strong in his collegiate debut, pacing the Mids in ground balls with six and causing three turnovers.

Navy Vs. the MAAC
• The Mids are undefeated against the seven-member Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, producing a 6-0 record.
• Navy’s contest against VMI on Saturday marks the eighth-straight season the Mids have faced a team either currently in the MAAC or had previously been part of the MAAC at the time of the contest.
• In 2005, Navy faced Providence who is now a member of the newly-formed Big East, while in 2006 and `07 the Mids battled Saint Joseph’s who has moved to the Colonial Athletic Association.

For Openers
• Navy owns an 88-15-1 record in season openers, including wins in each of its last 10 dating back to a 16-2 win over Saint Joseph’s in 2002 … the Mids have outscored their foes 126-31 (12.6-3.1) during that stretch of 10 wins.
• For the fifth straight year and the sixth time in the last nine seasons, the Mids will open their season at home … the Mids played their 2004, `05 and `06 openers on the road.
• In 2007, Navy defeated Saint Joseph’s, 10-3, in Annapolis to kick off the season with an eight-game winning streak, while in `08, the Mids turned back VMI, 10-2, in what was the inaugural meeting between the two programs.  In 2009, Navy claimed a 13-5 win on Feb. 7 in what was then the earliest game played in Div. I history and in 2010, the Mids picked up a 16-5 win over VMI.  A year ago, the Mids used a six-goal second quarter to catapult ahead of the Keydets en route to a 14-8 victory.

The New Coaches on the Block
• Among the 61 Div. I men’s lacrosse teams that will take the field this season, 15 of them will have new head coaches.
• Of the 15 new coaches, five are coming from previous head coaching posts including Navy’s Rick Sowell who was the head coach at Stony Brook the previous five seasons.
• Three of the 15 new coaches are at schools who play in the Patriot League.  In addition to Sowell, former Army assistant coach Mike Murphy took over the coaching reigns from Jim Nagle at Colgate who ironically left to replace Sowell at Stony Brook.  After serving as the interim head coach for half of the 2011 campaign, Holy Cross kept Jim Morrisey on board as its permanent head coach, replacing Adam Pascal.

Debut
• Rick Sowell is the eighth different man to hold the title of head men’s lacrosse coach at Navy in its 105-year history.
• Five of the seven previous coaches won their debut game at the Academy, including each of the last five.
• The tandem of Frank Breyer and Bill Hudgins started the Navy lacrosse program in 1908 and lost to Johns Hopkins, 6-1, in the school’s first contest.

ON AIR: Monday’s game can be seen live on ESPN3 with John Sadak handling the play-by-play duties and legendary Towson coach Vince Angotti providing analysist. The CAA clash can also be heard live on WNST with Spiro Morekas calling all the action.

SETTING THE STAGE: The Towson men’s basketball team will be playing its second game in three days Monday as the Tigers make the short trip to Newark, Del. to take on the Blue Hens. The Tigers put up a valiant effort in a 72-60 loss at CAA-leading George Mason Saturday while the Blue Hens upended Georgia State in double overtime in their last game.

MR. DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Towson senior forward Robert Nwankwo has registered double-double’s in each of his last three games and now has seven on the year and 17 in his career. In his last three games, Nwankwo, who is 20th nationally in blocked shots per game, has averaged 14.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game.

SCOUTING THE BLUE HENS: Delaware enters Monday with an 8-10 overall record and a 4-4 mark in CAA play. The Blue Hens are coming off a thrilling 77-74 double overtime win over Georgia State on Saturday. UD is led by sophomore guard Devon Saddler and junior forward Jamelle Hagins. Saddler is second in the CAA in scoring at 18.6 points per game while Hagins has 11 double-doubles on the year and leads the leauge with 11.4 rebounds per game.

LAST TIME OUT: Playing its third straight game against a team that was leading the CAA, Towson nearly pulled off a major upset before George Mason held on for a 72-60 victory over the Tigers at the Patriot Center on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers, who trailed by as many as 18 points early in the second half, had pulled to within 63-58 when George Mason sophomore guard Sherrod Wright nailed a clutch three-point basket with 1:35 remaining enabling the Patriots to avoid the upset. Towson sophomore Marcus Damasled the Tigers with 19 points and seven rebounds. Senior forward Robert Nwankwo posted his third consecutive double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Nwankwo, who ranks 20th nationally in blocked shots, had three rejections against Mason. Freshman Deon Jones was just one rebound shy of his second double-double of the year as the guard tallied 13 points and grabbed nine boards.