Here are the official recaps of Saturday’s games, courtesy of the schools’ Sports Information Departments…

Comer’s OT Goal Gives Loyola Win Over Stags

BALTIMORE – Senior D.J. Comer scored his second goal of the game 49 seconds into overtime to give the #20 Loyola University Maryland Greyhounds a 7-6 victory over visting Fairfield in an ECAC conference game at Ridley Athletic Complex.

The Greyhounds (6-3 overall, 3-2 ECAC) started off quick with goals by Davis Butts and Mike Sawyer to take a 2-0 lead with 12:35 remaining in the first quarter. Fairfield (5-5 overall, 2-2 ECAC) would get one back with a goal by John Snellman 12 seconds before the end of the quarter.

The two teams traded goals in the second and third quarters as Matt Langan scored twice and Comer scored his first of the game to give the Greyhounds a 5-4 lead into the fourth quarter.

Fairfield’s Sam Snow scored just 32 seconds into the fourth period to tie the game, and Max Trunz tallied an extra-man goal with 4:39 remaining to give the Stags their first lead at 6-5. However, Loyola’s Chris Palmer evened the score at 2:50, setting up Comer’s game-winner.

Mike Sawyer finished with a game-high three points on a goal and two assists and Chris Palmer also enjoyed a multi-point effort with a goal and an assist. Jake Hagelin had 10 saves in goal for the Greyhounds.

Loyola outshot Fairfield 38-24 and forced the Stags to commit 16 turnovers to only 11 for the Greyhounds.

Retrievers Use Six-Goal Second Quarter Surge to Best Binghamton, 8-6

BALTIMORE – UMBC sophomore midfielder Dave Brown (Coopersburg, Pa.) scored three goals and added an assist as the host Retrievers edged Binghamton, 8-6, in an America East Conference contest.

The Retrievers won back-to-back games for the first time this season and improved to 4-5 overall and 1-1 in league play. The Bearcats fell to 5-6, 1-1.

Brown was UMBC’s America East Player of the Game, while Bearcat freshman attackman Brandon Planck, who scored a pair of goals, earned the honor for his team.

UMBC used a 6-0 run in the second quarter to take control of the contest. Trailing 2-1 after Binghamton midfielder David Raleigh scored 1:28 into the second quarter, Brown tied the game on an unassisted tally 2:46 into the stanza. Sophomore midfielder Neill Lewnes (Arnold, Md./St. Mary’s) gave the Retrievers the lead for good, converting a Rob Grimm (Black River, N.Y.) feed on the right wing just 39 seconds after Brown had tied the game.

Brown completed his hat trick with back-to-back scores 57 seconds apart at the 9:38 and 8:41 marks of the stanza. Then, sophomore attackman Scott Jones (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) got into the act, converting a Brown pass at the 6:22 mark and completing the surge with an unassisted tally with 5:34 to play in the first half.

UMBC had scored only 13 second quarter goals through the first eight games, before exploding for the six-spot in the contest.

Binghamton scored the final two goals of the half and trailed, 7-4, at the break.

The Bearcats slowed UMBC down with a zone defense in the second half and scored the lone goal of the third quarter when Planck tallied midway through the period.

UMBC broke a scoring drought of 25:33 when freshman midfielder Zach Linkous (Jarrettsville, Md./St. Paul’s) fired in a shot from the left wing after receiving a pass from behind the net by senior midfielder Jamie Kimbles (Centreville, Md./Queen Anne’s) at the 11:01 mark of the final stanza.

Raleigh scored his second goal of the game with 4:08 remaining, but UMBC netminder Brian McCullough (Garden City, N.Y.) saved a Tyler Perrelle shot with 1:13 to play and the Retrievers posted their 11^th consecutive win over the Bearcats. 

Jones and Linkous each scored two goals for UMBC, while Raleigh added a pair for the visitors.

Binghamton outshot UMBC, 33-26, as McCullough and Bearcat freshman goalkeeper Kraig Heston each were credited with six saves.

The six goals allowed by UMBC are the fewest permitted this season and the least since a 6-5 victory over Rutgers in the second game of the 2010 campaign.

The Retrievers travel to Albany to face the Great Danes in a league showdown on April 16.

UMass Stuns Towson In Overtime, 9-8
TOWSON, Md. – In a season filled with heart-breaking losses and disappointing endings, the Tigers added another chapter to their story on Saturday against 16th-ranked Massachusetts.

Sophomore attackman Kyle Smith scored an unassisted goal with 2:05 remaining in overtime as UMass (7-3, 2-1) stunned the Tigers (2-8, 0-3) with a 9-8 Colonial Athletic Association victory over the Tigers in Johnny Unitas Stadium.

The Minutemen overcame an 8-6 deficit in the final 2:40 of regulation to pull out an unlikely win.

“This is a disappointing loss for us,” Towson Coach Tony Seaman said. “I thought we played better than UMass did today, but give them credit for taking advantage of a couple of breakdowns on our part in the final two minutes of regulation and in the overtime. For some reason, that’s been the life of this team for the entire year.”

With 2:40 left in regulation, sophomore attackman Will Manny scored on a fast break off a pass from junior midfielder Anthony Biscardi to cut the deficit to 8-7.

Senior goalkeeper Travis Love made a save off a shot by Biscardi with 1:32 left in regulation and the Tigers tried to run out the clock. However, senior attackman Tim Stratton turned the ball over with nine seconds remaining when he failed to get the ball back inside the box within ten seconds.

Senior midfielder Ryan Hantverk took the ball and sprinted up the field to the left of the Tiger goal. With one second left, he snuck a shot behind Love to tie the game at 8-8.

Although the Tigers controlled the faceoff in overtime, they were unable to get a shot and turned the ball over. With 2:10 left in overtime, Hantverk’s shot hit the post. Smith picked up the loose ball in front of the goal and scored the game-winner, his 14th goal of the season.

For most of the fourth quarter, it appeared that the Tigers were going to pull out a come-from-behind win. UMass owned a 5-3 lead late in the third quarter before the Tigers rallied by scoring four consecutive goals. With 5:24 left in the third quarter,  Stratton’s second goal of the game cut the deficit to 5-4.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers tied the game at 5-5 when junior attackman Stephen Norris scored an extra-man goal off a pass from senior midfielder Peter Mezzanotte with 14:47 left in the fourth quarter.

Senior midfielder Pat Britton gave Towson its first lead of the game when he scored off a pass from Stratton with 12:28 left in regulation.

The Tigers maintained their 6-5 lead until 6:47 remained in the fourth quarter when Britton scored on a long shot out front to up the lead to 7-5.

With 5:01 left in regulation, Manny’s third goal of the game, an extra man goal off a pass from Biscardi, pulled UMass to within 7-6.

Less than a minute later, Britton gave Towson an 8-6 advantage when he scored his third goal off the game off a pass from Andrew Hodgson.

The Minutemen grabbed a quick 2-0 lead in the opening four minutes of the game. Manny gave the Minutemen a 1-0 advantage when he scored an unassisted goal just 1:25 into the game. On the play, Manny forced a turnover, grabbed a ground ball and ran around the goal before he scored.

With 11:24 left in the first quarter, junior attackman Art Kell scored an unassisted goal to give UMass a 2-0 advantage.

An extra man goal by Hodgson off a pass from Mezzanotte cut the Tigers’ deficit to 2-1 early in the second quarter. With 9:19 left in the half, Stratton’s unassisted goal tied the game at 2-2.

With 3:32 remaining in the half, sophomore defenseman Ryan Hollenbaugh scored the first goal of his career on a fast break to give UMass a 3-2 advantage.

Only 28 seconds into the second half, junior midfielder Greg Rushing scored an unassisted goal to increase the UMass lead to 4-2.

After sophomore attackman Matt Hughes scored off a pass from Stratton to cut the deficit to 4-3, Manny scored an extra man goal to give UMass a 5-3 advantage.

With the loss, the Tigers dropped to 1-4 in one-goal games this season.

Manny led UMass with four goals while Kell added a goal and an assist. Biscardi led the Minutemen with two assists.

Britton, who recorded the second “hat trick” of his career, led the Tigers with three goals while Stratton had a season-high four points by two goals and two assists.

Love made a season-high 13 saves for the Tigers while junior goalkeeper Tim McCormack made ten saves for UMass.

Both teams had 32 shots in the game while Towson owned a 38-27 advantage on ground balls. The Tigers had 15 turnovers, including two turnovers that led to the final two UMass goals. The Minutemen had 11 turnovers.

The Tigers return to action next Saturday at Penn State at 7:00 p.m. for a Colonial Athletic Association game. Meanwhile, the Minutemen will host Drexel next Saturday at 1 p.m. at Garber Field.

Post-Game Notes:
- The Tigers and the Minutemen met for the fourth time in the all-time series … The series is now tied at 2-2 as UMass earned its first-ever win at Towson.
- The Tigers played their fifth one-goal game, including their fourth one-goal affair in the last five games … The Tigers have a 1-4 record in one-goal games this year … The Tigers have now played in 14 one-goal games over the last three years.
- Meanwhile, the Minutemen played in their third one-goal game of the season … It was their first one-goal victory of the year after losing to Albany (9-8) and Penn State (8-7).
- The Tigers played a ranked opponent for the sixth time this year … The Tigers have played a nationally-ranked opponent in all six of their home games this season and have a 1-5 record in those games.
- The Tigers played their first overtime game of the season … It is the Tigers’ first overtime game since April 22, 2009 when Towson dropped an 11-10 decision against Johns Hopkins in double overtime … The Tigers are now 8-10 in overtime games.
- Britton had his first “hat trick” since April 11, 2009 when he scored three goals against Hofstra.
- The Tigers have now lost four games in a row, marking their longest losing streak since a four-game skid during the 2008 season.
- Stratton posted the 32nd multi-point game of his college career … In addition, he had his 14th career multi-goal effort.
- With his four-point game against the Minutemen, Stratton now has 99 points in his college career … With his next point, he will become the 31st player in school history to record 100 career points.
- Mezzanotte tallied the third multi-assist game of his college career … In addition, he now has four career multi-point games … Mezzanotte has tallied seven points in the last three games, scoring two goals with five assists.
- Hodgson earned his sixth multi-point game of the season after scoring a goal with an assist on Saturday afternoon.
- Manny extended his point-scoring streak to 24 straight games after his four-goal performance against Towson on Saturday afternoon … It was his eighth career “hat trick” and his third career four-goal game … He had four goals against Hartford and Saint Joseph’s.
- With a goal and an assist on Saturday, Kell recorded the 17th multi-point game of his college career.
- Biscardi matched his career high with two assists against Towson on Saturday … It was the ninth multi-assist game of his career.
- Hantverk has a 10-game point-scoring streak after tallying a goal against Towson … He has scored 14 goals with five assists during the streak

Seahawks Stymied by No. 3 Stevenson
ST. MARY’S CITY, Md. – Despite a career-high 20 saves by junior goalie Stu Wheeler (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul’s), the St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s lacrosse team dropped a 17-4 decision to Capital Athletic Conference nemesis, No. 3 Stevenson University, Saturday afternoon as the loss dampened the mood of Senior Day.

Junior attackman J.P. Lennon (Huntington, N.Y./St. Anthony’s) notched his second consecutive multiple-goal game as Lennon paced the Seahawks (3-8, 2-4 CAC) in the loss with a hat trick while senior midfielder Will Bell (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall) scored the team’s fourth goal.

Stevenson (13-1, 6-0 CAC) struck first as senior midfielder Neal Barthleme (Towson, Md./Dulaney) completed a pass from senior attackman Jimmy Dailey (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) for a man-up goal at 11:52 following a two-minute illegal body check to the head penalty on senior LSM Michael Ott (Arnold, Md./Broadneck).  Lennon evened up the game with his first tally of the day at 9:44 off an assist by senior attackman Chris Becraft (Rockville, Md./Good Counsel) before Dailey scored twice to give the Mustangs a 3-1 lead heading into the second quarter.

The Mustangs then proceeded to score the next five goals, including the first two of the period by Dailey.  Lennon broke up the Stevenson scoring with an unassisted goal at 2:19.  Stevenson then tallied two in a 28-second span as Barthleme and senior midfielder Kyle Moffitt (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin East) each found the back of the net for a 10-2 Mustang halftime lead.

Dailey picked up his fifth of the day to start the third stanza before Lennon netted his third of the day at 10:58 off an assist by senior attackman Dennis Rosson (Severna Park, Md./Severn).  Stevenson then strung together six straight goals – two to end the third and four to start off the fourth period. Barthleme scored three straight in a span of 3:34 before Bell fired in his shot as time expired.

Along with his 20 stops, Wheeler led the Seahawks with five ground balls and two caused turnovers.

Here are the official recaps of Saturday’s lacrosse action, courtesy of the respective schools’ Sports Information Departments…

Hughes Leads Tigers Past #5 Stony Brook, 9-8

TOWSON, Md. – Sophomore attackman Matt Hughes scored a game-high three goals, including the eventual game-winner with 9:50 left in the fourth quarter, as the Tigers (2-4) snapped a two-game losing streak by earning a 9-8 non-conference victory over fifth-ranked Stony Brook University (3-2) at Johnny Unitas® Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Led by Hughes, who posted his third “hat trick” in the last four games, the Tigers defeated a top five opponent for the first time since April 27, 1996 when they defeated fifth-ranked Johns Hopkins by a 13-12 margin at Homewood Field.

“These kids did a great job today,” Towson Coach Tony Seaman said. “Travis Love made some big saves for us when we needed them and Matt Hughes put the ball in the goal. I am very proud of this team and what they did today.”

After senior midfielder Timmy Trenkle gave the Seawolves a quick 1-0 lead just 62 seconds into the game, the Tigers answered by scoring back-to-back goals from Hughes and junior attackman Sean Maguire to take a 2-1 lead with 7:52 left in the first quarter.

Trenkle and senior midfielder Kevin Crowley regained the Seawolves’ advantage when they scored a pair of unassisted goals, giving Stony Brook a 3-2 lead with 2:20 remaining in the period.

But, the Tigers held Stony Brook scoreless for the next 17 minutes, 14 seconds while scoring six unanswered goals to take an 8-3 lead with 54 seconds remaining in the first half. The Tigers had six different players score a goal during the run, including senior attackman Tim Stratton, who scored his first goal of the season with 13:19 left in the second quarter.

Junior midfielder Robbie Campbell scored a pair of goals off feeds from Crowley in the final 13 seconds of the first half, narrowing the Seawolves’ deficit to 8-5 at the intermission.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Tigers upped their lead to 9-5 when Hughes took a pass from freshman Andrew Hodgson and scored his third goal of the game with 9:50 left in regulation.

Over the final nine minutes, the Seawolves scored three times to trim the deficit to 9-8. With 8:27 left, senior attackman Jordan McBride scored off a feed from senior attackman Tom Compitello to close the gap to 9-6.

Just over three minutes later, Trenkle scored his third goal of the game off a feed from Campbell for a 9-7 margin.

With 12 seconds left, Crowley cut the deficit to 9-8 when he tallied his second goal of the game after getting a pass from McBride. The Seawolves won the ensuing face-off, but were unable to get a shot as the final horn sounded.

While Hughes led the Tigers with his three-goal effort, Maguire added a pair of goals with an assist for Towson, which outshot Stony Brook by a 29-27 margin.

Crowley scored two goals with three assists for the Seawolves while Trenkle added his second career “hat trick” with three goals. Senior midfielder Adam Rand won 13 of 21 face-offs for the Seawolves, who had won their last three games after a season-opening overtime loss against Virginia.

The Tigers, who played their third game in an eight-day span, will open their Colonial Athletic Association schedule next Saturday afternoon when they travel to the University of Delaware for a 1 p.m. game against the defending CAA champion Blue Hens. Meanwhile, the Seawolves open a three-game homestand on Tuesday afternoon against Cornell at 7 p.m.

“This has been a tough week for us,” Coach Seaman added. “We played Maryland last Saturday, faced Navy on Tuesday night and then, had to play a very good Stony Brook team today. There is nothing easy about it, but the reason we do it is to get us ready for our conference, which starts next week.”

Post-Game Notes:
- The Tigers and the Seawolves were meeting for the second time in an all-time series which is tied at 1-1 … Stony Brook defeated Towson by a 14-11 margin in last year’s meeting at LaValle Stadium.
- The Tigers defeated a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time since last year’s CAA semi-final when they defeated 16th-ranked Massachusetts by a 13-6 margin … The Tigers had lost all three games this year against ranked foes prior to Saturday.
- The Tigers posted their first win over a top five opponent at home since April 4, 1992 when they defeated top-ranked Loyola at home by an 8-7 margin in overtime.
- Stratton scored his first goal since last year when he tallied a goal against Massachusetts in the CAA semi-finals at Unitas Stadium … It snapped a six-game scoreless streak.
- The Tigers held an opponent scoreless in the third quarter for the fourth time in six games this season … In the first six games, the Tigers have allowed just six third-quarter goals.
- With his three-goal effort, Hughes extended his point-scoring streak to nine straight games … During the streak, he has scored 15 goals with four assists.
- The Tigers held Stony Brook to a season-low eight goals on Saturday … The Seawolves were also limited to a season-low 27 shots against the Tigers.

Syracuse Slips Past Johns Hopkins in Double Overtime

SYRACUSE, NY – Syracuse senior Stephen Keogh scored his third goal of the game 15 seconds into the second overtime to lift the top-ranked Orange to a 5-4 victory over Johns Hopkins before a crowd of 8,241 at the Carrier Dome Saturday evening. Syracuse improves to 6-0, while the Blue Jays slip to 5-2.

After losing 10 of the first 13 faceoffs in the game, the Orange got the one that counted as senior Joel White came up with the loose ball on the faceoff in the second overtime and quickly worked the ball to Jeremy Thompson. Thompson carried into the zone and found Keogh to his left and he wasted no time blowing home the game-winner.

In a game much more exciting than the final score might indicate, the Blue Jays led 4-3 at the end of the third quarter after Zach Palmer’s second unassisted goal of the game with 3:07 remaining in the period gave JHU a one-goal lead. That lead held for nearly the entire fourth quarter on the strength on the spectacular play of sophomore goalie Pierce Bassett, who posted seven of his 16 saves in the fourth quarter.

Still, the Orange pressed and finally capitalized when Keogh polished off a patient possession with his second goal of the game with 1:40 remaining in regulation. The Blue Jays managed to force overtime after killing off a penalty in the last minute with Bassett stopping Tim Desko in the final seconds.

Both teams had chances to win in the first overtime as Hopkins fired four shots at senior John Galloway and Syracuse managed a pair on Bassett, but the first extra session settled nothing after a Kyle Wharton goal for Johns Hopkins was waived off with four seconds remaining for being in the crease. Keogh’s goal quickly ended the dramatics in the second overtime.
The Orange needed just 65 seconds to open the scoring as senior Josh Amidon took a nifty feed from sophomore JoJo Marasco and buried an eight-yard shot to give SU the early one-goal advantage. By the time Syracuse scored again, more than 27 minutes had elapsed and the Blue Jays had crafted a 3-1 lead.

Sophomore John Ranagan answered Amidon’s early strike when he scored on an ally dodge in an unsettled situation with just under five minutes remaining in the opening period, which ended with the score tied 1-1 and the young Blue Jays gaining momentum as the period wore on.

Ranagan and linemate John Greeley, playing in his hometown for the first time in his career, teamed up to give JHU a 2-1 lead less than a minute into the second period as Greeley worked in from the flank and flipped a pass to Ranagan, who never broke stride and beat Galloway from seven yards out.

Hopkins extended its lead to 3-1 – the first time this season Syracuse has been down by two goals – when Palmer dodged from behind and used his defender as a perfect screen to beat Galloway low to the far side.

Syracuse ended its scoring drought with just under two minutes remaining in the first half when Tom Palasek threaded a perfect pass to Keogh on the crease and Keogh did what he does best, one-time it home from the doorstep to make it 3-2 at the half.

The Orange drew even midway through the third quarter when Amidon struck off an assist from Palasek. The tie stood for just over four minutes before Palmer’s second goal gave JHU the 4-3 lead that held until the final two minutes of regulation.

Bassett finished with 16 saves, the second-highest total of his career, and Ranagan and Palmer led the way offensively with their two goals apiece. Senior Matt Dolente continued his strong play on faceoffs as he won 10-of-14 and grabbed six ground balls on the night.

#9 Johns Hopkins (5-2) 1-2-1-0-0-0/4
#1 Syracuse (6-0) 1-1-1-1-0-1/5

Goals: J: Ranagan-2, Palmer-2. S: Keogh-3, Amidon-2. Assists: J: Greeley. S: Palasek-2, Amidon, Marasco, Thompson. Saves: J: Bassett-16. S: Galloway-5. Shots: J-25. S-33. EMO: J: 0-for-3 S: 0-for-2. Attendance: 8,241.

Air Force Takes Early Lead, Holds Off Loyola

USAFA, Colo. – The U.S. Air Force Academy jumped out to a five-goal lead in the second quarter and held off the 17th-ranked Loyola University Maryland men’s lacrosse team, 8-6, in an ECAC Lacrosse League game on Saturday afternoon at Falcon Stadium.

The Falcons (2-5 overall, 1-1 ECAC) scored the game’s first three goals and held Loyola (3-3, 1-1) off the scoreboard for over 13 minutes to start the contest.

Adam Paranka and Vinny Sandtorv scored at 10:11 and 8:47 in the first quarter to put Air Force ahead, and Mike Crampton logged a goal 3:36 before the end of the frame.

Josh Hawkins broke the Greyhounds’ scoring drought with his first goal of the season 1:53 before the end of the quarter.

Air Force picked up where it left off offensive, however, in the second quarter. Tommy McKee scored 1:21 into the frame, and Sandtorv tallied his second and third goals of the afternoon to push the Falcons’ advantage to five, 6-1.

Loyola cut its deficit to four, 6-2, with 19 ticks left on the first-half clock as Davis Butts scored off a Mike Sawyer assist.

The Greyhounds pulled within three as Matt Langan took a Justin Ward pass and scored 2:14 into the third quarter, but Crampton scored back-to-back goals for the Falcons, extending their lead back to five, 8-3, with just under nine minutes to go in the third quarter.

Chris Basler tallied a goal for Loyola with 4:14 to go in the third, making it a four-goal game.

Loyola made it a three-goal Air Force lead after a strange sequence led to a man-down goal. Goalkeeper Jake Hagelin cleared the ball from the defensive end by himself and scored his first career goal with 4:44 to play.

Air Force won the next faceoff but a Sandtorv shot went wide, and Loyola had a chance on offense. Stephen Murray scored for the Greyhounds, pulling them within two.The Greyhounds had an extra-man opportunity with less than 90 seconds remaining, but Air Force forced a turnover to secure the game.

Loyola outshot the Falcons, 32-23 and 19-8 in the second half. Brian Wilson made 10 saves in goal for the Falcons. The Greyhounds also had an 11-18 advantage at the face-off `X’, as J.P. Dalton won a career-high 10-of-16 restarts. Scott Ratliff led Loyola with five ground balls.

The Greyhounds step out of conference play next weekend when travel to Emmittsburg, Md., for a 1 o’clock game at Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday.

Rossi Scores Three Goals to Lead No. 2 Mustangs Past No. 4 Cortland, 10-8

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Stevenson men’s lacrosse freshman Tony Rossi (Towson/Calvert Hall) tied his career-high with three goals, including the game-tying and game-winning goals in the final 10 minutes to lead the No. 2-ranked Mustangs to a 10-8 victory over No. 4 SUNY Cortland on Saturday at Caves Athletics Complex.

Stevenson (8-0) improved its record to 17-1 at home the last two seasons and 5-0 this year. It was also the team’s fourth victory in as many as games against a top-10 team this season.

The game featured seven ties and four lead changes, the last coming on back-to-back goals by Rossi with 11:42 and 9:02 remaining in the fourth quarter as the Mustangs rallied from their fourth one-goal deficit.

After Mike Tota gave the Red Dragons (4-1) an 8-7 lead with 13:24 left, Rossi netted his second goal of the game at 11:42 to tie the game for the seventh and final time before picking up his first collegiate game-winning goal at 9:06.

On the ensuing face-off, senior Ray Witte (Annapolis/St. Peter and Paul) won his 12th draw of the game and picked up his fifth ground ball of the game en route to scoring his fifth goal of the season just seven seconds later to provide some insurance with 8:59 to play.

Stevenson’s three fourth quarter goals and six saves from junior Ian Bolland (Mountain Lakes, N.J./Mountain Lakes) helped offset the team’s eight turnovers which kept Cortland within striking distance. With the win, he improved his record to 10-0 as a starter.

Prior to Saturday, the only other meeting between the two teams came back on Feb. 24, 2007 at Caves Athletics Complex with the Mustangs posted a 10-9 victory over the third-ranked Red Dragons in what was Stevenson’s first win over a ranked team in school history.

With two goals and one assist, senior Jimmy Dailey (Westminster/Winters Mill) also totaled three points and now has 259 for his career, tying him with Eric Schmith for the school record. With two assists, senior Richie Ford (Baltimore/Towson) now has 255 career points, four behind Schmith and Dailey.

In addition, Dailey also picked up his 127th career assist, four behind current assistant coach Steve Kazimer for second on the school’s all-time list and 10 behind Schmith’s record of 137.

With two caused turnovers, senior Evan Douglass (Exeter, N.H./Exeter) also reached a personal milestone, totaing the 100th of his career, becoming the first player in school history to reach triple digits.

Tota led the Red Dragons with three goals while Jay DiStefano had two goals and two assists. Mike Kaminski had 12 saves.

Stevenson faces his its fourth-straight top-10 opponent on Wednesday when it welcomes No. 1-ranked and defending national champion Tufts to Caves Athletics Complex beginning at 4:00 p.m.

Mids Win Third Straight, Cruise to 8-3 Win over Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. — The Navy men’s lacrosse team (4-4, 2-2 Patriot League) used a crippling defense and took advantage of 10 Holy Cross penalties to post an 8-3 victory over the Crusaders (0-7, 0-2 Patriot League) Saturday afternoon at Hart Turf Field in Worcester, Mass.  The Mids have now won three-consecutive games after dropping four in a row on the road.

“Holy Cross really slowed it down and their defense packed it in tight and played zone,” said Navy head Coach Richie Meade, who has never lost to Holy Cross in his 17 years at the Academy.  “It was a little sloppy out there early, but we settled in played our game.”

The story of the game came down to possession.  Not only did junior faceoff specialist Logan West (Berlin, Md.) control 11 of the 14 draws in the game, Navy also possessed the ball a great deal of the contest due to Holy Cross racking up nearly 10 minutes of penalty time.  Navy scored goals on five of its 10 extra-man opportunities, including the game’s first goal at the 2:23 mark in the opening period.  Freshmen attackmen Tucker Hull (Charlotte, N.C.) and Harrison Chaires (Ellicott City, Md.) worked together to put the Mids on the the scoreboard in what would be a lead they’d not relinquish.

Chaires punched in his second of three extra-man goals at 12:29 in the second quarter with Jay Mann (Cockeysville, Md.) finding him for a nifty shot.

Hull, who was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week earlier in the week, then put Navy up 4-0 with back-to-back goals, including his first man-up goal of the year at the 10:26 mark,

Navy’s defense smothered Holy Cross the entire first half and after nearly 35 minutes of scoreless play, the Crusaders got on the board thanks to an unassisted goal by junior midfielder Andrew Morici.

Navy, though, went on to score three unanswered goals in the span of two minutes. The run began when junior attackman Taylor Reynolds (Babylon, N.Y.) found senior middie Andy Warner (Corning, N.Y.) for the goal at the 8:03 mark.  It was one of only three even-strength goals by the Mids in the contest.  A minute later, at the 7:05 mark, Warner pumped in an unassisted extra-man goal.  Meanwhile, Chaires turned in his first-collegiate hat trick with his third man-up goal of the afternoon off an assist from Hull.

Chaires is the first Navy player to score three extra-man goals in a single game since All-American Adam Borcz talled three against Penn State on April 14, 2001.

The Mids were not done, however, extending their lead to 8-1 on a Brian Striffler (Virginia Beach, Va.)-to-Sam Jones (Annapolis, Md.) goal at the 4:30 mark.

Navy made a change between the pipes following Jones’ goal, giving senior Mike Haas (Blue Bell, Pa.) just his second-career appearance in goal.  Haas would give up a pair of goals in the final four-plus minutes, including a garbage goal with 17 seconds remaining in the game to senior attackman Colin Flood.

The three goals are the fewest the Mids’ defense have surrendered since last year’s Navy-Holy Cross tilt in which the Mids won, 12-3, in Annapolis.  Ironically, it’s also the last time Navy held an opponent scoreless for a half.  In last year’s game, Navy jumped out to a 4-0 halftime lead before the crusaders scored in the 39th minute.

“I thought we really played great defense today,” added Meade.  “It was probably the best one-on-one defense we’ve played this season.  Jordan Seivold played probably his best and our two senior shorties Brian Striffler and Marty Gallagher were both enforcers out there.”

With his two-goal, one-assist effort against the Crusaders, Warner extended his point streak to 20-consecutive games which is tied as the 18th-longest streak in the country.  Meanwhile, he is just four points shy of becomming only the 29th player in program history to score 100 points in a career.  The last player to join the list was Nick Mirabito who amassed 158 points from 2005-08.

Meanwhile, West continues to roll at the “x.”  Over the last three games, he has won 46 of the 66 draws (.697) he has taken.  During the Mids’ four-game slied, he won 20 of the 53 faceoffs (.377) he took.

The Mids return to action next Saturday when they play host to Patriot League foe Colgate.  Action is slated for 12:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Here are the official recaps, courtesy of the Loyola and Stevenson Sports Information Departments…

#19 Denver Uses 6-0 Run In Win Over #17 Loyola

BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland’s Patrick Fanshaw scored an extra-man goal 47 seconds in the second half to tie the game at 6-6, but No. 19 Denver University scored six unanswered goals and the Pioneers defeated the 17th-ranked Greyhounds, 12-8, on Wednesday night at Ridley Athletic Complex in ECAC Lacrosse League action.

Denver (4-2 overall, 1-0 ECAC) was whistled for an unnecessary roughness penalty nine seconds in to the second half, as Brendan DeBlois checked Loyola face-off specialist John Schiavone in front of the crease, and the Greyhounds went on the extra-man.

Chris Basler found Fanshaw camped in front of the goal, and the sophomore scored to even the game at 6-6.

Neither the Greyhounds (3-2, 1-1), nor Denver scored for nearly eight minutes, however, until Alex Demopoulos tallied a goal for the Pioneers with 6:30 left in the third quarter.

Just six seconds later Mark Matthews scored in an unsettled situation, and the Pioneers were on the run.

Mike Sawyer led all players with four goals for the Greyhounds. He now has scored 14 in his last three games. Josh Hawkins had a career-high nine ground balls.

No. 2 Stevenson Runs Away From No. 9 Roanoke on the Road, 16-6

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Led by six points from senior Jimmy Dailey (Westminster/Winters Mill) and four each from seniors Richie Ford (Baltimore/Towson) and Sean Calabrese (Rockville/DeMatha), the No. 2-ranked Stevenson men’s lacrosse team outscored No. 9 Roanoke 12-3 over the final three quarters en route to a 16-6 victory Wednesday at Kerr Stadium.

The win was the third in the last two seasons for the Mustangs (7-0) against the Maroons and the first in two all-time meetings on the road in Salem, Virginia. The only other meeting between the two in Salem came back in 2001 with Roanoke prevailing, 10-7.

With two goals and four assists, Dailey now has 256 points for his career, just three shy of the school record set by Eric Schmith who had 122 goals and 137 assists from 1996-99.

Roanoke (4-2) jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the game’s first four minutes on goals by Trey Kelley and Reid Mayberry and led 3-2 on a goal by Mike Hayden with 5:29 remaining in the first quarter.

Dailey scored at 2:26 to tie the game at 3-3 before assisting sophomore Tyler Reid (Clinton, Conn./Xavier) with only three seconds left to give Stevenson a 4-3 lead after one. The goals were the first two in a streak of eight consecutive as the Mustangs built a 10-3 lead midway through the third quarter.

Dailey had a goal and two assists during the run while Reid scored twice and Calabrese added a goal and an assist. Calabrese’s four points were one shy of his career-high.

Leading by seven with 11:16 to play in the fourth quarter, Ford scored three-straight goals in a span of 2:22 to push the lead to 10 before assisting on Dailey’s final tally with 4:03 remaining to provide the final margin.

Ford finished with three goals and one assist and now has 253 career points, three behind Dailey and six behind Schmith. He also increased his school record for goals to 173, 43 ahead of Dailey.

Reid, seniors Kyle Moffitt (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin East) and Neal Barthelme (Towson/Dulaney) and freshman Tony Rossi (Towson/Calvert Hall) each scored twice for the Mustangs.

Junior Ian Bolland (Mountain Lakes, N.J./Mountain Lakes) made a career-high 17 saves to lead the defense with senior Evan Douglass (Exeter, N.H./Exeter) totaling five caused turnovers and four ground balls. Senior Kyle Menendez (Cockeysville/St. Paul’s) had three caused turnovers.

Trey Keeley had two goals to lead the Maroons who had an eight-game home win streak snapped with their worst home loss since 2004. Noah Gibby had two assists and Mike Hardon and Charles Pease combined for 17 saves.

Stevenson will face its third consecutive top-10 opponent on Saturday when it welcomes No. 4 SUNY Cortland to Caves Athletics Complex beginning at 1:00 p.m.

The Mustangs won the only previous meeting between the two teams back on Feb. 24, 2007 at Caves Athletics Complex, 10-9. The win over the third-ranked Red Dragons marked the first against a ranked opponent in school history.

Here are the official recaps of this weekend’s local college lacrosse action, as provided by the respective schools’ Sports Information offices.

Seven Terps Score In 8-4 Win At Towson

TOWSON, Md. – Seven different Terps scored to lead the No. 8 University of Maryland men’s lacrosse team to a hard-fought, 8-4, victory at Towson Saturday afternoon at Unitas Stadium.

Maryland (4-1) claimed the advantage right off of the opening face-off. An illegal body check penalty on Peter Mezzanotte gave the Terps an extra-man opportunity and, while Maryland failed to convert on the EMO, the Terps made the Tigers pay, scoing a goal just seven seconds after the penalty expired. Senior Travis Reed fed senior Grant Catalino on the right wing and Catalino beat Tiger goalie Travis Love near side to give the Terps a 1-0 lead at the 13:40 mark.

After Towson (1-3) tied the game at 1-1 with just under seven minutes left in the first, Maryland regained the lead on a nice two-man play by sophomore John Haus and Reed. Haus dodged his defender down the right side of the restraining box. Reed slipped inside the play and Haus fed Reed just outside the crease where he finished the play with a one-timer.

Reed extended the lead to 3-1, finishing a transition opportunity with a great low-to-low shot from the right wing. Sophomore Landon Carr earned his first career assist by getting the ball to Reed with a great 30-yard skip pass.

The Tigers closed the gap to a goal right before the end of the first on a Carl Iacona goal with just two seconds left on the clock.

Maryland looked to be in a bit of trouble early in the second when junior Joe Cummings was sent off on a tripping penalty. But senior defender Ryder Bohlander picked up two tough groundballs to give the Terps possession and another transition opportunity. Senior long pole Brian Farrell converted that into another Maryland goal, off an assist from senior Scott LaRue, to make it a 4-2 Maryland lead with 8:59 left in the second.

Cummings extended the lead to 5-2 less than a minute later on the game’s first unassisted goal, which proved to be the game-winner. He took the ball at the top of the restraining box and used a quick dodge and re-dodge to get by Towson defender Michael Landy. Cummings’ shot got by Love, hit the inside of the right post and bounced over the goal line into the left side of the net for the score.

Haus and Reed reversed roles from the Terps’ second goal of the game to make it a 6-2 Maryland lead. This time it was Reed finding Haus with a nice pass as Haus quickly cut to the front of the crease. Haus then finished with a one-timer.

Towson scored the only two goals of the third quarter to trim the Maryland lead to 6-4 going into the fourth quarter.

But, arguably, the biggest play of the day for the Terps came as the clock wound down in the third. Britton’s shot for the Tigers went wide, but Matt Hughes was there to pick up the groundball. Maryland goalie Niko Amato moved on Britton’s shot and was out of position when Hughes got the ball quickly out of his stick. That’s when Farrell made an outstanding play by leaving his man and jumping in front of the Terrapin goal, blocking Hughes’ shot. Instead of Towson closing to within a goal going into the final period, the Terps maintained their two-goal lead.

Neither team could get any offense going in the fourth until the Terps’ transition game kicked in with less than four minutes left. A Tiger man-up opportunity was thwarted by a groundball by Amato. He then made a long outlet pass to LaRue at the midfield stripe. LaRue looked up an found senior Ryan Young on the left side of the crease and Young ripped a low shot to push the Terrapin lead to 7-4.

Sophomore Curtis Holmes, who won 9 of 16 face-offs on the day, won the ensuing draw, which virtually forced the Tigers to come out of their zone defense, double-team the ball and try to force a turnover. But it didn’t quite work out that way. Junior Drew Snider scored an empty-net goal with 1:33 left to seal the victory for the Terps.

Towson out-shot the Terps 38-21 for the game, but the Tigers only put 13 of those shots on cage thanks to a relentless defensive effort, which was backed-up by eight saves from Amato.

Maryland won the groundball battle, 31-21, with Holmes leading the way with five. Bohlander and senior Brett Schmidt had four groundballs apiece.

The Terps return to action on Friday with a primetime game vs. another in-state rival, UMBC, at 8 p.m. at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. That game is set to be broadcast locally on WMAR in Baltimore and world-wide on ESPN3.com.

Game Notes:
• With today’s 8-4 win Maryland is now 28-5 all-time vs. Towson.
• The victory also makes the Terps a perfect 14-0 all-time in games played at Towson.
• Senior Grant Catalino’s goal was the 97th of his career, which moved him past Ron Martinello (96, 1997-81) for sole-possession of 12th place on the school’s all-time goals list.
• Catalino’s one point gives him 158 for his career, moving him past Mark Douglas (157, 1988-91) for sole-possession of 16th place on the Terps’ all-time points list.
• Senior Ryan Young’s one point on one goal gives him 129 for his career, moving him past C. Rennie Smith (128, 1952-55) for sole-possession of 25th place on the Terps’ all-time points list.
• With four points on two goals and two assists, senior Travis Reed now has 32 multi-point, 21 multi-goal and 12 multi-assist games for his career.
• With two points on one goal and one assists, sophomore John Haus now has seven multi-point games for his career.
• With two assists, senior Scott LaRue recorded his first career multi-point game.
• With four points on three goals and an assist, senior Ryan Young now had 39 multi-point and 19 multi-goal games for his career.
• The Terps held Towson scoreless in the second and fourth quarters, marking the third and fourth times this season that Maryland has held an opponent without a goal for an entire quarter.

Johns Hopkins Races Past UMBC, 16-5, in Face-Off Classic

BALTIMORE, MD – Johns Hopkins got a goal from senior Kyle Wharton just five seconds into the game and the Blue Jays never looked back in a 16-5 victory over UMBC in the third game of the fifth annual Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Blue Jays improved to 5-1 on the year, 3-2 all-time in Face-Off Classic and 9-0 all-time against UMBC. The Retrievers, who were playing their first-ever game at M&T Bank Stadium, slip to 1-3 on the year.

Hopkins led 5-1 early in the second quarter after the second of Chris Boland’s five goals, but UMBC trimmed the deficit to 6-3 as Rob Grimm and Dave Brown sandwiched goals around a Zach Palmer tally for Johns Hopkins midway through the quarter. Brown’s goal, an unassisted strike with 8:28 remaining in the first half, would be the last for the Retrievers for more than 20 minutes and Hopkins put the game away with a 7-0 run during that time that turned the 6-3 lead into a 13-3 advantage late in the third quarter.

Senior Mark Goodrich opened the spree with an unassisted goal less than 90 seconds after Brown scored and sophomore John Ranagan and Wharton scored back-to-back goals in a span of just 11 seconds late in the period to make it 9-3 at the half.

The Retrievers held the Blue Jays scoreless for nearly six minutes at the start of the third quarter, but Boland’s third goal of the game with 9:02 remaining opened the floodgates as Palmer scored 54 seconds later off a nifty feed from Ranagan and Boland added his fourth of the day – this one off an assist from Palmer – to make it 12-3. An unassisted goal by junior Marshall Burkhart with 2:29 remaining capped the 7-0 run, which was finally halted by Joe Lustgarten’s transition goal with 1:14 remaining in the third quarter.

Hopkins fired home the first three goals of the fourth quarter to extend the lead to a game-high 12 at 16-4 with more than six minutes remaining before Brown closed the scoring with an extra-man goal with just under three minutes to play.
Wharton’s game-opening goal came after the first of senior Matt Dolente’s career-high 15 faceoff wins on the day for the Blue Jays, who held decisive advantages in shots (44-30), ground balls (39-24) and faceoffs (20-5). It was 3-0 after freshman Rob Guida and Boland added first-quarter strikes, but a Scott Hopmann goal with 1:10 left trimmed the deficit to 3-1.

Ranagan and Boland scored back-to-back goals to account for the 5-1 lead early in the second quarter, only to have the Retrievers make it a three-goal game with the Grimm and Brown goals midway through the period. That set the stage for the game-turning 7-0 run, which include goals by six different players for the Blue Jays.

Boland led Johns Hopkins with five goals and the one assist, while Ranagan added a career-high five points on two goal and three assists. Dolente won 15-of-20 faceoffs and grabbed 11 ground balls, while Wharton (2g) and Palmer (2g, 1a) also had multi-point games for the Blue Jays. Sophomore Pierce Bassett posted eight saves and allowed just four goals in just under 54 minutes before giving way to junior Steven Burke.

Brown led UMBC with two goals and Lustgarten added one goal and one assist, while Adam Cohen posted 11 saves in goal for UMBC.

#11 Johns Hopkins (5-1) 4-5-4-3/16
UMBC (1-3) 1-2-1-1/5

Goals: J: Boland-5, Ranagan-2, Palmer-2, Wharton-2, Coppersmith, Guida, Goodrich, Interlicchio, Burkhart. U: Brown-2, Lustgarten, Hopmann, Grimm. Assists: J: Ranagan-3, Boland, Greeley, Maydick, Palmer. U: Jones, Kimbles, Lustgarten. Saves: J: Bassett-8, Burke-1, Schneider-0. U: Cohen-11. Shots: J-44. U-30. EMO: J: 0-for-3 U: 1-for-3. Attendance: 17,057.

Sawyer Scores Five, But #15 Duke Tops #10 Loyola

DURHAM, N.C. – Loyola University Maryland’s Mike Sawyer scored five goals for the second game in a row, but Duke University scored the game’s first nine goals and despite a late run by the 10th ranked Greyhounds, the 15th-ranked Blue Devils defeated the visiting Greyhounds, 14-9, on Friday night at Koskinen Stadium.

The loss was Loyola’s first of the season following three victories to open the season.

Duke (3-2 overall) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in just over 20 minutes, as Jordan Wolf scored three times in the first quarter, and David Lawson tallied a goal in transition with 9:48 to go in the second quarter.

Christian Walsh then made it 5-0 with an unassisted goal 3:50 before the half.

Loyola’s Pat Laconi appeared to cause a Duke turnover with less than 20 seconds to play, but Zach Howell came up with the ground ball, and he scored to put the Blue Devils up with 11 seconds to play left in the first half.

After the break, Justin Turri scored for Duke 2:10 into the third frame, and Howell then registered his second and third goals, the latter coming with 11:27 remaining in the quarter.

Mike Sawyer finally broke through for the Greyhounds, taking a Davis Butts pass and scoring 50 seconds after Howell’s tally.

A Duke penalty then led to Loyola’s second goal, as Matt Langan then fed Sawyer who scored an extra-man goal with 9:27 on the clock.

C.J. Costable snapped the Greyhounds’ brief run, winning the face-off and scoring six seconds following Sawyer’s goal.

Neither team scored for nearly seven minutes until Loyola had two shots miss with just under three seconds to go in the third. Butts had a shot saved by Dan Wigrizer, but Butts picked up the ground ball and fed Sawyer who recorded the hat trick with his third goal of the game.

Duke’s Robert Rotanz scored on extra-man, pushing the Blue Devils’ lead back to eight, 11-3, but Langan took a Chris Basler pass less than 50 seconds into the fourth quarter to make it 11-4.

Howell tallied his fourth of the night with 9:42 to play for Duke’s 12th goal.

Following that, however, Loyola reeled off four goals unanswered. Pat Byrnes scored with 5:26 left in the fourth quarter, and after John Schiavone won the ensuing faceoff, Sawyer tallied his fourth goal of the game 19 ticks later.

Duke had two penalties that gave Loyola an extra-man possession, and Patrick Fanshaw was on the receiving end of a Langan pass, and the sophomore attacker scored to make it 12-7 in Duke’s favor with 3:55 to play.

Schiavone then won the next face-off to himself, picked up the ground ball and raced down the middle of the field, scoring his first goal of the year to make it 12-8 with 3:49 left.

Duke snapped the rally, however, with an extra-man goal by Josh Offit with 2:20 to play. Wolf then scored his fourth for the Blue Devils with 51 ticks on the clock.

Sawyer registered his fifth for the second-straight game, scoring with 30 seconds left. He also scored five last Saturday against Bellarmine.

Loyola outshot the Blue Devils, 34-31, but Wigrizer made 13 saves for Duke. Jake Hagelin  tallied eight saves in goal for the Greyhounds.

Schiavone won 14-of-23 face-offs for the Loyola and led all players with nine ground balls. The game, however, was the first time this season that the Greyhounds have come out on the losing side of the ground ball battle. Duke picked up 39 to Loyola’s 27.

The Greyhounds return to Baltimore for the first-ever night men’s lacrosse game at Ridley Athletic Complex. They host ECAC foe Denver University on Wednesday at 7 o’clock.

Stevenson Remains Unbeaten With Second Top-10 Win, 16-8 Over No. 9 Lynchburg

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Stevenson men’s lacrosse senior Jimmy Dailey (Westminster/Winters Mill) posted his fifth consecutive game with at least five points as he totaled seven to lead the No. 2-ranked Mustangs to their second top-10 victory in six games this season, 16-8 over No. 9 Lynchburg Saturday at Caves Athletics Complex.

The Mustangs (6-0) extended their home winning streak to 10 games, scoring eight goals in each half en route to a convincing eight-goal victory.

Dailey totaled five goals and two assists while senior Richie Ford (Baltimore/Towson) finished with four points on two goals and two assists as both moved past former teammate and current assistant coach Steve Kazimer on the school’s all-time points list.

Dailey is now second with 250 and Ford is third with 249. Both trail current record holder Eric Schmith who had 259 points from 1996-99.

The Hornets (4-2) scored two of the game’s first three goals to take a 2-1 lead with 2:39 left in the first quarter before back-to-back goals by seniors Neal Barthelme (Towson/Dulaney) and Ray Witte (Annapolis/St. Peter and Paul) just nine seconds apart to end the quarter gave the Mustangs the lead for good.

Lynchburg’s two first quarter goals by Ben Sauer and Eddie Bilinkas were the first allowed by Stevenson in the opening quarter this season, snapping a streak of 80:42 without a goal. The Mustangs have now outscored their opponents 25-2 in the first quarter this season.

After scoring his first goal with just one second left in the first quarter, Witte added another tally just seven seconds into the second before Bilinkas scored his second to pull the Hornets back within one, 4-3 with 11:51 remaining.

From there, Dailey and Ford combined to score Stevenson’s next four goals and it built an 8-4 halftime lead.

Lynchburg scored the first two goals of the second half to pull within two, but four consecutive goals by the Mustangs, including two more from Dailey pushed the lead to 12-6 after three quarters.

The Hornets again responded with back-to-back goals to start the fourth quarter to cut their deficit to three with 6:50 left until the Mustangs scored four consecutive in a span of 3:07 to provide the final margin.

Eight different players had at least one goal for Stevenson, including freshman Chris Dashiell (Salisbury/Parkside) who netted the first of his carer to cap the scoring. Senior Jake Stocksdale (Westminster/Winters Mill) finished with three assists while Witte, Barthelme and freshman Tony Rossi (Towson/Calvert Hall) each had two goals.

Senior Kyle Menendez (Cockeysville/St. Paul’s) had four casued turnovers and two ground balls while senior Evan Douglass (Exeter, N.H./Exeter) added two caused turnovers and three ground balls to lead a defense that limited the Hornets to just 18 shots and forced 23 turnovers.

Junior Ian Bolland (Mountain Lakes, N.J./Mountain Lakes) needed to make just three saves to improve his record to 8-0 as a starter.

Derek Sweet led the Hornets with two goals and two assists while Andrew Wilfong had three assists. Franc Cook made 17 saves before being relieved by Roland St.Clair-Barrie.

Stevenson faces a tough road test against another top-10 team from the ODAC on Wednesday when it travels to No. 5 Roanoke. Game time is at 4:00 p.m.

Quick Start Propels Navy Lacrosse to 15-6 Win Over Lafayette

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Navy men’s lacrosse team (2-4, 1-2 Patriot League) jumped out to an 8-0 lead early in the second quarter and never looked back as the Mids dealt Patriot League foe Lafayette (2-3, 0-1 Patriot League) a 15-6 loss Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

It was a pleasant return home for the Midshipmen, who, after opening their season on Feb. 12 at home, had played four-straight games on the road. Along the way, heartbreak had set in as Navy dropped a pair of one-goal decisions to nationally-ranked Loyola and Bucknell, while top-10 ranked North Carolina ousted the Mids by two.

That heartbreak, however, was erased Saturday when Navy put together its most complete game to date, playing to near perfection at every phase of the game.  One of the most troubling stats of the season for the Mids has been their lack of success at the faceoff “x” which snowballed into various other deficiencies. And while Navy’s faceoff corps would once again face a formidable foe in all-league performer Cesar Munoz, Navy junior Logan West (Berlin, Md.) was perhaps the biggest difference maker in the Mids’ win over the Leopards.

West, who began to turn his game around in the fourth quarter of last Monday’s Bucknell contest, dominated the “x” on Saturday, winning 16 of the 23 draws he took and in turn, put the ball in the offensive players’ hands.

“I think confidence is what I had been missing,” said West, who came into the game having won just 43.7 percent of his draws.  “In the opener I played pretty well, but then it started to go downhill for me in the second half of the Loyola game and I found myself in a slump.  I couldn’t seem to get into any rhythm.

“I think our wing play today was probably the best I’ve seen it all year.  I couldn’t have done it without them.”

There is certainly a correlation that can be made between faceoff possession and Navy goals.  The Mids won six draws in the opening quarter and scored seven goals, while in the third quarter Navy claimed seven faceoffs and in turn stuck five goals.

Navy opened the game on an 8-0 run, featuring a 7-0 advantage after the first quarter of play.  Junior Nikk Davis (Cockeysville, Md.), who scored a pair of goals in the final 18 seconds of play to force overtime at Bucknell, punched in the game’s first goal less than two minutes into the contest.  The flood gates opened from there and continued into the second quarter where sophomore middie Jay Mann (Cockeysville, Md.) scored 52 seconds into the second frame with a 10-yarder from the right wing to cap the 8-0 run.

Lafayette finally got on the scoreboard with 11:42 to go in the second quarter when all-league attackman Tom Perini capitalized on an extra-man opportunity, sending a hard-driven shot past Navy keeper RJ Wickham (Penn Yan, N.Y.) from 10 yards out.  Just 36 seconds later, Navy defenseman Peter Rogers (San Diego, Calif.) got caught up in the netting and Lafayette midfielder Will Heffernan capitalized by curling around and sticking his shot.

After nearly 10 minutes without a goal, Navy senior middie Andy Warner send his 12-yard shot top shelf to give the Mids a 9-2 advantage with 5:03 to go in the opening half.

The Leopards put together a run to close out the half with Heffernan scoring his second of the day, beating Navy defenseman Michael Hirsch (Schwenksville, Pa.) on the crease, followed by an unassisted goal by Doug Prusoff who bullied his way past defensive middie Jordan Seivold (Minnetonka, Minn.) and somehow threaded his shot past Wickham.

Senior midfielder Franklin Floyd trimmed the Mids’ lead to four at 9-5 just minutes into the third period when he cleared the ball and waltzed into the box untouched.

The Mids would gain control, however, scoring back-to-back goals just 22 seconds apart, including a strike by senior pole Tom Mansfield (Port Washington, N.Y.), who, racing down the field in transition, scored his first-collegiate goal.

A roll dodge by Prusoff midway through the third period resulted in a Lafayette goal, but Navy’s defense would keep the Leopards off the scoreboard for the final 22 minutes of the game to preserve the win.

Navy, meanwhile, scored three more in the third and once in the fourth to produce the most goals in a game since defeating VMI last year, 16-5.  Freshman attackman Tucker Hull (Charlotte, N.C.) scored a pair of goals in the third quarter, including a man down goal with 5:32 to go.  Lafayette’s Perini took a shot following a Navy penalty which took out the legs of one of his own players.  Following a stoppage of play, the ball was awarded to Navy.  A heads-up play, team captain Marty Gallagher (Wayne, Pa.) sent a long pass to Taylor Reynolds (Babylon, N.Y.) who fed Hull on the doorstep.

It was the Mids’ first man-down goal since Joe Lennon pumped one in at Army on April 12, 2008.

Seven different players scored for Navy, including three – Hull, Warner and freshman Sam Jones (Annapolis, Md.) – who recorded hat tricks.  All three players have produced a point in each of the six games this season, while Warner owns one of the nation’s longest point scoring streaks.  Ranked 20th, he has turned in either a goal or assist in 18-consecutive games dating back to last year’s Lehigh contest (March 2, 2010).

Jones, who has scored a goal in every game this season, paced the Mids with a career-high six points (3G, 3A).  He continues to move his way closer to Navy’s top-10 freshman points, goals and assists list.  He has amassed 25 points on 16 goals and nine assists.

Hull, meanwhile, moved into a tie for eighth on Navy’s all-time freshman assists list, turning in his 10th helper of the year.  He is tied with John Hawley (1985) and Jim Shulson (1975) and is three shy of tying seventh-place Mike Chanenchuk.

Defensively, it was Navy’s best effort to date, holding the Leopards to six goals.  It’s the fewest goals the Mids have given up since defeating Holy Cross, 12-3, on March 20, 2010.

“I think this week we focus on communication, getting fills and sliding at the right time,” said Hirsch, a three-year starter for the Mids.  “We were leaving RJ hung out to dry and we just couldn’t continue to let that happen.  Our team has been putting up goals and I think we are of the mindset that if we can hold our opponent to under 10 goals, we will win.”

The Midshipmen have a quick turnaround playing host to Towson Tuesday evening at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.  Faceoff is set for 7:00 pm.

Here is the official release, courtesy of Towson University…

Men’s Basketball Head Coach Pat Kennedy Resigns from Towson

TOWSON, Md. – Towson University head men’s basketball coach Pat Kennedy resigned from his position effective immediately, TU Director of Athletics Mike Waddell announced today. Kennedy completed his seventh season at Towson with a record of 4-26 as the Tigers head coach.

“Pat Kennedy is a class act and a great basketball mind,” said Towson Director of Athletics Mike Waddell.  “It is unfortunate the past seven seasons have not met our mutual expectations.  I am sure he will continue in the basketball world as he should.  We thank Pat and his wife Jeannie for all their efforts the past seven years and wish them the best in the future.”

The 2010-11 season marked Kennedy’s 31st as a Division I head coach. He ranks among the Top 25 active winningest Division I coaches with his 488 career victories, coming in at No. 22 before the start of the 2010-11 campaign.

Kennedy has taken teams to eight NCAA Tournaments and five NIT’s. He has had ten 20-plus win seasons and is the winningest coach in the Colonial Athletic Association. Over his career, 17 of his players he recruited went on to NBA careers, including former Towson Tiger and all-CAA selection Gary Neal from Baltimore’s Calvert Hall College, who is currently with the San Antonio Spurs.

A number of Kennedy’s former assistants have gone on to become head coaches or assistants in the NBA.

For over a decade, Pat served on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Board of Directors and was the organization’s President in 2004-05.

A confidential national search for the next head coach of Towson basketball will begin immediately. Towson will be utilizing the services of Fogler Enterprises, a nationally recognized firm that conducts searches for championship caliber basketball coaches. TU Director of Athletics Mike Waddell will not be making any further comments on the search until the process has concluded.

Q&A with Director of Athletics Mike Waddell

What are you looking for in a new head men’s basketball coach?

First and foremost we are looking for the best fit for the long term benefit and development of our men’s basketball program. That takes into consideration a coach’s knowledge of the game and the ability to be an effective teacher and communicator. Our coach must have solid East Coast recruiting ties and a proven track record of being able to recruit a high caliber of player.  We will talk with existing head coaches, former head coaches, current college and pro assistants. Being able to build a coaching staff is a very important element towards building a winning program.

Specifically when you talk style of play, I would like to see someone who values a tough minded, physical style of basketball, intense defense, solid fundamentals, and up tempo offense that is fun to watch.  Win or lose going forward teams need to remember the Tigers the morning after we play them.  That will breed an attitude amongst our team and our fans. There is nothing like watching student-athletes who give their all, dive for loose balls, and play with great emotion. The type of coach that we will bring to Towson will value these traits, along with others.  This will all come to the surface when we interview candidates over the run of the process. There are things that you know going in are 100 percent essential and then there are other traits that will become apparent when the right person is in the room with you. I cannot over communicate the need for a true fit for this position.

What is the timeline to have a new coach in place?

Ideally, we would have our new coach and his staff in place soon after the Final Four is complete in Houston, sometime during the first week in April or thereabout.  A lot of this depends on when the coaches we want to talk to are finished with their seasons.  The spring recruiting period begins around the middle of the month following a dead period immediately after the Final Four.  By meeting this timeline, we set ourselves up to be able to fill out our roster spots with some recruits in the spring signing period.

What are your selling points that you will use when talking to coaches about the position?

I believe that we have one of the best jobs in mid-major basketball when you look at the facts. We have a great city to live in, a great recruiting area to draw talent from, and an outstanding University for our prospective student-athletes to get a first-class education.  Probably the most exciting attribute is that starting in two years Towson will have the best basketball arena in the CAA as well as a new dedicated practice facility.  Off the court we are making improvements such as improved academic support, a dedicated basketball strength and conditioning coach and sports medicine professional, plus enhancements in housing assignments for our basketball program and the best meal plans to enhance their physical development.  We will also be looking to upgrade the competitive schedule to include some additional television appearances for the program and will be working with Under Armour to maximize our basketball brand, nationally and internationally.  We are very fortunate to have some enhanced support coming in from a variety of areas and that will be a booster rocket behind Tiger Basketball. We’re going to be successful here at Towson because there is simply no other outcome that is acceptable.

Who will be running the program during your search for a new head coach?

I have asked Assistant Coach Phil Cohen and Director of Basketball Operations Kerry Kinard to stay on during this interim period. Phil was the director of basketball operations last year before becoming an assistant coach. Kerry joined the staff this past October following stops with the Utah Jazz and Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA. They will conduct off-season workouts, help monitor academic performance while Assistant A.D. for Sports Performance James Shipp will oversee the weight room workouts and the rehabilitation of any lingering seasonal injuries.

Are you using a committee to assist you in the process of selecting the new head coach?

I will be speaking with a lot of different people over the course of the search who will share knowledge and counsel on the various candidates that we will visit with. There will be no formal search committee. Once I have a candidate that I am comfortable with, I will forward that name to the President for final approval.

When will you update fans on the progress of the search?

This interview will be the only time during the process that I will be communicating with the Tiger Nation until we have a press conference and welcome in our new coach. Over the last 22 years, I have been a part of a lot of coaching searches, some more high profile than others. One thing that I have learned is that you really can impair the process by conducting business through the media, intentionally or otherwise.  We have a plan on how to find a new head men’s basketball coach for Towson University and we will go out and bring back the best coach to lead us to the top of the CAA and beyond. Once we have a coach, we’ll call a press conference and will have that for you live on www.TowsonTigers.com.  Once something is decided, we will not let time pass before we share that with our fans and alumni. The more secure the process can operate the better quality of people who will be involved.

Here is a rundown of Saturday’s action, highlighted by Loyola’s come from behind win over Navy (as heard on AM1570 WNST) and Johns Hopkins’ 2nd half pull away win over Towson at Unitas Stadium.

Rundowns were taken from official school releases.

No. 14 Loyola Comes Back For 9-8 Win Over Navy

BALTIMORE – With winds wipping through Ridley Athletic Complex at over 40 mile per hour gusts, the 14th-ranked Loyola University Maryland men’s lacrosse team made a major second-half rally to overcome a five-goal deficit and defeat the United States Naval Academy, 9-8, on Saturday afternoon in the Greyhounds’ season opener.

Loyola, which trailed 7-2 after Navy’s Cade Norris scored with 5:53 to play before halftime, held the Midshipmen scoreless for 28 minutes, 5 seconds, covering both halves.

Patrick Fanshaw tied the game at 7-7 with three ticks left on the third-quarter clock, and he then scored the game-winner with 1:08 left in regulation, taking a Chris Basler pass from the right side of the crease and tallying his second goal of the game.

“We preach family, and today we showed that,” senior co-captain Matt Langan said. “We had contributions from everyone, from freshmen to fifth-year seniors. At halftime (Assistant Coach Dan) Chemotti said that there are no four-point goals, no two-point goals. We had to go out there and battle back one goal at a time, and that’s what we did.”

Possession was the key to Loyola’s comeback in the second half. Faceoff specialist John Schiavone won 14-of-21 restarts during the game, all five attempted in the third quarter and 3-of-4 in the fourth.

The Greyhounds picked up 21 second-half ground balls to Navy’s three and doubled up the Midshipmen, 32-16, in the game.

“Anytime you win 21 of 24 ground balls (in the second half), you are likely to win,” Head Coach Charley Toomey said. “We played with a lot of hustle in the last 30 minutes, and I thought that we stepped up for each other.”

Josh Hawkins led all players with seven ground balls, Schiavone had five, and Scott Ratliff and Mike Sawyer each had four.”I am lucky to have `Hawk’ and Ratliff on my team,” Schiavone said. “I think I only had two or three ground balls in the second half. The rest were them.”

Loyola only allowed one Navy shot in the third quarter while taking 16 of its own. The Greyhounds outshot the Midshipmen, 35-24, in the game.

Trailing 7-2 after Norris’ second-quarter goal, Hawkins picked up the ground ball for Loyola on the ensuing faceoff, but Loyola turned the ball over before taking a shot.

Navy had two shots on its offensive end, the latter saved by Jake Hagelin, and Dylan Grimm stripped Andy Warner of possession, and Ratliff got to the loose ball for the Greyhounds.

A good offensive possession by Loyola was culminated when Langan fired a pass from X to D.J. Comer who was waiting in front of the goal. Comer’s hard shot found the net for his second of the game, pulling Loyola within four, 34 seconds before halftime.

Neither the Greyhounds, nor Navy scored in the first eight minutes of the second dhalf, but Mike Sawyer found a crease and ripped a shot past Navy’s R.J. Wickham with 6:46 to play in the frame.

Hawkins again won the ground ball on the restart, and after a Navy penalty on Tucker Hall for offsides, Stephen Murray took a Langan pass and scored Loyola’s second man-up goal of the game.

Loyola forced another Navy turnover after one of its own following Murray’s goal, and Davis Butts ran down the right alley, scoring his first goal of the season with 2:51 left in the third, cutting the Midshipmen’s advantage to 7-6.

A Midshipmen timeout could not stop Loyola, as Hawkins picked up the ground ball on the face-off, his third in a row. His shot in an unsettled possession bounced wide left, and Navy forced a Loyola turnover moments later.

Loyola, however, forced a Midshipmen turnover, and after setting Sawyer missed wide right, the Greyhounds set up for the final shot of the quarter. Langan started the play from X and fed Fanshaw who ripped a goal with three seconds left in the third quarter, making it a tie game going into the fourth.

After Ratliff picked up the ground ball on Schiavone’s fourth-quarter opening face-off win, Michael Hirsch caused a turnover for Navy, and Brian Striffler had two shots for the Midshipmen. The first went right and Hagelin made a save on the second with 11:53 remaining in regulation.

Sawyer then tallied his game-high third goal 20 seconds later, giving Loyola its first lead of the game, 8-7.

Navy did not back down, however, as Jay Mann took a Sam Jones pass and tied the game with 7:48 to play.

The Midshipmen won the ensuing face-off, their only win of the second half, but Hagelin saved a Jones shot, and Loyola cleared the ball to its offensive end.

Wickham made two saves, and another went wide before Basler found Fanshaw for the game-winner with 1:08 left on the clock.

Loyola earned the next possession, but a turnover gave it back to Navy with just over 30 seconds left. Striffler had a shot sail wide left, and Navy called timeout with 5.2 seconds remaining.

Andy Warner took the ball in his stick and went left around a pick, but Hagelin stopped his shot with a second left, securing the win.

Loyola’s victory was reminiscent of last season’s 8-7 win to open the season at Navy when Cooper MacDonnell scored the game-winner in overtime.

The Greyhounds are back in action next Saturday, February 26, when they take on Towson at 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ABC-2 in the Baltimore area, ESPN3.com nationally, and it can be heard in Baltimore on WNST-AM 1570.

JHU Grabs 900th All-Time Win With 10-6 Victory at Towson

BALTIMORE, MD – Johns Hopkins attackmen Zach Palmer, Kyle Wharton and Chris Boland combined for seven goals and four assists and the Blue Jay defense held host Towson scoreless for a stretch of 35:22 midway through the game as 11th-ranked JHU opened the 2011 season with a 10-6 victory before 3,226 fans at wind-blown Unitas Stadium Saturday afternoon. The win is JHU’s 16th straight against the Tigers and the 900th all-time in school history. Johns Hopkins is the first men’s lacrosse program in the nation to reach the 900-win mark.

After Towson’s Carl Iacona gave the Tigers a 4-3 lead with an unassisted goal at the 10:30 mark of the second quarter, the Blue Jay defense clamped down and didn’t allow another goal until senior midfielder Pat Britton finally broke the ice with an unassisted goal of his own with 5:08 remaining in the fourth quarter.

It was all Johns Hopkins between those goals as the Blue Jays reeled off six unanswered goals during that time, including five by the starting attack.

A Lee Coppersmith goal on a simple ally dodge less than 90 seconds after Iacona’s goal drew the Blue Jays even at 4-4 and the teams went to the half with no further scoring.

Towson had two golden chances to take a 5-4 lead, but Johns Hopkins goalie Pierce Bassett made saves on back-to-back Towson extra-man chances in the first five minutes of the third quarter and the Blue Jays capitalized with back-to-back goals in a 78-second span midway through the period to take the lead for good.

Wharton’s second goal of the game off a nifty no-look pass from sophomore John Greeley made it 5-4 and Palmer’s extra-man goal a short time later made it 6-4. Freshman Brandon Benn assisted on Palmer’s goal as he found him cutting down the ally from the side of the goal and Palmer quick-sticked it home.

Wharton notched his third goal of the game three minutes later as a Bassett save led to a transition goal with freshman Phil Castronova getting the helper as Wharton notched his 10th career hat trick.

Boland netted consecutive goals of his own – the first with 3:09 left in the third quarter and the second with just 5:55 remaining in the fourth quarter – to extend the lead to 9-4 before Britton sandwiched a pair of goals around Benn’s first career tally to account for the 10-6 final.

The Blue Jays led 3-1 after less than eight minutes of the first quarter as Wharton, Palmer and freshman Eric Ruhl all scored early with only a Matt Thomas goal mixed in for the Tigers in the minutes.

Towson responded with a three-goal run that was capped by Iacona’s goal early in the second quarter, but Coppersmith’s goal a short time later ignited the game-turning 6-0 for the Blue Jays.

Palmer tied his career high with five points and posted a personal-best three assists to lead the way offensively for the Blue Jays, held advantages in shots (35-29), ground balls (36-23) and faceoffs (11-10). Senior Matt Dolente won 8-of-14 faceoffs and grabbed four ground balls for Johns Hopkins, which improved to 9-2 under head coach Dave Pietramala in season openers.

Johns Hopkins will return to action on Tuesday, February 22 when the Blue Jays travel to Delaware for a 6 pm game against the Blue Hens. Delaware improved to 3-0 on the year with an 8-7 win against Marist on Saturday.

Johns Hopkins (1-0) 3-1-4-2/10
Towson (0-1) 3-1-0-2

Goals: J: Wharton-3, Palmer-2, Boland-2, Ruhl, Benn, Coppersmith. T: Britton-2, Iacona, Hughes, Thomas, Laman. Assists: J: Palmer-3, Benn, Boland, Castronova, Greeley, Ranagan. T: Stratton. Saves: J: Bassett-9. T: Love-10. Shots: J-35. T-29. EMO: J: 1-for-3. T: 0-for-4. Attendance: 3,226

UMBC Lacrosse Opens 2011 Campaign With 16-10 Win at Presbyterian

Clinton, S.C.—UMBC sophomore midfielder Dave Brown scored four goals and added three assists as the Retrievers opened the 2011 season with a 16-10 victory at Presbyterian (0-2).

Brown was part of a potent UMBC starting midfield unit which accounted for 11 goals. Sophomore midfielder Scott Jones contributed four goals and one helper, while classmate Scott Hopmann (Annapolis, Md. /St. Mary’s) tallied three times.

Retriever junior attackman Rob Grimm had a goal and a career-high four assists.

The Blue Hose scored just 39 seconds into their home opener, but Jones got the equalizer 45 seconds later, converting a Grimm feed. Then Hopmann scored back-to-back goals at the 9:38 and 6:20 marks to give the Retrievers the lead for good. Grimm assisted on UMBC’s first three scores.

The Retrievers would lead, 5-2, after one quarter and built the advantage to 10-5 at halftime. UMBC closed the half with three straight goals, including one man-up and one even strength goal by Brown and the first collegiate goal for red-shirt freshman Matt Gregoire (Crofton, Md./South River).

The two teams exchanged scores to start the second half, but Presbyterian went on a 4-0 run to get within 11-10 on an Andrew Athens’ goal at the 11:01 mark of the fourth quarter. But Brown scored at 10:02 to start a game-ending 5-0 Retriever run, capped by Jones’ fourth goal of the game with 4:57 remaining.

UMBC outshot the Blue Hose, 49-25, and PC netminder Jon Athens was credited with 21 saves. Retrievers junior netminder Brian McCullough made six saves to get the victory for the visitors.

The Retrievers also controlled 25 of 29 draws, as senior J.D. Harkey captured 13 of 15 and sophomore Joseph Impallaria (Lutherville, Md./Calvert Hall) won 12 of 14.

UMBC opens the home schedule on Saturday, Feb. 26 when they host Rutgers at UMBC Stadium. The opening face-off takes place at 1:00 p.m.

#4 Terps Open Season With 16-4 Victory

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - It was not the smoothest start to a season, but the No. 3 University of Maryland men’s lacrosse team got four points from four different Terps to give head coach John Tillman a 16-4 victory over Detroit Mercy in his first game at the helm of the Terrapin program.

The Titans (0-4) capitalized on two non-releasable Terrapin penalties to take a 2-0 lead with just under six minutes left in the first quarter, but from that point on it was all Maryland as the Terps (1-0) ripped off 10 unanswered goals from the final minutes of the first quarter to midway through the third.

Junior Joe Cummings, who was one of two Terps to tally hat tricks on the day, got things going for Maryland with a slick turn-and-shoot goal just outside the crease off of a nice feed by sophomore John Haus.

Senior Ryan Young took over the game at the start of the second quarter, scoring three straight to give the Terps a 4-2 lead. The first of Young’s goals came on an extra-man opportunity when he finished a nice pass from senior Grant Catalino. He scored his second a minute later, one-timing a cross-crease pass from senior Travis Reed. Young completed the natural hat trick with another easy goal thanks to a terrific skip pass by Haus.

Next up it was Reed’s turn to net a pair of goals for the Terps to make it a 6-2 game with just under four minutes to go in the second. Reed’s first came on a lefty rocket from the right wing off an assist from Young.

Reed’s second score came via Maryland’s dangerous transition game. Senior defender Brett Schmidt caused a turnover and got the groundball on the left side of the field near the midfield stripe. He quickly fed a pass to senior defender Max Schmidt, who was racing down the middle of the field. Max Schmidt then quickly moved the ball on to Reed who beat Titan goalie A.J. Levell with a quick shot.

With less than three minutes to go in the half Reed was on the giving end of the next Maryland goal. He found junior Jake Bernhardt running free into the restraining box and Bernhardt ripped a shot from 12 yards out to give the Terps a 7-2 advantage.

That lead grew to 8-2 just before halftime thanks to Catalino’s first goal of the afternoon. Haus picked up his third helper of the day by skipping the pass through to Catalino on the left goal line extended and Catalino had enough time to give Levell a good ball fake before finishing the play low.

Maryland’s scoring run continued after the break with Cummings scoring his second of the day just 46 seconds into the third quarter. Cummings’ dodging goal from down the left alley was the Terps’ first unassisted goal of the game.

Catalino finished the 10-0 run at the 8:59 mark, lacing a low-to-low shot from the left alley off a nice feed from Jake Bernhardt.

Detroit Mercy’s Shayne Adams ended the Titans’ scoreless streak at 32:13 with his sixth goal of the season at the 6:52 mark. But that only gave the Terps the chance to begin another scoring run.

Junior Drew Snider started this five-goal run for the Terps with a nice shot into the upper right corner from the left wing. Haus picked up his career-best fourth assist on the goal.

The Terps’ transition game worked to perfection again to close out scoring for the third quarter. Sophomore Jesse Bernhardt caused a turnover that junior Michael Shakespeare advanced into the offensive zone. Sophomore Landon Carr made a great run down the middle of the field and finished the play with his first career goal to make it a 12-3 Terrapin lead.

The run continued less than two minutes into the fourth quarter on Snider’s second goal of the game.

Senior Fran Gormley scored his first of the season at the 12:19 mark on a terrific shot from 10 yards out to make it a 14-3 Terrapin lead.

Sophomore Owne Blye finished the five-goal run with his first goal at the 7:59 mark. Freshman Sean McGuire picked up his first collegiate point by feeding Blye the ball after Blye made a good cut toward the crease.

Matt Gregson closed out the scoring for the Titans with an unassisted goal with 6:28 left in the game.

Cummings finished things up for the Terps with a goal from the right alley with 3:55 remaining.

The Terps were terrific when the ball was on the ground, winning the groundball battle 49-23. A big reason for that was the play of sophomore Curtis Holmes on face-offs. Holmes won 17 of 21 face-offs and had a game-high five groundballs.

Redshirt freshman Niko Amato made his first collegiate start a solid one, making three saves and allowing just four goals in 52:01. Amato also chipped in with four groundballs and a caused turnover.

Maryland’s defense limited the Titans to just 17 shots for the game. At close defense, seniors Ryder Bohlander, Shane Hall, Brett Schmidt and Max Schmidt combined for nine groundballs and five caused turnovers.

The Terps’ long pole trio of Jesse Bernhardt, Michael White and David Miller combined for seven groundballs and four caused turnovers.

Maryland returns to action next Saturday, Feb. 26, when it hosts No. 15 Georgetown at 3 p.m. at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium.

Game Notes:
• With today’s 16-4 win Maryland is now 1-0 all-time vs. Detroit Mercy.
• Maryland has won 18 straight season openers and is 82-3-1 all-time to start the season.
• With four points on three goals and one assist, senior Ryan Young now had 37 multi-point and 17 multi-goal games for his career.
• Young’s three goals tied his career high.
• With four points on two goals and two assists, senior Grant Catalino now has 38 multi-point, 30 multi-goal and 12 multi-assist games for his career.
• Catalino’s two goals give him 90 for his career and moves him into sole possession of 15th place on Maryland’s all-time goal-scoring list.
• With four points on two goals and two assists, senior Travis Reed now has 31 multi-point, 19 multi-goal and 11 multi-assist games for his career.
• With three points on three goals, junior Joe Cummings now has 13 multi-point and seven multi-goal games for his career.
• Sophomore John Haus set a career high with four assists. It marks his fourth career multi-point game and his first with multiple assists. Haus had two assists total during his freshman season.
• Sophomore Curtis Holmes won 17 of 21 face-offs to set career highs in both face-offs won and taken. As a freshman in 2010, Holmes won a total of 11 of 24 face-offs.
• The Terps held Detroit Mercy scoreless for 32:13 from 5:55 of the first quarter to 6:52 of the third. It is the first time Maryland has held an opponent scoreless for 30 minutes or more since holding Denver without a goal for 30:06 in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
• Maryland finished with 30 points on 16 goals and 14 assists. The last time the Terps had 30 points in a game was March 20, 2007 in an 18-3 win over Mount St. Mary’s.

There’s nothing in sports I enjoy more than rivalry.

I can honestly say that I became a sports fan growing up more because of the pageantry and tradition that I saw on display when I attended events than because of any of the athletic abilities I had the pleasure of witnessing.

As I’ve continued to follow sports both as a fan and analyst, there’s little I’ve enjoyed more than the nature of rivalry.

My father’s family has roots in Akron, Ohio. I fully understood growing up why Ohio State-Michigan was simply more important than any other game.

When Peyton Manning was at Tennessee, the youth minister at my church (David Robinson-now the minister at Community Christian Church in White Marsh) convinced me that nothing mattered more then when the Volunteers took on Florida. Given the results, maybe he shouldn’t have hyped these games up so much.

During the two years I was at KDUS in Phoenix, I dove fully into the Arizona-Arizona State “Territorial Cup” rivalry. I knew more about Chuck Cecil than any young man from Charm City would ever have a reason to.

But as someone who was born and lived in Baltimore for all but two of 27 years, there have been a few rivalries that have particularly stood out.

From 1995-1999, my life came to a halt whenever the Baltimore Orioles opened a series with the New York Yankees.

From 1999-2004, the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans stole my attention unlike any other National Football League contest could.

But since 1992, I learned the nature of what the word “rivalry” really meant by watching the Maryland Terrapins take on the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils.

I had no idea at the time that most sports fans worldwide really didn’t consider any of those games I was losing sleep over to truly be “rivalries.”

The reality is that the much truer forms of rivalry in the area were embodied by Calvert Hall & Loyola, City & Poly and Maryland & Johns Hopkins lacrosse.

As an adult who has made his living in the sports industry, I have found myself particularly interested in three very true forms of rivalry.

Every year I make the trip to see Army battle Navy in football, whether I have covered any other Midshipmen games that season at all. I’ve argued that the Army-Navy Game is the greatest institution in all of sports, and I’ve yet to be convinced otherwise.

The hoops rivalry between Morgan State and Coppin State is of particular interest to me. My grandmother spent more than a decade as an English professor on Hillen Road, and I waited a long time in my life to see the resurgence of the Bears’ basketball program that Todd Bozeman has provided. That being said, I view Fang Mitchell as a pillar of this city’s sports community and someone who deserves the admiration and respect of anyone who calls this place home.

But clearly the rivalry that I am most involved with is the rivalry between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens that many NFL pundits now believe is amongst the best the sport has to offer.

As the Ravens prepared to visit Heinz Field this January for their AFC Divisional Round playoff game, Drew Forrester and I tossed around a notion of “making a sacrifice” in hopes of seeing the Ravens get over the hump against their rivals from the Steel City. We agreed one day on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST that we would march with sandwich boards of gratitude at the Royal Farms on Providence Road in Towson should the Ravens be victorious.

We all know the outcome of January’s playoff game. Drew and I never made such a sacrifice.

During our week of Super Bowl XLV coverage from the Sheraton in Dallas, Texas; Drew, Nestor Aparicio and I found ourselves frustrated by the number of former Steelers who were parading around Radio Row and celebrating another AFC Championship, even if their team would go on to fail to claim a seventh Vince Lombardi Trophy.

We often remarked, “this is what happens when the Ravens can’t beat the Steelers.”

As we thought about next year’s coverage of Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, I asked a question that didn’t necessarily have an obvious answer.

“What could we do as a civic group to help the Ravens get past the Steelers this year.”

I’m well aware of how goofy that question sounds, but I was genuinely wondering if there was something we could do as a fanbase to lift the Ravens up. The public outcry regarding the return of Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron wasn’t quite what I had in mind.

My question was dismissed, as we all know that it will be the players and coaches that will decide whether or not the Ravens can finally get past their AFC North rivals.

But in Alabama this week, a story has been made public regarding how one fan decided to take the “Iron Bowl” rivalry into his own hands.

By now, you’ve probably heard the story of Harvey Almorn Updyke, who was arrested for criminal mischief in connection to the poisoning of the famous “Toomer’s Corner” trees at Auburn. Toomer’s Corner is the traditional gathering spot for Tigers fans to celebrate a big win, as fans would cover the trees in toilet paper. You can see an example of such a celebration in this YouTube video following Auburn’s BCS Championship Game win over Oregon in January…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iso55KnPCXc[/youtube]

The Auburn-Alabama rivalry apparently meant so much to Updyke that he (allegedly) decided he needed to take things into his own hands.

Updyke is believed to have phoned into the Paul Finebaum radio show (Finebaum is a media mogul in SEC Country) January 27 under the name “Al from Dadesville” announcing he had taken herbicide to the trees. He ended his call by saying simply “Roll Damn Tide.”

Updyke has since claimed in court that he was not responsible for the poisoning of the trees.

The crime has been met with mixed reactions by Crimson Tide fans. Some have denounced the activity, but others have stood behind the action as a statement in the heated rivalry. In fact, National Football Post pointed out Thursday that “Free Harvey Updyke” t-shirts are now available…

The entire situation is interesting to me. As someone who loves the nature of a rivalry, I can’t help but enjoy rivalry pranks. When the Army Cadets steal “Bill the Goat” from Annapolis, I find humor. When rival high schools paint logos on each others’ campus, I tend to believe the kids involved should be absolved from punishment.

But rivalry can certainly cross a line into a violent, unacceptable area. Just two weeks ago, a City-Edmondson game was stopped in the second half due to violence between rival fans in the Baltimore gymnasium.

That’s clearly unacceptable.

The Updyke case is interesting. The alleged actions are deemed as criminal, so they cannot possibly be passed off as “acceptable” or as part of the nature of a rivalry.

But I wonder how we would feel today if we were Alabama fans.

Listener John from Towson, Ozzie Newsome, Jarret Johnson and Le’Ron McClain are notable Baltimoreans who ARE Alabama fans. WJZ-TV’s Marty Bass has a daughter in Tuscaloosa himself.

I haven’t reached out to anyone in that group yet because that’s not necessarily the nature of the column.

The bigger question is whether or not we would support similar activity should it be based in the Ravens-Steelers rivalry.

As the Steel City is by no means aesthetically pleasing, it’s not necessarily a fair comparison.

But if there were a park…or a field…or a garden that Steelers fans revered, would we celebrate should it meet a demise at the hands of a Ravens fan?

I’d like to think I wouldn’t, but I’m not sure.

We’ve all seen the pictures of a Ravens fan urinating on the grave of former Baltimore Colts owner Bob Irsay in Indy. While I have stated that I would never support or participate in such actions, I also would be sympathetic in a response. Should someone have been arrested in connection to the pictures, I would probably be of the opinion that the guilty party deserved some form of leniency, as the nature of sports rivalry can sometimes lead to lewd, maybe even despicable behavior.

I don’t believe it’s necessarily okay for a Ravens fan to urinate on the grave of Robert Irsay, but I don’t believe there should be severe punishment for someone who did.

So if Baltimore had it’s own “Harvey Updyke”, I’m not sure how I would feel.

Would I see him as a renegade who committed a shameful act regardless of my overwhelming support for the Ravens and disdain for the Steelers?

Or would I see him as a folk hero of sorts, who didn’t hurt anyone but made a memorable statement in the history of a sports rivalry.

The rivalry between the Ravens and the Steelers will NEVER be as intense as the rivalry between Auburn and Alabama, so it might not be a fair comparison. But it’s an interesting discussion point nonetheless.

I’d like to think I would denounce the activity…but I can’t say for sure that I would.

-G

Honorable Mention-NHL: Washington Capitals @ Carolina Hurricanes (Wednesday 7pm from Raleigh live on Comcast SportsNet), Tampa Bay Lightning @ Washington Capitals (Friday 5pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Carolina Hurricanes @ Washington Capitals (Sunday 5pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet & NHL Network)

10. Ozzy Osbourne (Monday 7:30pm 1st Mariner Arena); Charm City Devils (Friday 7pm Rams Head Live), Jah Works (Saturday 8pm Rams Head Live); Crack The Sky (Saturday 8pm Recher Theatre); Citizen Cope (Tuesday & Wednesday 7:30pm Birchmere, Friday 8:30pm, Saturday 1:30pm & 8:30pm Rams Head On Stage); Carbon Leaf (Wednesday 6pm 9:30 Club), Donovan Frankenreiter (Thursday 8pm 9:30 Club), Cyndi Lauper (Saturday 6pm 9:30 Club), KT Tunstall (Saturday 10pm 9:30 Club), Brandon Flowers (Monday 7pm 9:30 Club); Shelby Lynne (Monday 7:30pm Birchmere); Lisa Lampanelli (Saturday 7pm Warner Theatre); Kanye West “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday); “Inception“, “Despicable Me” and “Shrek Forever After” available on DVD/Blu-Ray (Tuesday)

I have an attorney friend (I should probably have more of those) who has an extra ticket to see Ozzy Monday. She’s quizzing her friends about Ozzy to see who will get the ticket. The first question is one of those “just don’t answer this the wrong way” questions. It is: “What is your favorite Ozzy song?” Rumor has it there’s someone who actually DIDN’T answer “War Pigs.” Fine by me, I’m a step closer to having a ticket!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtqy4DTHGqg[/youtube]

No SR-71 Thanksgiving show this year, but I’d be MORE than happy to see CCD instead. I’m digging “Best of the Worst”…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7XhpOrrkAM[/youtube]

Citizen Cope could do just about ANYTHING and I’d be in. But if I was headed to Annapolis to see him-I’d be hoping for “Pablo Picasso”…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d4O02BJz74[/youtube]

There are a lot of rumors that this will be one of the better disc’s in Kanye’s career. I’ll admit that “Devil In A New Dress” makes me hopeful…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D55rDDvu3n4[/youtube]

9. Glenn Clark’s Thanksgiving Plans (Wednesday-Saturday)

And seriously-I think I’ve got a win.

On Wednesday, I’ll appease a roommate and we’ll watch Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Calling it a classic doesn’t really do it justice. (Clip VERY NSFW!)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5o8DFfYHS4[/youtube]

Thursday night is easy. Pumpkin Pie, white wine and Home Alone. It is what it is…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dGOfFbzvq4[/youtube]

And after everything calms down Saturday, my favorite part of Turkey Day begins. You know, the part where I slab turkey, mashed potatoes and BBQ sauce on bread and forget the words “calorie intake” mean anything.

8. Soccer-World Cup Qualifying (Women’s): Italy @ Team USA (Saturday 2pm from Bridgeview, IL live on ESPN3.com), College Soccer-NCAA Tournament: Penn State @ Maryland (Sunday 4pm Ludwig Field)

I’m so TORN here!

We all know I love the red, white & blue. And since the greatest American women’s soccer moment involved stripping, I PARTICULARLY love American women’s soccer.

But this is Italy we’re talking about. The land of my forefathers. The land that taught me that talking with my hands is as important as talking with my lips, and that my lips are more made for kissing.

It’s also the land that gave us “The Situation”! How can we root against them?!?!?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zT9p1vnBjo[/youtube]

7. Table Tennis: JOOLA North American Tennis Championships (Friday-Sunday Baltimore Convention Center)

I was going to simply say “I’m picking Forrest Gump” and leave it at that, but apparently the former Alabama KR is not playing this year. I’m just as surprised as you.

Seriously-I love playing ping-pong, but these people are freaking NUTS.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8IVASo0umU[/youtube]

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?!? WOW!

6. Tennis: Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (Tuesday-Saturday 1pm, Sunday 3pm from London live on Tennis Channel)

FINALLY! Some eye candy for the blog!!!!!!

Maybe not all of you are as big of Andy Roddick fans as I am, but…ummm…deal with it.

5. NBA: Philadelphia 76ers @ Washington Wizards (Tuesday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Washington Wizards @ Atlanta Hawks (Thursday 8pm from Atlanta live on TNT), Orlando Magic @ Washington Wizards (Saturday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet & NBA TV), Washington Wizards @ Miami Heat (Monday 7:30pm from Miami live on Comcast SportsNet)

I haven’t been following basketball in a while, do we still hate the Heat because of LeBron James?

Sorry, I just don’t pay as much attention as I probably should.

Oh and also…do you think Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp will finally get the Seattle Supersonics past the Chicago Bulls this year? That’s a hell of a combo they’ve got there in the Emerald City…

4. College Football: North Carolina State @ Maryland (Saturday 3:30pm from Byrd Stadium live on ESPN2)

Yes, the ACC Championship Game is out of the picture. But beating the Wolfpack Saturday might very well be the difference in the Terps going to a bowl game in Nashville or Charlotte instead of ending up in a bowl game at RFK Stadium.

Let’s think about that a bit. Music City gave us Kings of Leon…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kQUjwv2R1g[/youtube]

The Queen City gave us Anthony Hamilton…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4LVf9qdFYA[/youtube]

And DC gave us…ummm….Rod Strickland?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTyNwkZwCzg[/youtube]

3. College Basketball: Delaware State @ Maryland (Tuesday 8pm Comcast Center), Elon @ Maryland (Friday 8pm from Comcast Center live on Comcast SportsNet); UMBC @ Coppin State (Wednesday 7:30pm Coppin State Physical Education Complex); Loyola @ Morgan State (Monday 7pm Hill Field House); Navy @ Towson (Wednesday 7pm Towson Center)

I hate it when local teams play against each other. I mean, how do I pick between Randy Monroe’s Retrievers or Fang Mitchell’s Eagles? And how do I pick between Jimmy Patsos’ Greyhounds or Todd Bozeman’s Bears?

It’s like trying to pick what Thanksgiving dessert I enjoy more:

You know what? I’m not picking. Good luck to ALL of the local teams this week, and please bring me one of each type of pie. MMM….pie….

2. High School Football-MPSSAA Playoffs: Broadneck @ Henry A. Wise (Saturday 1pm), Urbana @ Gaithersburg (Friday 7pm), Wilde Lake @ Damascus (Friday 7pm), Huntingtown @ Franklin (Friday 7pm), Eastern Tech @ Middletown (Friday 7pm), McDonough @ Queen Anne’s (Friday 7pm), Fort Hill @ Dunbar (Saturday 1pm Poly High School), Brunswick @ Havre de Grace (Friday 7pm); Turkey Bowl: Calvert Hall vs. Loyola Blakefield (Thursday 10am from M&T Bank Stadium live on ABC2)

Here’s what Thursday’s annual showdown between the Cardinals and Dons means to those of us in Baltimore with no MIAA ties.

You see, when you’re growing up-Calvert Hall/Loyola is simply the game you flip over to for a minute after Santa Claus strolls through New York in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

After you turn 21 and discover the “true” meaning of Thanksgiving Eve, Calvert Hall/Loyola becomes a game you can’t POSSIBLY wake up early enough to watch before stuffing your face with enough food to make you forget about your hangover.

As a side note, let’s go Franklin Indians again Friday night. You knock Ken Brinkman and North Harford High School out of the playoffs, you get EVERY ounce of support possible from me.

Up yours, Brinkman.

1. NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Baltimore Ravens (Sunday 4:15pm from M&T Bank Stadium live on FOX); New England Patriots @ Detroit Lions (Thursday 12:30pm from Detroit live on CBS), New Orleans Saints @ Dallas Cowboys (Thursday 4:15pm from Arlington, TX live on FOX), Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Jets (Thursday 8:20pm from East Rutherford, NJ live on NFL Network)

As we gather around televisions Thursday to enjoy the annual celebration that is watching the Lions get their asses kicked, I’d like to take some time to remember the true meaning of the day.

It is important that we give thanks for the many wonderful things that have happened this year.

For example, let’s give thanks that Frank Walker now plays for the Minnesota Vikings.

And let’s give thanks that the McRib is back. It’s not my thing anymore, but I really do get it.

And finally, let’s give thanks that Amanda Harrington forgot to grab a bra before snapping this picture. (Thanks Busted Coverage!)

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

Happy Wednesday!

It’s a Happy Wednesday for me because it’s time to name a couple “Greatest Song(s) of All Time This Week.” The NEW TGSOATTW honoree is from Zac Brown Band’s new CD “You Get What You Give”, which I can already tell you will be on my short list of nominees for Album of the Year this year. I love the tune “Keep Me In Mind.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFI8Sn-IoSI[/youtube]

The retro version stems from my trip to Atlanta last week, as I was reminded of the greatness of music from A-Town. Let’s not forget that this was the town that gave us the Black Crowes, Little Feat, Ludacris, Usher, Cee Lo Green, Sevendust and of course the AMAZING Outkast; who combine with Erykah Badu for “Humble Mumble”…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSDDDYvd-Cs[/youtube]

Let’s see what everyone has to say…

1. CSNBaltimore.com says Ravens’ Week 12 game with Tampa Bay Buccaneers at M&T Bank Stadium flexed to 4:15pm

LOVE this. Maryland plays NC State the night before, and I’m hoping it will be a relevant game that gets moved back to 8pm. If it does, I can use the extra sleep. 4:15pm is a PERFECT game time.

You would think that the game against the New Orleans Saints on December 19 would be a prime candidate to be flexed as well. The games at the Cleveland Browns and against the Cincinnati Bengals to end the season probably aren’t the type of premiere battles to warrant national television, but if there’s a lot on the line that could certainly change.

2. BaltimoreRavens.com’s Mike Duffy says Joe Flacco in Top 10 in NFL in big passing plays

“TAKE THE HANDCUFFS OFF!!!”

Some of the numbers on these 25+ yard passes might be a bit skewed by short passes that ended up going a great distance, but I think this is a legitimate statistic.

I’ve laughed at the “time to open up the offense” comments that some fans have directed to Cam Cameron in the past, but I will admit that the Ravens don’t have the personnel necessary to TRULY be the type of dynamic offense some folks want to see.

Hopefully Donte’ Stallworth can continue to progress health-wise and his speed will add something to the offense. That being said, the Ravens are STILL missing the 6’4″-6’5″ type WR to haul in jump balls downfield. I know there’s the whole NFL Draft process, but could they just petition to pick up Georgia WR AJ Green for the rest of the season?

3. ESPN.com drops Ravens to 4th in power rankings

Before we move on from the Ravens, a couple of things…

-We’ll be out at 1 Winning Drive in Owings Mills today as the Ravens return to the practice field. We’re expecting to hear from Head Coach John Harbaugh, LB Ray Lewis, Flacco and others following this morning’s walkthrough. Make sure you’re tuned in to AM1570 WNST throughout the day, following @WNST on Twitter and checking WNST.net for updates!

-The Carolina Panthers made a roster move Tuesday, signing veteran QB Brian St. Pierre from their practice squad. With starter Jimmy Clausen expected to miss Sunday’s battle in Charlotte, St. Pierre would back up rookie Tony Pike. Armanti Edwards is also on the roster, but the Panthers have been in the process of moving him to WR.

4. MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli says Orioles have ‘already been in contact’ with free agent Adam Dunn

Is this thing on?

ATTENTION ANDY MACPHAIL: PLEASE FINISH THE JOB!

It is NOT enough to simply talk to free agents like Adam Dunn. Adam Dunn would be an almost PERFECT piece to add to the Birds’ lineup, but he has to agree to come to Charm City.

That’s the hard part.

That being said, Dunn’s been in the area and has played for a wretched franchise with few signs of hope. The American League might help his numbers, and while the Orioles might not want him to play first base-they also don’t have anyone blocking him from the position.

There’s no reason why the Orioles COULDN’T get Adam Dunn. Especially with all of that money they have their regional cable network.

Right?

RIGHT?

5. The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says former O’s prospect Scott Moore re-signed with Chicago Cubs

He will be missed.

To warm your hearts with Scott Moore gone, I figured I’d pass along this picture of Candice Boucher. (Thanks Brosome!)

6. UMTerps.com says Gary Williams announced Tuesday that Sterling Gibbs, Nick Faust officially signed LOI

While we knew both players had already committed to coming to College Park, but it’s always hard to feel TOO confident until that LOI is signed.

Maryland supporters can certainly breathe now.

They both SHOULD be good players at the college level, but clearly there is no guarantee. That being said, it is simply nice to see well thought of players headed to the University of Maryland.

Of course, we thought the same thing when McDonald’s All-American Mike Jones debuted at Comcast Center…

7. D1scourse’s Patrick Stevens says Maryland center Jordan Williams named to Naismith Award watch list

While I doubt that Jordan Williams will be on the list at the END of the season, it is VERY nice to see his name on these lists (he’s also on the Wooden Award watch list) to start the season.

I did happen to think there was one notable name left off the watch list. Renata Kuerten. I believe there’s no relation to Gustavo. I know I’LL be watching. (Thanks Guyism!)

8. The AP says Rashawn Polk scored 29 points to lead Towson past Coppin State at Towson Center

And a nice debut from former Calvert Hall and Maryland big man Braxton Dupree, who tallied six points and 14 rebounds in his Tigers debut.

More local college hoops action tonight, as UMBC visits Loyola at Reitz Arena. Tip-off is at 7pm, you can see the game live on MASN.

And in women’s action last night, Maryland fell to Georgetown 53-45. I thought Brenda Frese was supposed to have a high-powered group this season?!?!?

9. Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell says Terrapins trying to avenge ’08 loss to Florida State at Byrd Stadium Saturday

Did you miss Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher Wednesday with Drew Forrester on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault at WNST.net today to check it out! Other things you can hear in the Audio Vault include…

• Solomon Wilcots (CBS Color Analyst)-who previewed Ravens-Panthers with Drew Wednesday
• Todd Bozeman (Morgan State Hoops Coach)-who talked about the start of the Bears’ season with Drew Wednesday
• Anthony Burgos (Franklin High School Football Coach)-who previewed Friday night’s showdown with North Harford (they’re doing God’s work) with Drew Wednesday
• Steve Roberts (Arkansas State Football Coach)-who previewed the Red Wolves’ showdown with Navy Saturday in Annapolis with Thyrl Nelson Tuesday on “The Mobtown Sports Beat”
• Wes Shivers (Strikeforce fighter)-who joined Thyrl Tuesday on “The MMA Report”
• Jamey Eisenberg (CBSSports.com)-who talked Fantasy Football with Rex Snider Tuesday on “The Afternoon Drive”

It’s all in the Audio Vault, so I’ve planned your day for you. You can thank me later.

10. People Magazine says Michael Phelps dating reality TV star Brittny Gastineau

You’re thinking to yourself: “You didn’t really just post this to put up a picture of Brittny Gastineau in her underpants, did you?”

You already know the answer.

And finally, I leave you with this.

Complex.com named this Trinity College miracle the greatest trick play in football history. It WAS pretty awesome, but does it top the hook and lateral from Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl? I don’t know…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfKL3EUj7vA[/youtube]

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

Honorable Mention: Soccer-NASL: Portland Timbers @ Crystal Palace Baltimore (Saturday 4pm Paul Angelo Russo Stadium-Calvert Hall); MLS-Houston Dynamo @ DC United (Saturday 7:30pm from RFK Stadium live on Comcast SportsNet); NBA-Washington Wizards Pep Rally (Monday 10pm Presidents Park)

10. Virgin Mobile FreeFest feat. Ludacris, T.I., Joan Jett, M.I.A., Jimmy Eat World, Temper Trap (Saturday 12pm Merriweather Post Pavilion), Sunday In The Country feat. Lady Antebellum, Eric Church, Joe Nichols (Sunday 2pm Merriweather Post Pavilion); Casey Cares Foundation Bash feat. Night Ranger (Saturday 6:30pm Rams Head Live); Broken Lizard Live (Friday 9pm Recher Theatre), Laughing Colors (Saturday 8pm Recher Theatre); Anti-Flag (Tuesday 8pm Ottobar); Shooter Jennings (Saturday 8pm 8×10 Club); Big Head Todd and the Monsters (Thursday 7pm 9:30 Club); WMZQ Fall Fest feat. Sugarland, Little Big Town (Saturday 4pm Jiffy Lube Live); Alice In Chains (Sunday 7pm Patriot Center); !!! (Wednesday 8pm Black Cat); Lewis Black (Thursday-Saturday 8pm Warner Theatre); Macy Gray (Monday 7:30pm Birchmere); Zac Brown Band “You Get What You Give” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday), John Legend & The Roots “Wake Up” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday), Maroon 5 “Hands All Over” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

Despite the fact that Pavement and Thievery Corporation do nothing for me, I am REALLY excited about the bill at VirginFest. Especially the (particularly underrated) Temper Trap…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C8e7nNLZNs[/youtube]

I have no idea if I’m going to make it down to Columbia for VirginFest, but I KNOW I’m getting to Columbia on Sunday for WPOC’s event after the Ravens beat the Browns; mostly because “Boomer Sooner” and I happen to really dig the new Lady Antebellum tune…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaOKbvpxnTo[/youtube]

BROKEN LIZARD LIVE?!?!? How can I possibly not be in Towson Friday night? Super Troopers? Beerfest? Might be NSFW, but also amazing…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SOsPCL4hXw[/youtube]

It’s very difficult logistically to get to Washington to see Lewis Black, but it would certainly be worth it. You can bring grandma, the language is right up her alley. Just NSFW…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mCDZMWVWuc[/youtube]

I saw Zac Brown Band 3 times this summer (Preakness and two Dave Matthews Band shows), so I’ve heard a lot of their new record. I really dig “Settle Me Down”…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRD-MyRS8KU[/youtube]

9. “30 Rock” season premiere (Thursday 8:30pm NBC), “The Office” season premiere (Thursday 9pm NBC); “Modern Family” season premiere (Wednesday 9pm ABC); “The Simpsons” season premiere (Sunday 8pm FOX), “The Cleveland Show” season premiere (Sunday 8:30pm FOX), “Family Guy” season premiere (Sunday 9pm FOX)

All of these shows are hilarious.  I give you Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTj47rcuM-4[/youtube]

And while a bit played out, Jim & Pam’s wedding from “The Office” is pretty strong…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX7iwwB9zQ4[/youtube]

I just got into “Modern Family” last season. This is my mistake…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaPKYd2XujY[/youtube]

I have no idea if The Simpsons have this awesome of an intro to go to again; but I can certainly hope…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faRlFsYmkeY[/youtube]

Apparently The Cleveland Show is bringing Kanye West back this season. Was pretty good last year…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWjqEgDymus[/youtube]

And my favorite clip in Family Guy history??? “Who wants CHOWDER?!?!?”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eYSpIz2FjU[/youtube]

8. Baltimore Book Festival (Friday-Sunday 12pm Mt. Vernon Place)

I’m not much of a bookworm, but I know some other folks who are. Myself, I might stop by the Festival. Why? Have you heard who’s going to be there???

7. NHL: Washington Capitals Training Camp scrimmage (Tuesday 12pm Kettler Capitals IcePlex)

The Caps are also playing a couple of preseason games at Columbus and Nashville this week; but there’s no TV so I didn’t include them.

I’m not one to “Rock The Red”, but I will admit that I’m happy to have hockey back for two reasons.

One…Carrie Underwood is now married to a hockey player…Mike Fisher from the Ottawa Senators. The more we see of her, the better…

Two…it’s time to HOWL!!!!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdlGBJj1jzE[/youtube]

6. High School Football: Parkville @ Perry Hall (Friday 7pm), Glen Burnie @ Northeast (Friday 6:30pm)

I know we got worked over a bit by Tuscarora last week, but there’s NO CHANCE the Gators could possibly lose to the Knights, is there???

If so, I think I should probably wander over to PHHS with another great Perry Hall alum to give a stern pep talk…

5. Auto Racing: NASCAR AAA 400 (Sunday 1pm from Dover live on ESPN)

Since you’re gonna be in Delaware, might as well throw down a few bets while you’re there. For example, I’d bet on Jimmie Johnson to win the car race. I don’t know anything about it, but he wins a lot.

I’d also bet on West Virginia against LSU Saturday. Just have a hunch.

Oh…and I’d also bet on Randy Orton against Sheamus at Hell in a Cell. I mean, the guy once took out Triple H AND Ric Flair within moments…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXrBPvIck3M[/youtube]

4. Golf: PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs The Tour Championship (Thursday & Friday 1pm live on Golf Channel, Saturday 10am live on Golf Channel 12pm live on NBC, Sunday 11:30am live on Golf Channel, 1:30pm live on NBC. All golf from Atlanta); Champions Tour SAS Championship (Friday & Saturday 6:30pm, Sunday 7pm on Golf Channel. All golf from Cary, NC)

Apparently the TOUR Championship has some sort of significance. For me, it’s the significance that Drew Forrester won’t be able to talk about golf on “The Morning Reaction” anymore. That IS significant.

You know what else is significant? The uniforms Team USA will wear for the Ryder Cup…

Snazzy. Almost as snazzy as a uniform I saw at another major sporting event earlier this year…

3. Mixed Martial Arts: UFC 119-Frank Mir vs. Mirko Cro Cop (Saturday 10pm from Indianapolis live on Pay-Per-View); Bellator Fighting Championships 30 (Thursday 7pm from Louisville live on Fox Sports Net)

Indianapolis, huh? Home of “the best dang football team in the whole USA”? Hope Dana White and company say hello to Merton while they’re in “The Friendly Heart of the Midwest.”

Also, do I know why UFC Magazine included a photo shoot with Holly Madison? I do not. Do I care? Of course I don’t. (Thanks Guyism!)

2. College Football: Florida International @ Maryland (Saturday 12pm from Byrd Stadium live on ESPNU)

I’m not sure Isaiah Thomas’ boys are quite ready for a showdown with the Terps just yet. Not them? Oh.

In other college football action this week, Boise State is hosting Oregon State Saturday night. To prepare for the trip to Boise, the folks in Beavers country had a unique idea…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vcA_vgImHQ[/youtube]

I’m moving into a new house next Thursday. I will be doing this there.

1. NFL: Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens (Sunday 1pm from M&T Bank  Stadium live on CBS-WJZ 13 locally)

A retro classic…

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G