Lusby, Ratliff Added To Tewaaraton Watch List

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Loyola University Maryland’s Eric Lusby (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park H.S.) and Scott Ratliff (Marietta, Ga./George Walton Comprehensive H.S.) were added to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List as the top player in college lacrosse, joining fellow Greyhound Mike Sawyer who was named to the list prior to the season.

Lusby, a graduate student on Loyola’s attack, is second on the team with 27 goals and 35 points. He returned to the field this season after missing all but two games last year with a knee injury suffered in the 2010 NCAA First Round.

Through nine games this year, Lusby has already established career-highs in goals and points, eclipsing the 20 and 25 he posted in 2010when he was a member of the All-ECAC First Team. Lusby has scored in every game this year, and he has six games with three or more goals. Twice – at Bellarmine and versus then-No. 18 Georgetown – Lusby has scored five in a game.

Ratliff has established himself as one of the top long-stick midfielders in the game. A junior, he is tied for the team lead with 39 ground balls, and Ratliff paces the Greyhounds with 17 caused turnovers.

He has also scored four goals and has two assists this year. As a member of the Greyhounds’ face-off unit, he has helped Loyola win 61.2-percent of restarts this season, the fourth-best mark in Division I. Ratliff’s presence on the defense has helped Loyola hold opponents to 7.11 goals per game.

The fourth-ranked Greyhounds (9-0) resume ECAC Lacrosse League action on Saturday at 1 o’clock when the travel to Connecticut to face No. 14 Fairfield University.

CENTERVILLE, Mass. – Loyola University Maryland junior defender Reid Acton was named the ECAC Lacrosse League Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after helping the Greyhounds to their third conference victory of the season Saturday, a 8-7 triumph over Ohio State University.

Acton set a career-high with five caused turnovers, and he also picked up five ground balls. He also had primary marking responsibilities for the nation’s leading scorer, the Buckeyes’ Logan Schuss.

He held Schuss to just two goals and an assist after he came in averaging 3.0 goals and 4.11 points per game. Schuss took eight shots, but he was limited to just three on goal. His final goal came with just nine seconds left in regulation when Acton was not covering him.

Two of Acton’s caused turnovers led directly to Loyola goals during the Greyhounds 4-0 run that spanned the second and third quarters and took them from 3-2 down to 6-3 up.

Through nine games this year, Acton has 31 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers, both career-highs. He is third on the team in ground balls and tied for second in caused turnovers.

Acton and the Greyhounds are back in action on Saturday, April 7, when they are on the road to play at Fairfield University in a 1 o’clock face-off.

BALTIMORE - The No. 4/5 Loyola University Maryland men’s lacrosse team notched a, 8-7, victory over Ohio State at Ridley Athletic Complex on Saturday afternoon, improving to 9-0 overal and 3-0 in Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference play.

The 9-0 start is the best for the Greyhounds since 1999 when the team won its first 12 games.

Eric Lusby led Loyola with three goals, while Justin Ward notched a goal and three assists to pace the offensive attack.

J.P. Dalton was excellent in the faceoff ‘X’ going 12-of-19 in the game including 5-of-5 in the second quarter and 5-of-7 in the fourth.

With the scored knotted at three after the first half, the Greyhounds scored three-straight in the third quarter to take a 6-3 advantage.

Scott Ratliff scored the first for Loyola in transition off an assist by Pat Laconi. Josh Hawkins added the second at the 9:15 mark of the quarter, and Lusby finished the run with just under five minutes left on a Ward helper.

After the Buckeyes got two back in the fourth quarter to close within one at 6-5 with 8:19 left, Loyola tallied twice with less than two and a half minutes remaining to put the game out of reach at 8-5.

Ward scored the first, coming free off a screen by Mike Sawyer and beating Ohio State goalie Greg Dutton. Sawyer also had a pair of goals.

Lusby scored the second, notching his 27th goal of the season on an assist by Chris Layne.

Reid Acton had five ground balls and five caused turnovers to help the Loyola defense, with Hawkins and Reid also picked-up five ground balls.

Jack Runkel made eight saves between the pipes for the Greyhounds, while allowing seven goals.

The Greyhounds are next in action at ECAC opponent Fairfield on Saturday, April 7, at 1 p.m.

Opening Face-Off
The Tigers (5-3, 1-0 CAA) will be seeking their fourth straight victory when they travel to Hempstead, N.Y. to take on No. 20 Hofstra (4-4, 1-1 CAA) Saturday evening. The contest will be the first CAA road game for Towson, which is 2-2 away from Johnny Unitas® Stadium this year. Opening face-off is set for 7:00 p.m. and fans can catch the game live on WNST-AM 1570 with Spiro Morekas and Hunter Lochte calling the action.

Updating the Tigers
With a 5-3 overall record, Towson boasts its best mark after eight games since the 2007 season in which the Tigers started 5-3 as well. Towson ended that year with a 9-7 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers have seen a number of significant contributions during their winning streak, including a four-goal effort from senior Matt Lamon against Mercer and a three-assist day for freshman Justin Mabus against Delaware. Six different Towson players have double-digit points for the season, led by Sean Maguire’s 20 points on a team-high 15 goals and five assists. With Mabus’ three assists against the Blue Hens, the rookie now leads the team in that category with nine. The well balanced Tiger offense is coming off a game in which five different players registered two goals.

Scouting the Pride
After starting the season 1-2, Hofstra has won three of its last five games and is ranked No. 20 in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) national poll. The Pride have played three nationally-ranked foes, topping then-No. 20 Delaware (13-5) and falling to current No. 15 Fairfield and No. 6 Notre Dame. The loss to the Fighting Irish occurred in overtime while the setback against the Stags was a triple overtime heartbreaker. Junior Adrian Sorichetti paces Hofstra with 27 points on 18 goals and nine assists while goalkeeper Andrew Gvozden ranks second in the CAA averaging 11.12 saves per game.

Towson-Hofstra Series History
The Tigers and Pride will be meeting for the 43rd time on the lacrosse field Saturday. Towson has only played Loyola (54) and Delaware (53) more often in its history. The Pride own a narrow 24-18 advantage in the all-time series history, including four straight wins. The last time the Tigers won in Hempstead was April 17, 2004.

Tigers Receiving Votes In National Polls
Riding a three-game winning streak, the Towson men’s lacrosse team received votes in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) national poll. After the 20 ranked teams, the Tigers are in a group along with Bryant, Drexel, Yale, Navy, Harvard, Robert Morris and UMBC that are receiving votes and on the brink of breaking into the national Top 20.

CAA Honors Mabus
After dishing out three assists and scoring his first goal of the season last week, Towson freshman Justin Mabus earned CAA Rookie of the Week honors, the league announced Monday. Mabus currently leads the Tigers with nine assists in just six games.

In The National Rankings
Towson ranks Top 10 in the nation in a pair of categories. The Tigers are second in the country in shot percentage by scoring on 37.4 percent of their shots. Only Bucknell (41.0 percent) ranks higher. Additionally, the Tigers are eighth in the nation in man-up offense. In 22 man-up opportunities this season, Towson has tallied 11 goals.

Game Data

Loyola University Maryland returns to Ridley Athletic Complex to start a stretch of four-straight ECAC Lacrosse League games. The Greyhounds take on Ohio State University at 1 o’clock on Saturday, March 31.

Series History

Loyola and the Buckeyes will be meeting for the sixth time in series history and third time as ECAC opponents. The Greyhounds have won all five prior meetings, although the last two have come by just five combined goals.

The Greyhounds led last year’s contest 9-4 when Patrick Fanshaw scored a man-up goal in transition off a Josh Hawkins assist with 5:17 to go in the third quarter, but Ohio State scored five of the next six goals to pull within a score, 10-9, on Tyler Fredericks’ tally with 3:57 left in regulation.

Mike Sawyer and Chris Palmer, however, scored after that for Loyola, and the Greyhounds held off the Buckeyes for an 11-9 victory in Columbus. Chris Palmer finished with five goals, and Matt Langan had three goals and two assists. Hawkins scored a goal and had two assists, all coming in transition.

In The Polls

Loyola moved up to No. 4 in the USILA Coaches’ Poll this week, its highest ranking since the Greyhounds checked in at third in the April 1, 2002, poll with a 7-0 record after downing Towson, 15-7. The Greyhounds held steady at No. 5 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media rankings.

Ohio State is receiving votes in the Inside Lacrosse poll.

Ten Or More

The Greyhounds have scored at least 11 goals in each of their first eight games of the 2012 season, marking the longest stretch of games with 10 or more goals they have put together since March 24-May 12, 2001. The Greyhounds went 7-2 during that 2001 stretch where they averaged 14 goals per game. That team was coached by Dave Cottle who will be the color analyst on Loyola’s broadcast Saturday.

The last time Loyola opened the season with seven or more games with 10-plus goals was the 1995 season when they reeled off 14 or more before scoring five in an NCAA game.

The Only Ones

Loyola is the only team to score 10 or more goals in every game of this season throughout all of NCAA Division I.

As of Monday, the Greyhounds were tied for fifth in Division I with a 13 goals per game average.

Topping Out

Loyola’s success on offense this year has been well complemented by the Greyhounds’ defense. In addition to offense being tied for fifth in Division I in goals per game, Loyola’s defense is fifth with 7.13 goals allowed per contest.

The Greyhounds lead Division I through Monday in scoring margin, outscoring opponents by an average of 5.88 goals per game, 0.59 more than second-place Cornell.

Sharing The Rock

No Loyola player has more than 13 assists (Justin Ward) through eight games, but nine players have at least four assists, and 12 have two or more. In addition to Ward’s 13, Davis Butts, Eric Lusby and Sean O’Sullivan have eight assists, Mike Sawyer has seven, Chris Layne and Nikko Pontrello have five and J.P. Dalton and Pat Byrnes have four each.

With 72 assists this season, the Greyhounds lead Division I with 9.0 per game.

Eleven of Loyola’s 13 goals last Saturday night at UMBC came with assists.

Already Outpacing Last Year

This year’s team has already eclipsed last year’s total of 62 assists in just eight games. Also, with 104 goals, the 2012 Greyhounds are six short of matching the total put up last year.

Big Runs

Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its first eight games, helping the Greyhounds to wins each time. In all, Loyola has scored three or more in a row on 17 occasions this season.

Loyola used four three-goal runs against Duke, including one three-goal streak that put Loyola up 4-1 at the beginning of the second quarter. The Greyhounds never trailed after that initial three-goal run and extended their lead to 13-5 after its fourth three-goal spurt of the game.

The Greyhounds had their longest run in almost two years against Air Force, scoring 10 in a row to open the second half. The last time Loyola scored 10 or more in a row was on March 20, 2010, when it had 14 straight against Air Force.

Loyola then used a 6-0 run to break a 5-5 tie early in the third quarter with Georgetown on the way to a 11-6 victory.

The Greyhounds then scored seven in a row on the back end of a 10-1 run last Saturday at UMBC.

Second-Half Success

Loyola continued a trend of strong second-half play this season by outscoring UMBC, 6-1, after halftime after not allowing the Retrievers a goal until 11:25 was left on the fourth-quarter clock.

The Greyhounds have now outscored opponents 34-10 in the third quarters of games and 58-25 overall this year in the second half.

The second-half scoring continues a trend from the last two seasons. Last year, Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56 two years ago.

Lusby Matches Career-High

Eric Lusby scored three times during Loyola’s second half run and finished the Georgetown game with five goals, matching his career-high set on March 3 at Bellarmine. He followed that with his fifth hat trick of the season, scoring three at UMBC.

Lusby has scored at least one goal in each of Loyola’s eight games this season. The graduate student returned to game action in the season-opener after missing all but two games of the 2011 season. Now a graduate student, Lusby tore his right ACL in the 2010 NCAA First Round game against Cornell. He attempted to come back last year, but he saw limited action against Navy and Towson and was shut down to rehab the injury for the remainder of the season.

Lusby burst back onto the scene against Delaware, scoring the Greyhounds’ first goal of the game on an extra-man opportunity, and the 2010 All-ECAC First Team member tallied three more in the second half.

Lusby reset his career-high at Bellarmine, tallying five goals in the victory to go with one assist, and added two more at Michigan.

Through Loyola’s first eight games, Lusby is second on the team with 24 goals and 36 points.

Sawyer, Runkel Honored Again

For the second time this season, Mike Sawyer and Jack Runkel earned ECAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors on the same day, as the pair was honored on Monday following the Greyhounds’ wins over Georgetown and UMBC.

Sawyer scored three goals against the Hoyas, and he then scored four-straight Loyola goals and finished with five at UMBC. Sawyer also matched his career-best with two assists against the Retrievers.

Runkel paced the Loyola defense in the two games, playing to a 5.50 goals against average. He made a career-best 13 saves in the win over UMBC.

Shot Advantage

Loyola has outshot its opponents in every game this season by a minimum of nine. The game against Duke (37-28) is the only time this season a Greyhounds’ opponent has been within 10 shots of Loyola.

In all, the Greyhounds have taken 358 shots while holding opponents to 202.

Second Midfield Scoring

All three members of Loyola’s second midfield unit scored at least one goal against Air Force, and the unit combined for three goals and two assists. Pat Byrnes led the way with a goal and a career-best two assists. J.P. Dalton and Phil Dobson each added goals of their own.

This season, all three members of the second line have five goals, while Byrnes and Dalton each have four assists. Dobson recorded the first two assists of his collegiate career last Saturday against UMBC. The unit has already scored more goals than it did last year when it had 10 goals and two assists during the season.

Toomey Wins 50th

Head coach Charley Toomey earned his 50th-career win Wednesday, March 7, as Loyola beat Michigan, 15-8.

Toomey, who is in his seventh season, has led Loyola to eight-plus wins in each of the last three seasons and has had the Greyhounds finish .500 or better in all seven seasons since coming to the Evergreen campus.

Sawyer Shows Same Form

Mike Sawyer has picked up where he left off a year ago, leading the team with 29 goals and 36 points through the first eight games. Sawyer led Loyola last season with 31 goals and 36 points.

Sawyer tied a then-career-high with five goals in the team’s, 15-8, win at Michigan, before scoring a new personal-best six goals against Duke.

After scoring five goals against UMBC, he now has 16 career multi-goal games and the 19 multi-point effort of his tenure at Loyola.

Before the season, Sawyer was named to the Preseason All-ECAC Team and was named to the Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America Honorable Mention.

Dominant At The ‘X’

In his first year as the Greyhounds’ primary face-off man, senior J.P. Dalton has continued Loyola’s tradition of excellence at the ‘X’.

Through eight games, Dalton ranks eighth nationally in face-off percentage, winning restarts at a .619 clip (112-of-181). As a unit, the Greyhounds entered the week third-best in the nation at .611.

Dalton is second on the team with 34 ground balls, while one of his primary wings, Scott Ratliff leads the team with 37. Josh Hawkins, who returned from injury to make his season-debut on March 10 against Duke, has 19 in four games, and Pat Laconi has 13. Davis Butts has also seen time on the wing and has 20 ground balls this season.

Ward Dishes Five

Justin Ward played the role of feeder in Loyola’s 13-6 win over Towson, finishing the game with five assists. Just one week previously, the sophomore recorded his first collegiate assist against Delaware.

Ward became the first Loyola player to record five or more assists since Shane Koppens had six in a March 10, 2009, win over Bryant.

Scoring In Two Straight

Loyola posted 13 goals in back-to-back games to open the season, marking the first time since April 2007 that the Greyhounds scored 13 or more in two games in a row.

The last time it happened, Loyola defeated Fairfield, 19-2, on April 21, 2007, and Hobart, 17-10, on April 28.

Through just two games, the Greyhounds rank eighth in NCAA Division I in goals per game (13.0).

Ratliff Honored For Second Time

Loyola long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff was named the ECAC Co-Specialist of the Week on Monday after turning in impressive numbers in last Saturday’s win over Air Force. Ratliff scored twice and had an assist while picking up seven ground balls against the Falcons.

Earlier this season, Ratliff earned ECAC Defensive Player of the Week laurels after the Greyhounds’ opener against Delaware.

Ratliff is currently sixth among active long poles in career scoring. He has seven goals and five assists for 12 points. This year, he has three goals and two assists, as well as a team-leading 32 ground balls.

Sawyer, Runkel Earns ECAC Honors

Mike Sawyer and Jack Runkel were honored as ECAC Lacrosse Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week on March 12 following wins at Michigan and against Duke.

Sawyer scored 11 goals and had 14 points, setting career highs in both categories. He scored five goals and had six points in Michigan’s first-ever home game, before breaking those personal records with six goals and eight points in a win over Duke. He also picked up a career-high six ground balls, finishing the week with nine ground balls.

Runkel made the first two starts of his collegiate career, posting an 8.00 goals-against average and .515 save percentage to help the Greyhounds in two wins. Playing less than three minutes between the pipes as a freshman last season, he started the Michigan game and held the Wolverines to eight goals, while making five saves. He then made a career-high 12 saves against a Duke team that has played in the last five Final Fours.

Bonitatibus, Runkel Both Win First Starts

Junior Michael Bonitatibus made his first collegiate start in goal for the Greyhounds against Delaware after having played less than two minutes prior to this season.

Bonitatibus, who played 65 seconds in his collegiate debut last year at Duke, made seven saves for the Greyhounds and allowed just eight goals. He also picked up five ground balls and caused two turnovers.

Bonitatibus became the first Loyola goalkeeper to win his starting debut in nearly 11 years. The last was Mark Bloomquist who also defeated Delaware, 8-7, on February 24, 2001.

Jack Runkel made his first career start against Michigan and also won his initial outing as a starter. He tallied five saves against the Wolverines, and he then posted a career-high 12 against Duke.

Record At Ridley

After going 4-1 at Ridley Athletic Complex last season, the Greyhounds have opened their third year at the stadium with five wins at home. Loyola is now 13-3 all-time at Ridley.

What’s Next

The Greyhounds head on the road for their next three games, all contests at ECAC Lacrosse League opponents, starting with an April 7 date at Fairfield University.

Patsos Named Skip Prosser Man Of The Year

NEW ORLEANS – Loyola University Maryland head men’s basketball coach Jimmy Patsos was named the 2012 recipient of the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award on Friday night at an awards banquet hosted by CollegeInsider.com at the NCAA Final Four.

The award is named in honor and memory of the late Prosser who was the head coach at Loyola, Xavier and Wake Forest before passing away in July 2007. It recognizes those who achieve success not only on the basketball court, but coaches who display moral integrity off it.

Patsos recently completed his eighth season at Loyola, a year in which he guided the Greyhounds to a 24-9 overall record and the 2012 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship. Loyola set numerous program records during the season and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994.

Prosser and Patsos are the only coaches to lead Loyola to the NCAA Tournament. Prosser’s 1994 squad is the only other in school history to accomplish the feat.

“To receive an award that is named for Skip Prosser who was just a wonderful person and coach is humbling,” Patsos said. “He did tremendous things for the game of basketball, Loyola and all of the schools he coached, and he touched lives of those he met on and off the court.”

Earlier this month, Patsos was named the 2012 The Rock/MAAC Coach of the Year, days before the Greyhounds made a three-game run to their second MAAC Championship since joining the conference in 1989-1990.

Loyola defeated Niagara in the MAAC Quarterfinals, Siena in the Semifinal and Fairfield in the Championship Game to earn the school’s second bid to the NCAA Championships.

He later was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches District I Coach of the Year.

In addition to leading his team to many accomplishments on the court, Patsos often took time during road trips to take the Greyhounds to cultural events and locations. This season, the team visited the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, the Lincoln and Vietnam Veterans’ Memorials in Washington, D.C. and finally the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh where Loyola played in the NCAA Tournament.

“I don’t want our team to be just about basketball,” Patsos said. “I was a history major (at Catholic University of American), and I love learning about different cultures and spreading some of that to the players. I think it is important that we recognize that we are all teachers and students, and we can learn in many different ways from different places.”

During the season, the Greyhounds accomplished many firsts and milestones. Loyola finished with a 24-9 overall record and went 13-5 during the MAAC regular season. The 24 wins were the most since the 1948-1949 team set a school record with 25 victories, and the 13 conference wins set a program best, as well.

Four Loyola players – Erik Etherly (1^st), Dylon Cormier (2^nd), Justin Drummond (3^rd) and Robert Olson (3^rd) – earned All-MAAC honors, the most the Greyhounds have ever earned since joining the league in 1989-1990. Etherly was later named the MAAC Championships Most Outstanding Player, while Drummond and Olson earned All-Tournament honors.

The Greyhounds finished second in the MAAC during the regular season, their best ever finish in the league, and the team tied a program record with eight non-conference victories.

Loyola also put together the two longest winning streaks since the program moved to Division I for the 1981-1982 season, winning eight games from November 14-December 10 and seven from January 19-February 10.

The Greyhounds played in front of back-to-back sell-out crowds in Reitz Arena against Rider University and Iona College in February, marking the first time since the venue opened in 1984 that it has been filled to capacity for consecutive games.

Patsos guided a balanced team to the NCAA Tournament that featured four players – Etherly (13.7), Cormier (13.4), Olson (11.1) and Drummond (10.7) – who scored in double figures during the season.

Loyola averaged just over 67 points per game, but Patsos and the Greyhounds were at or near the top of the MAAC in many ‘hustle’ stat categories: offensive rebounds (1^st), rebounding margin (2^nd), blocked shots (2^nd) and scoring defense (2^nd).

Patsos took over the Loyola program in April 2004, a month after the Greyhounds concluded the 2003-2004 season with a 1-27 record. Since then, Patsos has won 122 games at Loyola, and earlier this season, he became just the third coach in the last 20 years to take over a team that had won zero or one game the season before to win 100 or more games at the school.

BALTIMORE, MD – The Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team jumped to the top spot in both the USILA Coaches Poll and the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll today. The Blue Jays moved up from the number two spot in both polls after Saturday’s 11-10 win at top-ranked Virginia. Hopkins improved to 8-0 for the first time since 2005 with the win the win over the Cavaliers.

The Blue Jays grabbed 10-of-11 first-place votes in the USILA Coaches Poll and totaled 210 points to earn the number one spot. UMass (7-0) checks in at number two with 199 points, while Virginia (8-1/195 points), Loyola (8-0/189) and Cornell (6-1/187) round out the top five. Loyola grabbed the lone first-place vote that didn’t go to Johns Hopkins.

This the 390th weekly poll released by the USILA since the poll was first issued in 1973. This week’s number-one ranking marks the 104th time since the poll’s inception that the Blue Jays have earned the top spot. Johns Hopkins has been ranked in the top five 293 times and the top 10 in 367 of the 390 polls.

The Johns Hopkins office Athletic Communications uses the USILA Poll to reflect Johns Hopkins’ official national ranking.

Hopkins earned a unanimous number-one ranking in the Nike/Media Poll. The Blue Jays grabbed all 18 first-place votes and totaled 360 points to secure the top spot. Virginia (339 points), UMass (311), Cornell (310) and Loyola (292) round out the top five.

USILA Coaches Poll
• March 26, 2012 •
Rk. Team – Points
1. Johns Hopkins (10) – 218
2. UMass – 199
3. Virginia – 195
4. Loyola (1) – 189
5. Cornell – 187
6. Notre Dame – 165
7. Lehigh – 144
8. Duke – 137
9. Maryland – 125
10. Denver – 112
11. North Carolina – 111
12. Villanova – 106
13. Princeton – 95
14. Syracuse – 74
15. Fairfield – 62
16. Bucknell – 53
17. Colgate – 51
18. Penn State – 33
19. Georgetown – 12
20. Hofstra- 8

Game Data

Loyola University Maryland will make the short trip across town to take on the UMBC Retrievers on Saturday night in Catonsville, Md. The game will be held at UMBC Stadium at 7 o’clock

Series History

UMBC and Loyola will meet for the 30th time in series history when the teams take the field on Saturday with the Retrievers holding a 16-13 advantage in the previous 29 contests.

The teams will play for the first time during the regular-season since 2005, although they have played for several years in preseason exhibitions.

UMBC prevailed, 9-8, in double overtime the last time the schools met on April 19, 2005, at Loyola’s Diane Geppi-Aikens Field.

In The Polls

Loyola checks in at No. 5 in the USILA Coaches’ Poll for the second week in a row, and the Greyhounds moved up to fifth in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Rankings.

UMBC, meanwhile, is receiving votes in both polls.

Ten Or More

The Greyhounds have scored at least 11 goals in each of their first seven games of the 2012 season, marking the longest stretch of games with 10 or more goals they have put together since March 31-May 5, 2001. The Greyhounds went 5-2 during that 2001 stretch where they averaged 14.9 goals per game.

The last time Loyola opened the season with seven or more games with 10-plus goals was the 2000 season when they reeled off 12 or more in seven-straight wins.

The Only Ones

Loyola is the only team to score 10 or more goals in its first seven games of this season throughout all of NCAA Division I.

As of Monday, the Greyhounds were ranked fifth in Division I with a 13.33 goals per game average.

Second-Half Success

Following its trend from the season, Loyola used a 6-0 run that covered more than 15 minutes of action during the third and fourth quarters Wednesday against Georgetown, en route to an 11-6 victory. The run came days after Loyola reeled off 10-straight goals over the first 28 minutes, 35 seconds of the second half Saturday against Air Force to dispense of a 7-4 halftime deficit.

The Greyhounds have now outscored opponents 30-10 in the third quarters of games and 52-5 overall this year in the second half.

The second-half scoring continues a trend from the last two seasons. Last year, Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56 two years ago.

Getting Defensive, Too

Loyola’s offense hasn’t been the only unit to put up good numbers in the first part of the 2012 season. The Greyhounds’ defense has allowed no more than eight goals in a game this season, in fact they have allowed eight exactly to five teams.

Through seven games, the Greyhounds’ defense is allowing an average of 7.43 goals per game to rank eighth in Division I in scoring defense.

Lusby Matches Career-High

Eric Lusby scored three times during Loyola’s second half run and finished the Georgetown game with five goals, matching his career-high set on March 3 at Bellarmine.

Lusby has scored at least one goal in each of Loyola’s seven games this season and has four hat tricks. The graduate student returned to game action in the season-opener after missing all but two games of the 2011 season. Now a graduate student, Lusby tore his right ACL in the 2010 NCAA First Round game against Cornell. He attempted to come back last year, but he saw limited action against Navy and Towson and was shut down to rehab the injury for the remainder of the season.

Lusby burst back onto the scene against Delaware, scoring the Greyhounds’ first goal of the game on an extra-man opportunity, and the 2010 All-ECAC First Team member tallied three more in the second half.

Lusby reset his career-high at Bellarmine, tallying five goals in the victory to go with one assist, and added two more at Michigan.

Through Loyola’s first seven games, Lusby is second on the team with 21 goals, and he is tied for the team lead with 29 points.

Shot Advantage

Loyola has outshot its opponents in every game this season by a minimum of nine. The game against Duke (37-28) is the only time this season a Greyhounds’ opponent has been within 10 shots of Loyola.

In all, the Greyhounds have taken 312 shots while holding opponents to 171.

Ratliff Honored For Second Time

Loyola long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff was named the ECAC Co-Specialist of the Week on Monday after turning in impressive numbers in last Saturday’s win over Air Force. Ratliff scored twice and had an assist while picking up seven ground balls against the Falcons.

Earlier this season, Ratliff earned ECAC Defensive Player of the Week laurels after the Greyhounds’ opener against Delaware.

Ratliff is currently sixth among active long poles in career scoring. He has seven goals and five assists for 12 points. This year, he has three goals and two assists, as well as a team-leading 32 ground balls.

Butts Dishes Four

Davis Butts did not score a goal against Air Force, but he was a key component in the Greyhounds matching their season-high with 15 goals. He posted a career-high four assists in the game, eclipsing his previous best of two.

Butts’ game was the second this season where a Loyola player tallied four or more assists. Justin Ward had five against Towson.

Second Midfield Scoring

All three members of Loyola’s second midfield unit scored at least one goal against Air Force, and the unit combined for three goals and two assists. Pat Byrnes led the way with a goal and a career-best two assists. J.P. Dalton and Phil Dobson each added goals of their own.

This season, the trio has combined for 14 goals and five assists. Byrnes and Dobson each have five goals, and Dalton has four. Byrnes, meanwhile, has three assists, and Dalton has tallied a pair. The unit has already scored more goals than it did last year when it had 10 goals and two assists during the season.

On The Ground

Loyola picked up a season-high 45 ground balls against Air Force, grabbing 16 more than the Falcons. Scott Ratliff and Reid Acton led the way with seven each, while J.P. Dalton had six.

Josh Hawkins grabbed five ground balls for the second game in a row since returning from an injury that held him out of Loyola’s first four games of the year.

Sharing The Rock

No Loyola player has more than 11 assists (Justin Ward) through seven games, but seven players have at least four assists, and 12 have two or more. In addition to Ward’s 1, Eric Lusby has eight assists, Davis Butts eight, Sean O’Sullivan seven and Mike Sawyer five.

Man-Up Success

Entering the week, Loyola led the nation in extra-man success this season, converting on 75-percent (12-of-16) man-up opportunities in six games. After going 1-of-5 against Georgetown, the Greyhounds’ percentage dipped slightly to .619, but four players – Eric Lusby (4), Mike Sawyer (4), Davis Butts (2) and Sean O’Sullivan (2) – have scored two or more man-up goals this year.

Last season, the Greyhounds extra-man unit was seventh nationally with a .420 (21-of-50) conversion percentage in 2011.

Toomey Wins 50th

Head coach Charley Toomey earned his 50th-career win Wednesday, March 7, as Loyola beat Michigan, 15-8.

Toomey, who is in his seventh season, has led Loyola to eight-plus wins in each of the last three seasons and has had the Greyhounds finish .500 or better in all seven seasons since coming to the Evergreen campus.

Big Runs

Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its first six games, helping the Greyhounds to wins each time. They scored five-straight in the second quarter against Delaware to take a 5-3 lead and never trailed again in the game, and the Greyhounds turned a 6-2 advantage against Towson into an 11-2 lead with a run of five-straight that stretched from the second quarter to the third quarter.

Loyola rattled off four-straight against Bellarmine in the fourth quarter, turning a 7-6 advantage into an 11-6 lead with less than six minutes to go, and it scored eight-straight against Michigan between the first and second quarters to claim an 8-1 lead.

Loyola used four three-goal runs against Duke, including one three-goal streak that put Loyola up 4-1 at the beginning of the second quarter. The Greyhounds never trailed after that initial three-goal run and extended their lead to 13-5 after its fourth three-goal spurt of the game.

The Greyhounds had their longest run in almost two years against Air Force, scoring 10 in a row to open the second half. The last time Loyola scored 10 or more in a row was on March 20, 2010, when it had 14 straight against Air Force.

Loyola then used a 6-0 run to break a 5-5 tie early in the third quarter with Georgetown on the way to a 11-6 victory.

Sawyer Shows Same Form

Mike Sawyer has picked up where he left off a year ago, leading the team with 24 goals and 29 points through the first seven games. Sawyer led Loyola last season with 31 goals and 36 points.

Sawyer tied a then-career-high with five goals in the team’s, 15-8, win at Michigan, before scoring a new personal-best six goals against Duke.

After scoring three goals against Air Force, he now has 15 career multi-goal games and the 18 multi-point effort of his tenure at Loyola.

Before the season, Sawyer was named to the Preseason All-ECAC Team and was named to the Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America Honorable Mention.

Dominant At The ‘X’

In his first year as the Greyhounds’ primary face-off man, senior J.P. Dalton has continued Loyola’s tradition of excellence at the ‘X’.

Through six games, Dalton ranks ninth nationally in face-off percentage, winning restarts at a .609 clip (98-of-161). As a unit, the Greyhounds entered the week fifth-best in the nation at .608.

Dalton is second on the team with 32 ground balls, while one of his primary wings, Scott Ratliff leads the team with 33. Josh Hawkins, who returned from injury to make his season-debut on March 10 against Duke, has 10 in two games, and Pat Laconi has 11. Davis Butts has also seen time on the wing and has 16 ground balls this season.

Ward Dishes Five

Justin Ward played the role of feeder in Loyola’s 13-6 win over Towson, finishing the game with five assists. Just one week previously, the sophomore recorded his first collegiate assist against Delaware.

Ward became the first Loyola player to record five or more assists since Shane Koppens had six in a March 10, 2009, win over Bryant.

Scoring In Two Straight

Loyola posted 13 goals in back-to-back games to open the season, marking the first time since April 2007 that the Greyhounds scored 13 or more in two games in a row.

The last time it happened, Loyola defeated Fairfield, 19-2, on April 21, 2007, and Hobart, 17-10, on April 28.

Through just two games, the Greyhounds rank eighth in NCAA Division I in goals per game (13.0).

Sawyer, Runkel Earns ECAC Honors

Mike Sawyer and Jack Runkel were honored as ECAC Lacrosse Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week on March 12 following wins at Michigan and against Duke.

Sawyer scored 11 goals and had 14 points, setting career highs in both categories. He scored five goals and had six points in Michigan’s first-ever home game, before breaking those personal records with six goals and eight points in a win over Duke. He also picked up a career-high six ground balls, finishing the week with nine ground balls.

Runkel made the first two starts of his collegiate career, posting an 8.00 goals-against average and .515 save percentage to help the Greyhounds in two wins. Playing less than three minutes between the pipes as a freshman last season, he started the Michigan game and held the Wolverines to eight goals, while making five saves. He then made a career-high 12 saves against a Duke team that has played in the last five Final Fours.

Bonitatibus, Runkel Both Win First Starts

Junior Michael Bonitatibus made his first collegiate start in goal for the Greyhounds against Delaware after having played less than two minutes prior to this season.

Bonitatibus, who played 65 seconds in his collegiate debut last year at Duke, made seven saves for the Greyhounds and allowed just eight goals. He also picked up five ground balls and caused two turnovers.

Bonitatibus became the first Loyola goalkeeper to win his starting debut in nearly 11 years. The last was Mark Bloomquist who also defeated Delaware, 8-7, on February 24, 2001.

Jack Runkel made his first career start against Michigan and also won his initial outing as a starter. He tallied five saves against the Wolverines, and he then posted a career-high 12 against Duke.

Record At Ridley

After going 4-1 at Ridley Athletic Complex last season, the Greyhounds have opened their third year at the stadium with five wins at home. Loyola is now 13-3 all-time at Ridley.

What’s Next

Loyola moves back to ECAC Lacrosse League action on Saturday, March 31, when it hosts Ohio State University at 1 o’clock. It is the first of four straight ECAC games, but the only one that will be played at home.

COLLEGE PARK, MD. - The seventh-ranked Maryland men’s lacrosse team (5-1) travels down Tobacco Road to play No. 14 North Carolina (6-3). The game is scheduled for a noon start on Saturday, March 24 at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill, N.C.

• The game will be televised live nationally on ESPNU with Mike Corey handling the play-by-play and Jamie Munro and Ryan Flanagan will provide the analysis.

• Maryland (5-1, 1-0 ACC) is coming off of an 11-4 victory over then-No. 10 Villanova last Saturday that saw Terp goalie Niko Amato make 12 saves and pick up six groundballs. Owen Blye enjoyed a career day vs. his hometown team, setting career highs with six points and four goals. Billy Gribbin and Michael Shakespeare each scored two goals in the victory. Long pole Jesse Bernhardt had another terrific game with six groundballs, three caused turnovers and one assist.

• For the season, the Terps are led offensively by senior All-American Joe Cummings, who has 15 points on a team-leading 10 goals along with five assists. Junior All-America midfielder John Haus also has 15 points on eight goals and a team-best seven assists. Freshman Jay Carlson is tied with Cummings for the team lead in goals with 10. Defensively, Amato has stopped 64.6 percent of the shots put on goal by opponents, which is second among all NCAA Division I goalies, and has a 5.86 goals-against average. Junior long pole Jesse Bernhardt leads the team with 11 caused turnovers and is tied for the team lead with 21 groundballs.

• The Tar Heels are 6-3 on the year after dropping a 13-11 decision to No. 11 Duke last Friday in Durham and topping Dartmouth, 13-10, on Wednesday. UNC opened the season with four-straight wins before losing, 9-8, to No. 10 Lehigh on March 3. Carolina followed that with a 10-6 midweek loss at Penn, but rebounded to beat No. 12 Princeton, 9-8, at the Konica Minolta FaceOff Classic in Baltimore on March 10. North Carolina hosts Dartmouth on Wednesday at Fetzer Field. Carolina is deep and talented at the offensive end of the field with seven Tar Heels already posting double-digit points this season. Junior attackman Marcus Holman leads the team with 29 points on 13 goals and 16 assists. Freshman attackman Joey Sankey leads UNC with 14 goals. Junior Steven Rastivo has started all eight games in cage for the Tar Heels and has a 53.3 save percentage and a 9.33 goals-against average.

The Count Down
10 … Since 2002 Maryland has won 87 of the 94 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .926 winning percentage.
9 … Maryland is 104-23 in games since 2002 when it allows nine goals or less, for an .819 winning percentage.
8 … The Terps are eighth in the nation in scoring offense this season with 12.2 goals per game.
7 … John Haus has seven career points vs. North Carolina in five meetings.
6 … The Terps have won six of the last nine meetings vs. UNC.
5 … Maryland has allowed just five first-quarter goals in 2012.
4 … Maryland ranks fourth in the NCAA in caused turnovers with 10.17 per game.
3 … Kevin Cooper set his career high with three goals vs. the Tar Heels in the 2011 NCAA tournament game in Chapel Hill.
2 … Niko Amato is second in the NCAA with a .646 save percentage.
1 … The last time Maryland and North Carolina played each other just once in a season was 2008.

Coaching Match-Up
• John Tillman is in his fifth season as a head coach, and second with the Terps, with a 38-25 career record for a 60.3 winning percentage. Tillman is 18-6 (.750) as Maryland’s head coach. He had a 20-19 record in three seasons as the head coach at Harvard.

• Joe Breschi is in his 15th season as a head coach and holds a lifetime record of 133-81 (.621). He is in his fourth year with the Tar Heels and has a 41-18 (.695) record as the Carolina head coach.

• Tillman has an 2-1 record vs. North Carolina as a head coach with all three decisions coming last season.

Series History vs. North Carolina
• Since Maryland and North Carolina began their series in 1964, Maryland holds a 40-21 (.650) advantage. The Terps have won 16 of the last 20, with the losses in College Park in the 2011 regular season, at Chapel Hill in the 2010 regular season, in the 2009 ACC Tournament in Chapel Hill and in 2003, a 10-6 UNC victory at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium on March 22.

• The rubber match of 2011 took play at Fetzer Field in the first round of the NCAA tournament and it was the unseeded Terps advancing thanks to a convincing 13-6 victory over the No. 8-seeded Tar Heels. Drew Snider led the offensive charge, including scoring on the hidden-ball play pulled off by Grant Catalino and Brian Farrell. Kevin Cooper had a hat trick for the Terrapins, while Curtis Holmes dominated the faceoff X, winning 15-of-22. Niko Amato made 13 saves in cage.

• Just like in 2010 the Terps answered a regular season loss to Carolina with a victory in the ACC tournament. UNC led 6-2 going into the fourth quarter, but Maryland scored five unanswered goals for a 7-6 win. Owen Blye scored two goals in the run, which was capped off by a behind-the-back game-winner by Grant Catalino.

• The 2011 regular-season meeting saw North Carolina come into Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium and leave with an 11-6 victory. The Terps opened up a 4-1 lead in the first quarter, but an illegal stick penalty on Maryland allowed the Tar Heels to regain their composure and go on a 7-0 run to take command of the game. Grant Catalino led the Terps with three goals. Curtis Holmes was terrific at the face-off X, winning 15-of-20 draws.

• The Terps avenged the loss in the 2010 regular season to UNC by topping the Tar Heels, 13-5, in the semifinals of the ACC tournament in College Park. Grant Catalino led the way, tying his career high with six goals. John Haus tallied his first career hat trick for the Terps. Brian Phipps was terrific in cage for Maryland, stopping 13 Carolina shots.

• In the 2010 regular-season meeting it was Carolina earning a 9-7 victory over the Terps on March 20 in Chapel Hill. Marcus Holman subbed for the injured Billy Bitter and scored four goals to lead UNC. Maryland was paced by Ryan Young and Adam Sear with two goals apiece.

• The Tar Heels scored 10 goals in the first half en route to a 16-10 win in the semifinals of the 2009 ACC Tournament at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill. Joe Cummings recorded his first career hat trick for the Terps, while Ryan Young had a three-point day on a goal and two assists.

• Earlier in 2009 the Terps and the Tar Heels played a nail-biter at Ludwig Field and in the end it was Maryland coming away with the 8-7 victory. Dan Groot scored three goals, including the game-winner that deflected off of two Carolina defender sticks, and added an assist. Grant Catalino chipped in with two goals, while Jason Carter played the whole way in cage and stopped 10 Tar Heel shots.

• The Terps entered the 2008 game as the underdog for the first time since 2000, but left the game with their sixth straight victory over the Tar Heels, 13-8. Junior midfielder Jeff Reynolds scored his first career hat trick to lead the Terps. Grant Catalino, Dan Groot, Jeremy Sieverts and Max Ritz each had a goal and an assist in the Maryland victory.

• The Maryland midfield dominated the 2007 game and le the Terps to an impressive 14-8 win over a rising Carolina team at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium. Sophomore midfielder Dan Groot led the Terrapin attack with three goals for his second career hat trick. Freshman goalie Brian Phipps was stellar in the cage for Maryland, stopping 15 Tar Heel shots, while allowing just seven goals.

• The Tar Heels led for nearly the entire game in the 2006 ACC semifinals, but Xander Ritz scored off a brilliant cross-crease pass from Michael Phipps with just 1:25 left in the fourth quarter to give the third-ranked Terps their first lead of the game and the 10-9 victory. Brendan Healy scored three goals and added a pair of assists for Maryland, while Ritz finished with a hat trick and Bill McGlone scored two and assisted on another two scores.

• In the 2006 regular season meeting Joe Walters scored five goals to lead the No. 4 Terps to a 9-6 win at North Carolina on March 25. Sophomore attackman Max Ritz added two goals, while Bill McGlone and Michael Phipps each scored one. Defensively, Harry Alford stopped eight shots and allowed just six goals in net for the Terps.

• Terrapin goalie Harry Alford stopped 20 UNC shots in the 2005 meeting to lead the fourth-ranked Terps to a 9-4 win over Carolina in College Park. Michael Hartofilis turned in the finest performance of his Maryland career with a goal and a career-best three assists. Brendan Healy, Michael Phipps and Joe Walters each scored twice in the Maryland win.

• The 2004 meeting in Chapel Hill saw Maryland pick up a thrilling 10-9 victory at Fetzer Field on March 27. The Tar Heels used a five-goal third quarter to take a 8-7 lead into the fourth, but two goals by Maryland’s Mike Brown and another by Joe Walters gaves the Terps a 3-1 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter and the 10-9 win. Walters finished the game with four goals, while Michael Phipps scored two goals in the victory.

• In the 2003 game at Byrd Stadium, No. 13 North Carolina upset the No. 2 Terps as goalie Paul Spellman had a career-game with 25 saves. Joe Walters scored two goals for the Terps in the defeat. Bill McGlone also added a tally in the win. UNC was paced by Austin Garrison, who had four goals.

• Eight of the last 20 meetings with North Carolina have been decided by one goal.

• The Terps and Tar Heels have only met twice in NCAA tournament play. Maryland lost the first meeting with the Heels in 1986, 12-10, but won the 2011 first round game, 13-6.

The Stretch: Carolina, Virginia, Navy, Hopkins
• Since 1978 Maryland’s schedule has been highlighted by a four-game stretch in the middle of its season: North Carolina, Virginia, Navy and Johns Hopkins. In the 35-year span only four times has the stretch been interrupted with another game added in between one of these traditional four (1981, 1997, 2001, 2003).

• Overall, Maryland is 62-74 (.456) since 1978 vs. those four teams during that time.

• The Terps have swept the four games only once – in 1987. Only twice (1981 & 1988) has Maryland lost all four games. Six times (1978, 1979, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001) the Terps have won three of the four games. Johns Hopkins broke up the Terps’ bid for a perfect stretch four times, while Carolina and Virginia broke it up one time each.

The Terps On ESPNU
• Maryland has had 38 games on ESPNU since 2006. Maryland is 22-16 (.580) all-time in games broadcast on ESPNU.

• This will be the first of at least four games (at UNC, vs. Virginia, at Johns Hopkins, at ACC tournament) Maryland will play on ESPNU in 2012.

Going Purple
· Once again this season, the Terps will be wearing purple “MY” stickers, to show their support for the fight against pancreatic cancer, which touched everyone in the Maryland lacrosse family last season with the passing of Maria Young on April 17.

· This past fall the Terps, Maryland alums and family and friends came together for the inaugural Forever Young Walk/Run for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness. More on Ms. Young and her amazing story can be found here: Forever Young.

· If you’re interested in more information about the Lustgarten Foundation, including how to make a donation, click here to visit the foundation’s website. You can also get more information on pancreatic cancer at CurePC.org.

In case you’re wondering here are some facts about pancreatic cancer from the American Cancer Society:
· More than 43,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer present each year
· There are more than 36,000 deaths from pancreatic cancer each year
· The lifetime risk of having pancreatic cancer is about 1 in 71.
· The risk is about the same for both men and women.

Going Gray
· Maryland players will also be wearing gray stickers with the number 42 in honor of Zack Wholley’s father, John, who passed away from brain cancer on August 28, 2011.

· If you’re interested in more information, please visit the National Brain Tumor Society website.

In case you’re wondering here are some facts about brain and spinal cord tumors from the American Cancer Society:
· About 22,910 malignant tumors of the brain or spinal cord (12,630 in males and 10,280 in females) will be diagnosed. These numbers would likely be much higher if benign tumors were also included.
· About 13,700 people (7,720 males and 5,980 females) will die from these tumors.
· Overall, the chance that a person will develop a malignant tumor of the brain or spinal cord in his or her lifetime is about one in 150 for a man and one in 185 for a woman.

Get To 10 And Win
• One axiom of lacrosse is that if you score 10 goals or more your chances of winning are pretty good. Well, a look at the results since 2002 shows that when Maryland scores 10 or more goals there’s not just a pretty good chance the Terrapins will win; it’s an almost certainty. Since 2002 Maryland has won 87 of the 94 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .926 winning percentage.

· The Terps scored 11 vs. Johns Hopkins on April 16, 2011, but the Blue Jays won the game in overtime, 12-11. On April 3 of last season the Terps lost to No. 1 Virginia by a final of 11-10, giving Maryland its only loss when scoring 10 or more goals in 2010. In 2009 the Terps lost to Georgetown, 13-10 on Feb. 21 and lost again when scoring 10 in the ACC Semifinals in a 16-10 defeat at North Carolina. Prior to that, Maryland had not lost when scoring 10 or more goals since dropping an 11-10 decision to Virginia in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament in Durham, N.C. The Terrapins got to 10 goals in the 100th game against Johns Hopkins, but the Blue Jays took the game 14-10. Virginia is the only team to beat the Terps twice when allowing 10 or more goals. The Wahoos did it first in 2002 with another 11-10 decision..

Holding Opponents To Single-Digits
• The Terps have been extremely impressive (winning 92.6 percent of its games since 2002) when it scores 10 or more goals, they have been nearly as impressive when holding opponents to less than 10 goals during that span.

• Since 2002 Maryland is 104-23 in games, for a .819 winning percentage, when it has held opponents under 10 goals. The Terps have played 168 total games since 2002. Maryland has held opponents to nine goals or less 75.6 percent of the time.

Shooting Tells The Story
• The difference between winning and losing for Maryland this season is simple – when the Terps shoot well they win. As it turns out 30% is the magic number for the Terps this season. Maryland is 5-1 on the year and has shot 30% or better in all five victories.

Hartford: 12 goals, 40 shots = 30%
Georgetown: 16 goals, 41 shots = 39.0%
Duke: 10 goals, 28 shots = 35.7%
UMBC: 7 goals, 30 shots = 23.3%
Marist: 17 goals, 43 shots = 39.5%
Villanova: 11 goals, 31 shots = 35.5%

• Since 2005 the Terps are a remarkable 50-3 (.943) when shooting 30% or better in a game. The first game Maryland lost during that stretch was a 13-10 decision to Georgetown in 2009 (the Terps shot 10 of 30 for 33.3% vs. the Hoyas). The second loss came in 2010 in the controversial 11-10 loss to No. 1 Virginia on April 3. The Terps shot 10 of 33 for 30.3%. The most recent came on April 16, 2011 in a 12-11 overtime loss to No. 3 Johns Hopkins.

Youth Is Served
• Maryland started two sophomores (Michael Ehrhardt and Brian Cooper) and a freshman (Goran Murray) at close defense in the 2012 season-opening win over Hartford. The last time Maryland’s defense had two sophomore and one freshman starting was 2005 when sophomores Steve Whittenberg and Ray Megill started alongside freshman Joe Cinosky. The first game that group started together was April 23, 2005 at Fairfield (a 9-6 Terrapin win).

• Goran Murray became the first Maryland freshman to start at close defense in a season opener since 2008 when Max Schmidt started in an 11-6 win at Georgetown.

Face-Off Firsts
• Junior Curtis Holmes’ 19-of-20 (.950) performance facing-off vs. Hartford in the 2012 season opener is just the fifth time since 2000 that a Maryland face-off man has won at least 90% of his draws with at least 10 attempts.

• Holmes joins Andy Claxton and Brian Haggerty as the only Terps with multiple games of 19 or more face-off wins. Claxton did it three times (27 at Towson in 1991, 21 vs. Duke in 1991 and 19 at Brown in 1991), while Haggerty did it twice (20 vs. Butler in 1998 and 19 vs. Virginia in 1998). Holmes had 20 wins vs. Georgetown last season to go along with his 19 vs. the Hawks, which makes him the only Terp to win 19 or more face-offs in different seasons.

• The last 90% performance was in 2008 when Bryn Holmes, Curtis’ older brother, won 9-of-10 face-offs at Mount St. Mary’s.

• The last time a Terp faced-off with a winning percentage above 90% was on March 21, 2006 when David Tamberrino won 12-of-13 in a 14-2 win over Dartmouth.

Best Face-Off Performances Since 2000
Curtis Holmes - 19/20 (.950) vs. Hartford 2/18/12
Brian Carroll - 12/13 (.923) at Delaware 3/17/01
David Tamberrino – 12/13 (.923) vs. Dartmouth 3/21/06
Jeremy Pastula - 11/12 (.917) at Towson 3/8/03
Bryn Holmes - 9/10 (.900) at Mount St. Mary’s 2/26/08
Bryn Holmes - 12/14 (.857) vs. Presbyterian 2/13/09
Brian Carroll - 11/13 (.846) vs. Mount St. Mary’s 2/26/02
Bryn Holmes - 11/13 (.846) vs. Air Force 2/14/09
Ryan Moran - 10/12 (.833) vs. Bucknell 3/11/03
Will Dalton - 18/22 (.818) vs. Vermont 2/20/07
Curtis Holmes - 17/21 (.810) vs. Detroit Mercy 2/19/11

The 700 Club
· Maryland’s 15-6 victory over Penn on April 14, 2009 was the program’s 700th victory in 84 seasons of varsity men’s lacrosse. The Terps join Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, Navy and Army as the only programs with 700 or more Division I wins.

· Two things that make Maryland’s accomplishment all the more impressive is that the Terps reached the 700-win plateau in just their 84th season. Only Syracuse reached win No. 700 in as few seasons, but it took the Orange 53 more games than Maryland. In fact, Maryland needed only 940 games to reach 700 wins and only Johns Hopkins needed fewer games (932) to hit the historic number, but the Blue Jays did so in their 105th season.

Terps’ 87th Season Of Lacrosse
· The Terps boast an all-time record of 733-247-4 (.746), dating back to the first varsity team in 1924 (a team was not fielded in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II). Maryland has finished every one of its previous 85 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 10-6. The program reached the 700-win milestone with a 15-6 victory over Penn on April 14, 2009 at Ludwig Field.

· During the decade of the 2000s, Maryland went 111-49 for a .694 win percentage, making it the winningest decade in Terrapin lacrosse history. In the decade of the 1990s, Maryland posted a 95-47 record. The .669 winning percentage matched Maryland’s win percentage of the 1980s when the Terps went 83-41 and also compiled a .669 win percentage. So far, Maryland is 25-9 in the 2010′s for a .735 winning percentage.

First-Time Opponents
• Maryland has played 78 different opponents in its 87 seasons. The 2012 season added Hartford (a 12-6 win on 2/18) and will add Marist (3/10) to that list. In the Terps’ 78 first-time meetings Maryland is 74-4 (.949) in those games. Adelphi (12-13, 1982), Army (0-3, 1923), Syracuse (3-10, 1927) and Yale (3-5, 1925) are the only schools to beat the Terps the first time the schools met on a lacrosse field.

Maryland In Season Openers
• Maryland has a 83-3-1 (.960) lifetime record in season openers dating back to the 1924 season. The Terps have won their last 19 openers and 26 of the last 27, with the only loss coming to Duke in 1993, when they fell to Duke 9-5 on March 6.

• After losing their 1925 opener to Yale, 5-3, the Terps went on to win 40 consecutive season openers from 1926 through 1967. The streak was broken when Maryland tied Princeton, 6-6, in the 1968 opener. Following the deadlock, Maryland went on to win its next 14 openers, giving the Terps a 54-0-1 record over a 57-year span (Maryland did not field a team in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II.)

19 Straight in Season Openers
• After beating Hartford to open the 2012 season the Terps have an 19-game winning streak in season openers. Five of those wins came against Villanova (1994-98) and the last nine over Denver, Mount St. Mary’s, Air Force, Hobart, Duke, Georgetown (four times), Bellarmine (twice), Presbyterian, Detroit Mercy and Hartford. Over the 19-year stretch, Maryland outscored its foes 267-99 (an average score of 14.1-5.2) in those games.

· The Terps have not allowed more than seven goals to any opponent in a season opener over the last 18 years. Maryland has not allowed an opponent to score 10 or more goals in a season opener since Syracuse beat the Terps, 16-13 on March 9, 1983.

Consecutive 10-Win Seasons
· The 11-9 victory over Duke on April 24, 2011 was the 10th of the year for Maryland, giving it nine straight seasons with double-digit wins. (Special thanks to Patrick Stevens of the D1Scourse.com).

· How does that stack up against the rest of the college lacrosse programs? Take a look at programs with at least five-straight 10-win seasons:
Maryland (9): 2011 (13-5), 2010 (12-4), 2009 (10-7), 2008 (10-6), 2007 (10-6), 2006 (12-5), 2005 (11-6), 2004 (13-3), 2003 (12-4)
Cornell (7): 2011 (12-3), 2010 (12-6), 2009 (11-3), 2008 (11-4), 2007 (15-1), 2006 (11-3), 2005 (11-3)
Virginia (7): 2011 (13-5), 2010 (16-2), 2009 (14-2), 2008 (14-4), 2007 (12-4), 2006 (17-0), 2005 (11-4)
Notre Dame (6): 2011 (11-3), 2010 (10-7), 2009 (15-1), 2008 (14-3), 2007 (11-4), 2006 (10-5)
Duke (5): 2011 (14-6), 2010 (16-4), 2009 (15-4), 2008 (18-2), 2007 ( 17-3)
Siena (5): 2011 (13-5), 2010 (12-5), 2009 (12-6), 2008 (10-6), 2007 (10-6)

A Family Affair
· Many school’s refer to their sports programs as families, but the Maryland men’s lacrosse program is truely a family affair. Since 2002, the Terps have had 13 sets of brothers, including three on this season’s roster, don the red and black together for at least one season.

Harry & Thomas Alford: 2004-05-06-07
Jake & Jesse Bernhardt: 2010-11-12
Justin & Owen Blye: 2009-10-11
Brian & Kevin Cooper: 2011-12
Billy & Bobby Gribbin: 2012
Brendan & Ian Healy: 2003-04-05
Bryn & Curtis Holmes: 2010
Bryn & Travis Holmes: 2007
Dan & Mike LaMonica: 2002
Chris & Willy Passavia: 2002-03
Brian & Michael Phipps: 2007
Max & Xander Ritz: 2005-06
Mark & Michael White: 2008-09-10-11