Stony Brook, N.Y.- UMBC freshman midfielder Pat Young (Ewing, N.J./Christchurch School (Va.)) has been named America East Conference Men’s Lacrosse Rookie-of-the-Year, in voting done by the league’s six head coaches.

Moreover, Young was the lone freshman to be named to the America East Conference First Team.  He was joined on the first team by Retriever junior face-off specialist Phil Poe (Harwood, Md./DeMatha).

Senior attackman Scott Jones (Port Coquitlam, B.C./Terry Fox) earned his third league citation as he was tabbed to the America East Second Team.

Freshman attackman/midfielder Nate Lewnes (Arnold, Md./St. Mary’s) joined Young on the league’s All-Rookie Team.

Senior defender Ethan Murphy (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca East) and senior midfielder Neill Lewnes (Arnold, Md./St. Mary’s) each earned their second selections to the conference’s All-Academic Team.

Young, a three-time America East Rookie-of-the-Week, currently leads UMBC with 34 points. His 28 goals is tied for the third-most ever by a UMBC Division I player. Young provided three game-winning goals on the season, including scores in the final three minutes of one-goal victories over league foes Stony Brook and Binghamton.

Young becomes just the second Retriever to earn top honors for a league rookie. GoalkeeperJeremy Blevins was the other, earning the citation in 2006. However, Young becomes the first UMBC player to earn First Team All-Conference honors in his freshman campaign.

Poe earns his second consecutive First Team citation. He leads the conference in face-off percentage at 58.4 and is ranked 11^th in the nation in that category. Poe has already eclipsed last year’s total of face-off wins with 181 and now possesses the second and third most wins in a single season in school history. He is also nine ground balls shy of becoming the 12^thplayer in school history to amass 200.

Earlier this season, Jones became the 30^th player in school history to amass 100 career points and is currently tied with former teammate Rob Grimm for 25^th place on the UMBC all-time list with 109 points (89-20-109). The team captain has netted 27 goals in 2013, including a career-high six scores in an early April victory over Vermont.

Nate Lewnes earned AEC Rookie of the Week honors in late March, after a season-best six-point effort (2g, 4a) in a victory over High Point. He has scored 12 goals and added 10 assists in his initial collegiate season.

Older brother Neill earned All-Academic honors back in 2011, but missed most of the 2012 campaign after tearing his ACL in the conference opener vs. Hartford.  He has returned in 2013 to play a key role as a defensive midfielder for the Retrievers. A team captain, Lewnes is maintaining a 3.35 grade-point average in financial economics.

Murphy is a repeat selection to the team after earning his first honor in 2012. The political science major has seen action at both close defense and long-stick midfield in 2013 and is second on the squad in ground balls (48) and caused turnovers (16). Also a team captain, Murphy possesses a grade-point average of 3.78.

Seventy-two Retrievers have earned America East honors in UMBC’s ten league campaigns.

The third-seeded Retrievers (6-7, 3-2 America East) face No. 2 Hartford (7-6, 3-2) in the first America East semifinal match-up on Thursday, May 2. The opening face-off is set for 4:30 p.m. at Stony Brook’s LaValle Stadium.

University Park, Pa. – Sophomore Ben McCarty scored a career-best six goals to lead Towson men’s lacrosse (9-7) over Drexel (11-4), 11-8, and into the CAA Finals Wednesday evening at PSU Lacrosse Field.

McCarty’s six goals led all scorers. Junior Andrew Hodgson contributed two goals, while sophomore Justin Mabus had three assists. Senior Andrew Wascavage made 14 saves for Towson. Robert Church led Drexel with five points (3g, 2a).

The Tigers advance to the CAA Finals for the first time since 2010 when they defeated UMass in the semifinals before falling to Delaware in the championship game.

Towson’s McCarty opened the scoring with an unassisted goal at 11:27 when he beat Drexel’s Cal Winkelman top left. Drexel quickly equalized at 10:41 when McIntosh received a feed from behind the goal and snuck a shot past Wascavage high left.

But the Tigers reeled off two quick scores to take a 3-1 lead at 8:26 when DeNapoli notched his 39^th of the season at 9:38 and McCarty found the back of the net again. Drexel’s Hank Brown kept the Dragons in it with a tally at 7:51. Sophomore Rob Zoppo added a goal for Towson at 3:18 off a pass from classmate Cory Dobyns to increase the Tigers’ lead to two, 4-2.

Towson opened the second quarter with an EMO goal from Hodgson, assist to sophomore Mabus, after Drexel was called for delay of game – a 30-second penalty. Senior Matt Hughes extended the advantage to 6-2 with his sixth goal of the year at 11:52 when he scored from just outside the crease.

McCarty notched his first career hat trick at 5:38 in the second to give the Tigers a five-goal lead, 7-2, and continued his offensive explosion at 1:14 when an extra-man goal from just outside the crease off a dish from Mabus.

The Tigers kept rolling to start the third quarter when Hodgson took a pass from DeNapoli and fired a shot from distance past Winkelman to put Towson up 9-3 at 12:36. However, Drexel mounted a comeback over the next four minutes. The Dragons’ fourth goal came off an odd play. Drexel committed a turnover but the ball was checked out of a Tiger defender’s stick and rolled in the goal. It was credited to Church at 11:25. He scored two more times – at 8:50 when his bounce shot skidded in and then again six seconds later off a face-off.

But McCarty stopped the Dragons’ rally with his fifth goal at 8:00 to keep Towson in front, 10-6. The Dragons didn’t go away. After Towson was called for off-sides, Chris Frederick caught a pass just outside the crease and scored. McIntosh scored his second at 3:05 in the third on an EMO chance to inch the Dragons to within two, 10-8.

McCarty equaled his season goal total (6) when he scored on a man-up opportunity at 10:37 in the fourth off a Mabus pass to give Towson some more breathing room, 11-8. The Tigers’ defense held Drexel scoreless in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

The Tigers will face No. 1 Penn State in the 2013 CAA Tournament final on Friday, May 3 at 3 p.m.

Game Data

Loyola opens play in the third-annual ECAC Lacrosse League Championships on Thursday, May 2, when it takes on The Ohio State University in the second semifinal in Geneva, N.Y.

Faceoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. from Hobart College’s Boswell Field.

Watch The Action

The ECAC Championships will be the first original lacrosse games programed by Fox Sports Networks. Mark Larson will call the play-by-play, and Dale Drypolcher will handle color analysis. Terry Mangan will be the sideline reporter for the broadcasts.

Thursday’s semifinals and Saturday’s championship game will be distributed on various Fox Sports Regional Networks nationwide. They will also be available – in the Baltimore area – on Fox College Sports, a premium sports channel on many cable and satellite companies, or on FUEL TV.

Series History

Loyola and the Buckeyes will be meeting for the seventh time in series history and first time in postseason action. The Greyhounds have won all six prior meetings, including a 9-4 victory earlier this season in regular-season action.

In the teams’ regular-season meeting on March 30 in Columbus, David Planning scored for Ohio State with 3:03 left in the first half, making the score 3-3, but Loyola scored the next six goals and held the Buckeyes scoreless for 32 minutes, 54 seconds, until they scored with nine ticks left on the clock.

After Planning’s tying goal, the Greyhounds tacked on three goals before the end of the first half, the initial by Chris Layne and the second and third by Zach Herreweyers and Nikko Pontrello.

Pontrello had a game-high three goals, while Layne tallied a goal and two assists. Herreweyers, Davis Butts and Scott Ratliff each posted a goal and an assist.

Jack Runkel made nine saves and allowed just four goals for Loyola, while Joe Fletcher picked up a team-best five ground balls.

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 fourth the USILA coaches poll and checked in sixth in the Inside Lacrosse media ranking.

Ohio State is 10th in the coaches version, 11th in the media.

Last Time Out

Johns Hopkins scored 41 seconds into the second half, but Loyola held the Blue Jays scoreless for the game’s final 29 minutes, 18 seconds, and the Greyhounds defeated host Johns Hopkins, 8-4, snapping a 13-game losing skid in the series.

The Greyhounds opened the second half on a man-advantage, and after the teams returned to even strength, Sean O’Sullivan took a Justin Ward skip pass and scored at 14:24 to put Loyola up, 5-3. The Blue Jays, however, got the goal back five seconds later after winning the faceoff on a violation. Mike Poppleton ran into the box and scored Johns Hopkins’ last goal of the game at 14:19.

Mike Sawyer scored his last of three goals with 6:10 to play in the third quarter, and Davis Butts and Kevin Ryan added fourth-quarter goals to provide the final margin.

Sawyer had a game-high three goals, while O’Sullivan, Ryan and Josh Hawkins each posted a goal and an assist.

Jack Runkel made 10 saves, six in the second half, and Joe Fletcher picked up a team-high five ground balls.

ECAC Championships History

Loyola is 2-1 all-time in ECAC Championships games, winning both of its contests last season to take the second-annual tournament title.

Last year, the Greyhounds defeated Denver, 14-13 in overtime, to advance to the Championship Game where they beat Fairfield, 14-7.

In the first year of the tournament, the Stags edged Loyola, 10-9, in the semifinals.

Second Half Defensive Success

Loyola’s defense held Johns Hopkins to just one goal in the second half last Saturday and none in the game’s final 29 minutes, 18 seconds. The Blue Jays’ final 18 shots of the second half were either saved or went off target.

Jack Runkel made six of his 10 saves in the second half, four during the fourth quarter.

Johns Hopkins also turned the ball over 10 times in the final 30 minutes, 16 times in all during the game.

Loyola also shutout the Blue Jays on extra-man opportunities Saturday, holding them scoreless on three attempts, two in the fourth quarter.

Fletcher Honored For Defensive Performance

Joe Fletcher earned ECAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the third time this season on Monday after a standout performance on close defense against Johns Hopkins.

The junior picked up five ground balls and helped start Loyola’s transition game that cleared the ball successfully all 20 times it attempted clears.

He was matched up against the Blue Jays’ leading scorer, Wells Stanwick, who entered the game averaging 4.0 points per game. Fletcher held Stanwick to just one point on an assist that came in transition off a Johns Hopkins faceoff win. Stanwick, who had 23 goals entering the game, managed just three shots against Fletcher.

Sawyer Keeps Scoring

Mike Sawyer recorded his third-straight hat trick on Saturday at Johns Hopkins, the first time this season he’s accomplished that. In the Greyhounds’ last three games, Sawyer has scored 11 goals while assisting on four. In his first nine this year, he tallied 19 goals and two assists.

Sawyer put up his best offensive numbers of the season on April 13 against Denver, scoring four goals and recording two assists for six points, season-highs in all categories.

The senior attacker quickly replicated that effort on April 20 at Hobart, posting the same numbers in each category.

With his 11 goals in three games, Sawyer has leapt into the team lead for goals scored with 30 this season. He finished the regular-season as the ECAC leader in goals per game during conference games (2.47).

In 56 career games, Sawyer has scored 122 goals and has 25 assists for 147 points.

Earlier this year, against UMBC, he became the eighth player in school Division I history to reach 100 goals, and his 122 total place him are second-most on the program’s Division I career chart. He is 11 back of Pat Lamon in first. Sawyer’s 139 points rank 11th in school Division I history.

Defending The Midfield

Loyola did not allow an offensive midfielder to score for Johns Hopkins on Saturday in 23 shot attempts when entering the game, the seven players that ran on the two midfield lines had combined for 69 goals and 43 assists.

The Greyhounds’ defensive midfield kept the Blue Jays middies from dodging to space and forced outside shots, keeping 17-of-23 shots off cage. The six that were on goal were all saved by Jack Runkel in goal.

Hawkins On The Fly

In just seven games this year, Josh Hawkins has already eclipsed his previous high in goals, scoring 10 this season to beat his total of six from last season and his 2010 freshman campaign. He also has two assists this season.

The defensive midfielder has scored at least two points in each of Loyola’s last four games and has at least one goal in every game he’s played this year. He scored twice against Fairfield, Denver and Hobart and registered a goal and an assist versus Johns Hopkins.

He has put 16-of-24 shots on goal and scored on 41.7-percent of his total shots.

In 47 career games, Hawkins has scored 25 goals and has nine assists as a short-stick defender.

Athletics Banquet Honors

Scott Ratliff was named the team’s Most Valuable Player, and Joe Fletcher earned Most Dedicated Player honors at the end of the year Athletics Awards Banquet on April 29.

Ratliff also was the recipient of the John R. Mohler Award as the athletic department’s top male student-athlete. The award, which is give to a student-athlete from one of Loyola’s eight men’s teams, recognizes the best Greyhound who combines athletic and academic accomplishments.

Sean O’Sullivan was the winner of the Diane Geppi-Aikens Inspiration Award.

ECAC Weekly Honors For Ratliff

Scott Ratliff earned ECAC Lacrosse League Specialist of the Week honors on April 22, his third weekly award of 2013 from the conference office. The long-stick midfielder posted another all-around performance at Hobart Saturday, scoring twice in transition and adding another assist on a Mike Sawyer goal in the third-quarter.

Defensively, Ratliff posted seven ground balls and three caused turnovers, while he and his teammates in the defensive midfield held the Statesmen’s starting midfield to three goals. Ratliff did not allow a goal against a player he was matched up against in the game.

He now has scored 13 goals this season, eclipsing his 2012 school record for scoring by a long-pole player.

Ratliff, who was the 2012 ECAC Defensive Player of the Year and 2013 ECAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, has earned seven weekly awards from the league. Earlier this season, he was named Defensive Player of the Week twice.

O’Sullivan Shooting On Target

Sean O’Sullivan has scored eight goals in the Greyhounds’ last four games, nearly doubling his output of nine in the team’s first 10 outings this season. He is currently third on the team with 17 goals and fifth with 19 points.

After scoring once against Fairfield on April 6, he matched his career-high with four goals a week later against Denver. His final goal of the game tied the score with just over two minutes remaining in regulation, forcing overtime. O’Sullivan needed just four shots in the game against the Pioneers to score his four goals.

On April 20 at Hobart, he scored twice on four shots, and he added a goal on his only shot and an assist at Johns Hopkins.

This season, he has scored his 17 goals on just 40 shots (.425 shot percentage), and he is putting 75.0-percent of his total shots on goal (30-of-40). His four extra-man goals in conference play led the ECAC in that category.

Rookie Production

Zach Herreweyers recorded his fourth hat trick of the season at Hobart in just his seventh game of the season.

The freshman from London, Ontario, posted three goals and two assists against the Statesmen, and with a goal at Johns Hopkins, he raised his first-year total to 16 goals and three assists in eight contests.

Herreweyers, who had hat tricks against Air Force, Georgetown, Michigan and Hobart, leads ECAC Lacrosse League freshmen with 2.0 goals per game and 2.4 points per contest.

Against Air Force, Herreweyers became the first Loyola freshman to score three times in a game since current senior Patrick Fanshaw scored five goals and assisted on another on March 20, 2010, also against Air Force.

Ratliff Sets Record

Scott Ratliff did something believed to be a first in the modern era of college lacrosse  (circa 1971) on April 6 in the Greyhounds’ win over visiting Fairfield. The senior long-stick midfielder scored four goals, becoming the first player with a pole to do so.

Ratliff scored once off a Loyola faceoff win, a second time on a give-and-go in transition with Pat Laconi and twice more off set plays in settled offense with feeds from Justin Ward and Nikko Pontrello.

In recent years, at least two long-sticks, Duke’s C.J. Costabile and Bryant’s Mason Poli, have recorded hat tricks.

Multi-Point Ventures For Ward

Johns Hopkins All-American defender Tucker Durkin held Justin Ward to just one assist on April 27, the first time this season the junior attacker has been held to less than two points.

With three first-quarter goals against Hobart, Justin Ward had his 13th multi-point effort in as many games this season. He has now tallied at least two points in all 13 games this season, and he has three or more in nine of those outings.

In the Georgetown game, he became the 10th player in the program’s Division I history (since 1982) to log 50 or more assists in his career. With 60 career assists, Ward is tied for seventh in school Division I history Gewas Schindler in seventh. He is now 10 away from tying Kevin Beach and Tim O’Shea for fifth place.

Ward put up his second game with seven or more points on March 16 against Air Force, logging seven with two goals and five assists in the win over the Falcons. His five assists tied his career-high, set twice in 2012 against Towson and Fairfield.

On February 26, against UMBC, as the junior finished with seven goals and three assists for 10 points. His goal and point outputs were career-highs. He became the first player to score at least seven goals in a game since Gavin Prout tallied eight in a 19-11 win at Hobart on April 28, 2001.

Ward’s 10-point effort was the first 10-point game for a Greyhound since Tim Goettelmann tallied the same amount in a 19-9 win on March 25, 2000, against Fairfield. In that game, Goettelmann scored four goals and had six assists. Later that season, he would score seven goals on May 16 in the NCAA First Round against Notre Dame.

Through 13 games this year, Ward leads the team with 26 goals and 27 assists for 53 points. His 27 assists are ninth-most in school Division I single-season history.

CLASSy Senior Candidate

Two weeks ago, Scott Ratliff was named one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award, an honor given yearly to a NCAA Division I senior who has notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition

Ratliff has continued his high production on defense, transition and offense that helped him earn USILA All-America Third Team and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year honors a year ago when he led the team last year in ground balls (88) and caused turnovers (37), was fifth in goals (12) and seventh in assists (7).

His career totals now stand at 29 goals and 14 assists, and his 43 career points are second-most among active long-poles to Bryant’s Mason Poli. Last year, he set the school’s single-season long-pole scoring record with 12 goals and seven assists, eclipsing the previous high of 16 points on 11 goals and five assists set in 1995 by current Loyola assistant coach Matt Dwan.

Additionally, Ratliff is now tied for ninth in school Division I history in career ground balls (207) with P.T. Ricci, and he is second in caused turnovers (88). His caused turnovers are two shy of tying the school record set by Ricci.

Defensive Midfield Production

Loyola’s defensive midfield had a productive game against Fairfield, finishing the outing with six goals, an assists, six caused turnovers and six ground balls.

The unit posted another solid outing on both sides of the field with four goals and two assists at Hobart on April 20.

This season, long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff has posted 13 goals and four assists, good for sixth on the team with 17 points, while short-stick Josh Hawkins has nine goals and an assist, and fellow short-stick Pat Laconi has four goals and six points. Kyle Duffy scored his first point of the season with an assist at Hobart.

Pontrello Keeps Tallying Points

Nikko Pontrello notched his third hat trick of the season on March 30 at Ohio State, scoring a game-high three against the Buckeyes. He also had three-goal outings against UMBC and Air Force earlier this year.

In his first season as a starter, Pontrello has scored 13 goals while assisting on 17 for 30 points, third-most on the team. As a freshman in 2012, he scored four goals and assisted on six.

He posted his second six-point game this season March 16 against Air Force, scoring a career-high four goals to go with two assists. He scored in the first quarter, tallied a pair during Loyola’s 4-0 third-quarter run and added his fourth in the final frame. Earlier this year against UMBC, Pontrello posted three goals and three assists for six points against the Retrievers.

Helmet Stickers

Loyola players are wearing three stickers on their helmets this season to remember those who have passed away. The stickers are in memory of Adam Pomper, a member of the 2012 team who passed away on June 12, 2012, Mandy O’Sullivan, mother of current players Sean and Ryan O’Sullivan who died in March 2012 from pancreatic cancer, and the 26 victims of the Newtown, Conn., shooting in December 2012 where Loyola put on a youth lacrosse clinic in January.

Well-Represented In MLL Draft

Five members of the Loyola men’s lacrosse team were selected in the top 26 of the January 11 Major League Lacrosse draft. The Greyhounds tied Virginia for the most draft picks in the selection process.

Josh Hawkins and Mike Sawyer were both taken in the first round, going fifth and eighth overall to the Hamilton Nationals and Charlotte Hounds, respectively.

Scott Ratliff was the first pick of the second round, going ninth to the Boston Cannons, and Davis Butts was taken early in the third round, 19th overall to the Denver Outlaws. Joining Hawkins in Hamilton will be Reid Acton, the team’s fourth round pick, 26th overall.

Big Runs

Last season, runs of three-plus goals were critical in the Greyhounds success, as they had runs of 3-0 or better in all 19 games. In all, Loyola scored three or more in a row on 37 occasions last year.

The Greyhounds have continued the trend this year, scoring three or more in a row 20 times and have had runs of 3-0 or better in every game but one (Maryland).

Second-Half Success

Last season, the Greyhounds outscored opponents 66-22 in the third quarters of games, and 123-63 overall in the second half (including overtime). The second-half scoring continued a trend from 2011 when Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56.

This year, Loyola is outscoring opponents 54-25 in the third quarter and 87-57 overall after halftime.

Updating the Tigers
Towson finished the 2013 regular season with a 13-6 win over visiting Saint Joseph’s Saturday, April 27 at Unitas Stadium. Juniors Thomas DeNapoli and Andrew Hodgson each had two goals and three assists in the win. Junior John Fennessy scored his first career goal on a 65-yard shot off a feed from goalie Andrew Wascavage.

Towson at the CAA Tournament
The Tigers have made eight appearances in the league tournament since joining the CAA in 2002. Towson is 9-5 overall in the tournament and has won three conference tournament titles. The Tigers are 2-0 against Drexel, 3-0 against Hofstra, 1-1 versus UMass and have never played Penn State in the CAA Tournament. They are 1-1 on the road in the tournament. This season is the first time Towson has been a No. 3 seed. The Tigers’ last win in the tournament came on May 5, 2010 when the No. 1 seed Tigers defeated No. 4  seed UMass 13-6.

CAAs – Tigers vs. Dragons
Towson and Drexel have met just twice in the CAA tournament. Both times, the Tigers have come out the victors. In 2003, the No. 1-seeded Tigers handily defeated the Dragons, 17-2 in the semifinals before winning the title. In 2009, the teams played again. Towson claimed an 10-2 victory as the No. 2 seed over the No. 3 seed Drexel. Both games were in the semifinals.

A New Experience
Only 12 current Tigers have experience at a CAA Tournament game in their careers - Thomas DeNapoli,Andrew Hodgson, Matt Hughes, John Fennessy, Andrew Wascavage, JoJo Ostrander, Billy Choiniere, Rob Zoppo, Jordan Fortmann, Justin Mabus, John Paukovits, and Greg Cuccinello. Of those players, only Hughes has played in two CAA tournament games.

Towson-Drexel Series History
Towson leads the all-time series, 37-7. It began in 1962 and was contested annually until 1973 when it went on hiatus for seven years. The Tigers have separate win streaks of 23 games (1965-1997) and 10 games (1999-2007) against the Dragons.

Towson-Drexel By the Numbers

Honorable Mention: Pro Wrestling-Ring of Honor Border Wars 2013 (Saturday 7:30pm from Toronto live on Pay-Per-View); Pro Lacrosse: MLL Long Island Lizards @ Chesapeake Bayhawks (Saturday 7pm from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium live on Comcast SportsNet/ESPN3.com); Women’s College Lacrosse: Selection Sunday (Sunday 9pm NCAA.com)

10. Foreigner (Friday 8pm Pier Six Pavilion), Earth, Wind & Fire (Sunday 7:30pm Pier Six Pavilion); M3 Rock Festival feat. Bret Michaels, Twisted Sister (Friday & Saturday Merriweather Post Pavilion); The Lone Bellow (Thursday 7:30pm West Mt. Vernon Park); Papa Roach (Wednesday 8pm Rams Head Live), Limp Bizkit (Friday 9pm Rams Head Live); Old Man Brown (Friday 8pm 8×10 Club); Fear Factory (Sunday 8pm Baltimore Soundstage); Howie Day (Sunday 8pm Rams Head on Stage); Kris Allen (Friday 9pm Rams Head Center Stage); Art Attack feat. MGMT (Friday 6pm Byrd Stadium); Jim James (Tuesday 7pm 9:30 Club), Tedeschi Trucks Band (Wednesday 7pm 9:30 Club), Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite (Thursday 7pm 9:30 Club), Foals (Sunday 7pm 9:30 Club), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Monday 7pm 9:30 Club); Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers (Thursday 8:30pm State Theatre); Chili Cook-Off feat. Soundgarden, AWOLNation, Silversun Pickups, Capital Cities (Saturday RFK Stadium); “Iron Man 3: Heroes Fall” and Kenny Chesney “Life on a Rock” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

When I heard The Lone Bellow was coming I legitimately nearly cancelled my trip to Louisville. Crikes they’re tremendous.

Can someone call Old Man Brown for me and ask if they’ll play my wedding?

I wish someone would force MGMT and Chiddy Bang to do a record together.

Look, I’m a warm-blooded mammal and all so Soundgarden is great…but don’t you sorta feel like Soundgarden actually limits the brilliance of Chris Cornell’s vocals sometimes?

9. “Iron Man 3” out in theaters (Friday); “Silver Linings Playbook” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); TowsonTown Festival (Saturday & Sunday Downtown Towson); Kinetic Sculpture Race (Saturday American Visionary Art Museum/Inner Harbor)

Ask the question “if you could trade places with any fictional person ever” to an adult male. If they say anything besides “Tony Stark”, kick them out of our country.

Also, I have no idea what a “Kinetic Sculpture Race” is, but a Google Image Search provided me WHAT THE F*CK?

(Continued on Page 2…)

Fletcher Earns Final ECAC Defensive Player Of Week Award

CENTERVILLE, Mass. – Loyola University Maryland junior defender Joe Fletcher received the final ECAC Lacrosse League Defensive Player of the Week award for the 2013 season Monday after helping the Greyhounds defeat host Johns Hopkins University, 8-4, on Saturday.

Fletcher, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., was a big part of the Greyhounds’ defense that held the Blue Jays scoreless for the final 29 minutes, 18 seconds of the game and limited them to 1-of-19 shooting after halftime.

He had marking responsibilities for Johns Hopkins’ leading scorer, Wells Stanwick who entered the game averaging 4.0 points per game. Fletcher held him to just one point, an assist that came in transition off a Blue Jays’ faceoff win.

Fletcher helped Loyola force 16 Johns Hopkins turnovers, picking up five ground balls to lead all Loyola players. He also was instrumental in the Greyhounds’ clearing game, as Loyola went 20-of-20 in that statistical category.

The award is Fletcher’s third of the season, tying him for the most this year by any player in the league.

Loyola opens play in the ECAC Championships on Thursday, May 2, at Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y., where it will face Ohio State University in the semifinals at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Networks, Fox College Sports and FUEL TV.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 1 Maryland topped North Carolina 12-8 to capture its fifth straight Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Lacrosse Championship Sunday at Fetzer Field.

The Terps (19-0) were led by hat tricks from Brooke Griffin, Beth Glaros and Taylor Cummings. Katie Schwarzmann - who was named ACC Championship Most Valuable Player for the second straight season – tied a championship game record with four assists against the Tar Heels (14-3).

A tightly-contested first half began with both teams feeling out the wet conditions at Fetzer. It would be Maryland who would strike first with a Griffin goal at 27:00. North Carolina answered exactly three minutes later with a tally from Abbey Friend. Maryland’s rookie tandem put the Terps back on top with a Cummings goal from Halle Majorana at 17:47.

UNC’s Brittany Coppa and Kara Cannizzaro gave the Heels their first lead of the game with scores at 16:39 and 10:38 but Maryland surged ahead with three unanswered goals to cap the half with a 5-3 advantage at the break.

Kasey Howard led a solid defensive stand in the first half, tallying seven saves in the first 30 minutes alone.

The Terps kept that momentum rolling into the second, with three additional unanswered goals in the first five minutes of the stanza – including two from Griffin – for a decisive 8-3 advantage.

UNC finally stopped the scoring stretch with a goal from Emily Garrity at 24:11 but goals by Alex Aust, Griffin and Erin Collins extended the Maryland lead to 11-4. The Terps recorded six goals in the first 11 minutes of the period.

After a Cummings goal gave Maryland an eight-goal cushion with 14 minutes left, UNC recorded four straight to shrink the lead to five but the Terps held on for their 10th ACC tournament crown.

Maryland recorded a season-high 29 ground balls in arguably its best defensive performance of the year. Kelly McPartland, Iliana Sanza, Melissa Diepold and Cummings registered four apiece.

“I’m just so proud of this team and especially our senior class,” head coach Cathy Reese, who led Maryland to a fourth-straight win against Carolina in the title game, said. “We knew it was going to be a battle. You have two very talented teams playing against each other. I thought we played a great game defensively, probably the best we’ve played all season defensively. On offense, we were pretty smart with our decision making, especially in the second half, which allowed us to pull away with the win.”

In addition to Schwarzmann, Beth Glaros, Aust, Griffin, Cummings, and Howard were tabbed to the all-tournament team.

Maryland has next weekend off before it discovers its NCAA tournament destiny when the bracket is announced Sunday, May 5.

TOWSON, Md. – Junior John Fennessy, sophomore Max Siskind, and freshman Chris Vetter each scored their first career goal as Towson Lacrosse (8-7, 4-2 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)) claimed a 13-6 victory over Saint Joseph’s (5-11, 1-5 CAA) Saturday evening at Johnny Unitas® Stadium.

Sophomore Greg Cuccinello posted his first career hat trick with a career-high four goals, while juniors Thomas DeNapoli each scored a pair of goals for the Tigers. DeNapoli also dished out a career-high tying three assists in the win. Senior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage recorded 12 saves, including 10 in the second half.

Fennessy opened the scoring at 13:14 with a 65-yard shot that bounced into an empty net after SJU’s Austin Keen left the crease. Almost three minutes later, Cuccinello scored his first goal of the game off an assist from Hodgson. Siskind scored just under a minute later, beating the Hawks’ keeper from just outside the crease. Cuccinello took advantage of a man-up opportunity off a feed from DeNapoli at 5:35 – exactly four minutes after Siskind’s tally. Hodgson gave Towson a 5-0 lead when he shot while falling to the ground and found the back of the net.

Joe McErlean finally got the Hawks on the board 12 seconds into the second quarter. Senior Matt Hughesscored for Towson at 12:59 to push the lead back to five goals before Johnny Simanski posted a goal for St. Joe’s at 3:35. Hodgson gave the Tigers a 7-2 lead with 2:24 remaining in the first half.

The third quarter was quiet offensively. DeNapoli tallied his first goal of the game off a feed from Hodgson at 6:44. The third different Hawk to score for SJU was Williams when he beat Wascavage high left at 4:58. But Cuccinello’s third goal of the game – his first career hat trick – and Vetter’s tally at 1:30 extended the Tigers’ advantage to 10-3.

The Hawks scored back-to-back goals at the start of the fourth frame when Williams added his second and Will Abbott picked up a ground ball off a SJU face-off win, took it down and scored. However, sophomore Cory Dobyns tallied his first goal back after missing two games with an injury when he buried a pass from DeNapoli at 13:00.

Saint Joseph’s continued to hang around. Williams posted a hat trick with a goal at 10:42 to inch the Hawks to within five, 11-6.

Towson next faces Drexel in the CAA Tournament semifinals at Penn State on Wednesday, May 1 at 5:30 p.m.

NOTES: Fennessy, Siskind, and Vetter each scored their first career goals … Hughes scored a goal on Senior Night … Cuccinnello posted his first hat trick …

College Men’s Lacrosse: Saint Joseph 0, Towson 0
Saint Joseph’s (5-10, 1-4 CAA)               0-2-1-0/0
Towson (7-7, 3-2 CAA)                           5-2-3-0/0

GOALS: SJU – Simanski, McErlean; TOW – Hodgson 2, Cuccinello 2, Siskind, Hughes, Fennesy. ASSISTS:SJU – Dougherty; TOW – DeNapoli 2, Hodgson, McCarty. SAVES: SJU – Keen (X, 60:00, X GA); TOW – Wascavage (X, 60:00, X GA). SHOTS: SJU – 15; TOW – 29. GROUND BALLS: SJU – 7; TOW – 11. FACE-OFFS: SJU – 5-11; TOW – 6-11. CLEARS: SJU – 6-9; TOW – 4-4. EMO: SJU – 0-2; TOW 1-1. ATT: 1739.

BALTIMORE- UMBC freshman midfielder Pat Young scored his fourth goal with 1:18 remaining and the host Retrievers outlasted Binghamton, 10-9, to clinch a berth in the America East Tournament for the tenth consecutive year.

UMBC (6-7, 3-2 America East) has participated in the four-team championship in all ten of its league campaigns. The Bearcats were eliminated from tournament play and finish the season at 5-9, 1-4.

The 2013 America East Championship will open at LaValle Stadium in Stony Brook, N.Y., with the semifinal contests taking place on Thursday, May 2 and the title game occurring on May 4.

Young, who led the Retrievers with four scores, scored his third game-winning goal of the season. He also recorded the game-winner with less than three minutes remaining in a 13-12 win at Stony Brook on April 13.

“It was a typical America East game-for our conference to have five teams still in the hunt on the last week of the regular season is pretty special,“ said head coach Don Zimmerman. “It’s Senior Day, it’s emotional. It’s always a little bit of a struggle on Senior Day, but I am very proud of the team, the way they hung in there, came back from several deficits and came back in the end.”

The game was tied on eight occasions, as the Retrievers trailed by one goal six times and 8-6 late in the third quarter. The Bearcats took the lone two-goal advantage of the game on a goal by attackman Matt Springer with 18 seconds to play in the third stanza. But UMBC snatched momentum back as senior attackman/midfielder Joe Lustgarten (Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) netted a desperation shot with less than one second remaining in the stanza.

Young knotted the game at 8-all 2:42 into the final quarter, beating BU netminder Max Schefler low from 11 yards away. UMBC would then take its first lead of the game, as senior middie Dave Brown (Coopersburg, Pa./The Hill School) found Matt Gregoire (Crofton, Md./South River) inside and the senior attackman converted from close range with 8:55 remaining.

Binghamton’s Emmett O’Hara brought his side back to even, tallying with 3:29 remaining and the Bearcats won the ensuing draw. But BU hit the side-netting on a shot with 1:52 to play and the Retrievers cleared and called a time-out. Junior midfielder Conor Finch (Westminster, Md./Boys’ Latin) drove down the right alley and dumped a pass back to Young, who stepped into a 10-yard shot and it ticked the stick of Schefler before hitting the back of the net.

UMBC won the next face-off and never allowed the Bearcats to possess the ball in the final minute of play.

The Retrievers, now 39-13 in ten years of America East Conference play, have never lost back-to-back conference contests. UMBC improved to 22-4 at UMBC Stadium vs. AEC foes during the regular year and to 8-0 vs. Binghamton on the friendly turf in Baltimore.

Young and Springer each scored four times for their respective teams. Lustgarten added two goals and an assist for UMBC, while Gregoire recorded a pair of goals and now has 15 in league play in 2013.

Both goalkeepers excelled in the contest. UMBC sophomore Wes DiRito (Odenton, Md./DeMatha) turned away 12 Binghamton shots, while Schefler also recorded 12 saves. The Retrievers outshot the Bearcats, 35-27.