OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The No. 12 Salisbury University men’s lacrosse team’s title defense came to an end on Sunday night at Mustang Stadium, as the Sea Gulls fell to No. 4 Stevenson University, 12-6, in an NCAA Division III semifinal game; this marked the fourth-straight semifinal appearance for the Gulls, but the first loss in the round since 1998 and the first time failing to make the national championship since 2009.

Stevenson jumped out to an early lead on the Sea Gulls, starting the game with a three-goal run. Less than two minutes into the game, at the 13:27 mark, Mark Pannenton scored for the Mustangs to begin the run. Pannenton blocked a pass by junior goalkeeper Alex Taylor and retrieved the ground ball for a one-on-one chance.

Freshman attackman Brady Dashiell, Salisbury’s leader with three goals, stopped the run with the Sea Gulls’ first goal to cut the lead; junior attackman Rhett DePol passed across the crease to an open Dashiell, who put the ball home in the right side of the cage. Dashiell and DePol both tallied four points to lead the Gulls, as DePol registered a team-high three assists.

The quarter ended with two goals from the Mustangs, as Salisbury entered the second quarter trailing, 5-1.

The Gulls took little time getting onto the scoreboard in the second, scoring two goals in the first two minutes of the period.

At the 14:05 mark, Dashiell had the ball near the right sideline, before dodging his defender, running to the crease and beating the Mustang’s keeper for his second goal. He then assisted DePol just 64 seconds later, passing the ball to DePol, who faked the goalie on the crease and scored low to cut the lead to 5-3.

After getting within two, the Sea Gulls gave up a four-goal run to the Mustangs to end the half. Chris Dashiell scored three during the run for Stevenson, and Salisbury entered halftime trailing, 9-3.

At the half, Salisbury was trailing in shots, 22-16, and faceoffs won, 2-of-6, but the Sea Gulls were successful on 5-of-7 clears.

Both teams scored only one goal in the third quarter, with Tyler Smith ripping a shot from 15 yards for the Sea Gulls, and the score entering the fourth quarter was 10-4.

While holding the Mustangs to the single score, the Gulls were unable to jump at the chance to gain some ground. “We did create some opportunities during that run,” Head Coach Jim Berkman said. “We just weren’t able to capitalize.”

To start the final quarter, Stevenson’s Tyler Reid scored at the 13:05 mark to increase the Mustang’s lead to 11-4, but two goals from the Sea Gulls cut the lead to five with just over six minutes remaining.

Brady Dashiell completed his hat trick by taking a pass from DePol and netting a shot from the right wing.

Smith tallied his second on a man-up chance; he took a pass from junior midfielder Greg Korvin and whizzed a low shot from 20 yards past the keeper.

The Mustangs scored again late to cap the game.

Taylor played all 60 minutes for the Gulls in the cage and made nine saves in the effort.

Despite the 2013 season coming to an end, the Sea Gulls were a young team this season that now has good experience moving forward. “There are some young guys that definitely got their feet wet and hopefully got some great experience,” Berkman said. “It will really pay dividends in the future.”

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Senior Tewaaraton finalist Alex Aust led top-seeded Maryland to a 14-9 victory over Duke in the quarterfinals of the 2013 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship Saturday.

With the win, the Terps (21-0) punched their ticket to a fifth-straight national semifinal and will face Syracuse Friday at Villanova Stadium. Aust recorded five goals and added two assists. The Sterling, Va., native also moved into third all-time in points (119) in single season history at Maryland.

After being stymied in the beginning of the Stony Brook match in the second round, the Terps wasted no time getting their attack rolling against the Blue Devils, notching the first two tallies of the game in the first seven minutes of play. Brooke Griffin and Halle Majorana put Maryland up with a pair of unassisted scores before Duke landed on the scoreboard with a goal at 20:25.

A pair of goals at 19:13 and 14:52 by Aust and fellow attacker Kristen Lamon extended the Terrapin lead to 4-1 before the two teams exchanged goals twice for a 6-3 score with five minutes remaining. The Terps would outscore Duke 2-1 down the stretch in the first half to carry a solid 8-4 cushion into the break.

Maryland preserved that momentum early in the second half, adding on to its four-goal lead with three early tallies in the stanza. Aust played a hand in all three, scoring goals at 26:30 and 22:44 and assisting on a Katie Schwarzmann score in-between.

Duke posted its first goal of the period with a Maddy Morissey score at 21:55 but Maryland compiled a devastating 3-0 run in-and-around the 17-minute mark – courtesy of goals from Schwarzmann, Griffin and Beth Glaros - to mount a 14-5 advantage with 15 minutes to play.

Duke turned up the heat with four goals in the final seven minutes of play, but Maryland would hold on for the 14-9 win, the last for eight Terrapin seniors at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex.

Maryland benefited from a balanced attack with seven goal-scorers on the day. Griffin added three goals and two assists and Schwarzmann tallied a pair of scores to aid the attack.

Defensively, senior Kasey Howard recorded seven saves in the cage. Aust, Schwarzmann and Cummings combined for 10 ground balls. Cummings and fellow freshman Alice Mercer led the way with two caused turnovers each.

“Congratulations to Duke. It was a fun game, a hard-fought game and I don’t think you’d expect anything less when you get a Maryland-Duke rivalry,” head coach Cathy Reese said. “For us, we are thrilled to be in the position we are in. We’re excited and looking forward to being one of the final four teams standing and heading to the final four next week.”

Maryland – which is headed to its nation-leading 21st final four – will play fourth-seeded Syracuse next Friday in the national semifinals at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pa.

Courtesy of Bovada, (www.Bovada.lv, Twitter: @BovadaLV).

2013-14 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship – Odds to Win     

Kentucky                              5/1

Kansas                                 11/2

Louisville                              17/2

Michigan State              12/1

Duke                            14/1

Arizona                                 15/1

North Carolina                    16/1

Florida                                  18/1

Ohio State                    20/1

Syracuse                              25/1

Connecticut                         33/1

Indiana                                  33/1

Memphis                              33/1

Michigan                              33/1

Colorado                              40/1

UCLA                            40/1

Baylor                           50/1

Creighton                      50/1

Georgetown                        50/1

Gonzaga                       50/1

Iowa                                       50/1

Marquette                            50/1

Missouri                               50/1

NC State                       50/1

New Mexico                        50/1

Oklahoma State            50/1

Pittsburgh                            50/1

St. Louis                              50/1

VCU                             50/1

Wisconsin                            50/1

Butler                                     66/1

Illinois                                    66/1

Minnesota                            66/1

St. John’s                     66/1

Tennessee                           66/1

UNLV                            66/1

Villanova                       66/1

Virginia                                 66/1

Wichita State                 66/1

Florida State                 75/1

Notre Dame                  75/1

Alabama                               100/1

Arizona State                100/1

BYU                             100/1

California                             100/1

Cincinnati                             100/1

Iowa State                     100/1

Kansas State                100/1

Miami Florida                     100/1

Ole Miss                       100/1

Oregon                                 100/1

Purdue                          100/1

San Diego State            100/1

Stanford                       100/1

Texas                                    100/1

Vanderbilt                     100/1

West Virginia                      100/1

Arkansas                              150/1

Boise State                   150/1

Colorado State              150/1

Dayton                                  150/1

St. Mary’s                     150/1

Temple                                  150/1

USC                             150/1

LSU                              150/1

Georgia                                200/1

Georgia Tech                200/1

Harvard                         200/1

Maryland                              200/1

Oklahoma                            200/1

Texas A&M                   200/1

Washington                         200/1

Washington State          200/1

Xavier                           200/1

Clemson                       250/1

Davidson                      250/1

South Carolina                   250/1

St. Joe’s                       250/1

Virginia Tech                 250/1

Wake Forest                       250/1

Boston College                 500/1

Northwestern                 500/1

Mississippi State           500/1

Andrew Wiggins – Will he be selected #1 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft?    

Yes                   -300     (1/3)

No                    +200     (2/1)

Andrew Wiggins – Average PPG in the 2013-14 NCAA Basketball Season?

Over/Under                   18

“How long must we sing this song?”

It was a “Bloody Sunday” indeed for the three Maryland teams in the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament. Sixth seeded Maryland was blown out by Cornell, upstart Towson was rocked at Ohio State and defending national champion Loyola fell to Duke in double overtime after coughing up a four goal second half advantage.

The rest of the NCAA Tournament isn’t going to be cancelled, it will just seem irrelevant to those of us in this area. (Other than the handful that will still wander to Byrd Stadium next Saturday to see Ohio State, Cornell, Syracuse and Yale, that is. I imagine the crowd size will make a Maryland/James Madison football game look like a packed house.) It is particularly disappointing considering the 2012 NCAA Championship Game was an all-Old Line State affair between the Greyhounds and Terrapins.

For the Tigers, the loss marked the end of a season that lasted two or three games longer than anyone could have expected after a 3-5 start. (Worse, a 3-5 start that included a loss to High Point-playing only their second game ever in program history and the first of only three wins all season for the Panthers.) Shawn Nadelen’s team made great strides in the CAA his second season as head coach and the blowout loss to the Buckeyes was to be expected by most. It would be hard for Towson fans to get away with labeling themselves as particularly disappointed with the result.

For the Hounds, the nature of their season-ending setback at the hands of the Blue Devils had to be considered particularly disappointing. Loyola had an 8-4 lead in the second half and appeared to have essentially clinched victory before Face-Off Specialist Blake Burkhart’s final minute goal was waived off because head coach Charley Toomey had called timeout just a split second earlier. Loyola was a legitimate contender to return to the Final Four, but the heartbreak shouldn’t be misconstrued as disappointment. What Loyola accomplished a season ago in Foxborough should have never been viewed as a measuring stick for the program’s success. It was a remarkable run unlikely to be accomplished with any sort of regularity. The Greyhounds had a very successful season (including their first win over Johns Hopkins since 1999) with a very tough end.

And then there’s the Terps. The same team that coming off two consecutive trips to the NCAA Championship Game was believed to be a legitimate national championship contender. After winning their rematch with the Greyhounds in Baltimore in February, the Terps took over the #1 ranking in both polls and held it almost exclusively until mid-April. Conversation within crowds of Maryland alums was set around the idea that this group was finally primed to claim the school’s first national championship since 1975.

1975…it seems more and more impossible every time I think about it. For what it’s worth, only eight schools have combined to win the 37 championships since Maryland last claimed lacrosse glory. Still, the drought remains staggering for the flagship university in the state most closely associated with the sport.

(Continued on Page 2…)

Duke Slips Past Men’s Lacrosse In Double Overtime Thriller

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke University’s Case Mathias scored the game-tying goal with 55 seconds left in regulation, and he tallied the game-winner two minutes, 20 seconds into the second overtime period, and the seventh-seeded Blue Devils defeated visiting Loyola University Maryland, 12-11, on Sunday in NCAA Championships First Round action at Koskinen Stadium.

Duke (12-5 overall) and Loyola (11-5) traded turnovers on the Blue Devils offensive end in the final scramble, as Blue Devil long-stick midfielder Luke Duprey picked up a ground ball and got the ball to Mathias.

Mathias then raced in from the right side and slid a shot inside the near post for the winning tally. His shot ended a game that featured a combined 98 shots and 35 saves by the goalkeepers.

Loyola goalkeeper Jack Runkel posted a career-high 22 saves, far outdistancing his previous best of 15 that came last year in an NCAA Semifinal win over Notre Dame. He is the first Loyola goalkeeper to post 20 or more saves since Michael Fretwell made 21 against Hobart in 2005.

Runkel made saved in the final five seconds of both the first and third quarters and one with 13 ticks left in regulation.

The Blue Devils score the game’s first goal just 53 seconds in on an unassisted Jordan Wolf tally, but the Greyhounds responded with three in a row, two coming on extra-man scored by Brian Schultz and Sean O’Sullivan. Nikko Pontrello’s goal with 3:17 in the first quarter was the Greyhounds’ first six-on-six score of the day, and it gave Loyola a 3-1 lead.

Duke’s Deemer Class scored the second quarter’s first goal, 2:19 in, but Chris Layne beat his defender down the middle and shot a pass to Zach Herreweyers, and the freshman sparked a 4-0 Loyola rally with a four-yard shot at 8:12.

O’Sullivan dodged hard to his left and then reversed a pass right to Mike Sawyer who ripped a goal at 5:31, and then Josh Hawkins executed a one-man clear and scored from inside three yards at 4:59.

Herreweyers scored his second of the quarter dodging from goal-line extended on the right side at 3:06, putting Loyola in front 7-2.

Duke got two back before the half, the first on a Josh Dionne extra-man goal, and the second when David Lawson scored with 1:07 left before halftime, pulling the Blue Devils back within three, 7-4.

Loyola got the first goal of the second half as a Runkel save keyed a Greyhounds’ transition run that Scott Ratliff capped with his 14^thgoal of the season, extending his single-season goal scoring record for a long-pole at Loyola.

Duke, however, reeled off four in a row, and Myles Jones’ post-up goal with 1:57 left in the third quarter tied the score at 8-8.

Matt Sawyer, however, put Loyola back in front with 12:41 on the fourth-quarter clock, scoring off a Justin Ward assist on an extra-man opportunity.

Wolf, however, tied it back up 25 seconds later, and Josh Offit goal at 9:20 put Duke in front for the first time since Schultz’s goal with 10:35 to play in the first quarter tied the score at 1-1.

The Greyhounds responded with two goals in a row, with several Runkel saves mixed in between Mike Sawyer took a Ward feed and scorched a 13-yard shot on a man-up at 8:39, tying the score at 10-10, and Herreweyers tallied his team-high third of the game with 3:32 left, again on a Ward assist, to give Loyola an 11-10 advantage.

Ward finished with five assists, tying his career-high.

Mathias’ goal at 1:05 came from in front of the goal after Lawson hit the post. Mathias scooped the rebound into the net, tying the game at 11-11.

Loyola won the ensuing faceoff, but the Greyhounds turned it over, and Duke has possession with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

Greg DeLuca ran the clear, but Runkel saved his shot with fewer than 15 seconds remaining in regulation.

In the first overtime, Runkel made saves on shots by Wolf and Matheis, and the Greyhounds killed a 30-second penalty in the process.

Loyola had a man-advantage in the final 30 seconds, but the Greyhounds’ first shot was wide, and the second was saved by Kyle Turri as one of his 13 in the game with just over 10 seconds left.

Runkel made a save on an Offit shot 48 seconds into the second overtime, but Loyola turned it over after clearing it to its offensive end. Duke cleared the ball, setting up the final flurry where the teams traded turnovers and Matheis scored the winner.

Hererweyers and Matheis tied for game-high honors with three goals each, while Mike Sawyer scored twice and assisted on another for Loyola. O’Sullivan, Ratliff, Hawkins, Pontrello, Schutz and Matt Sawyer each had single goals for the Greyhounds.

Columbus, Ohio – No. 3 Ohio State held No. 17 Towson to two goals in the second half en route to a 16-6 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday afternoon at Ohio State.

Towson (10-8) scored two of the first three goals before Ohio State (12-4) asserted itself, scoring four straight goals and holding an 8-4 lead at halftime. The Buckeyes’ defense improved in the second half, holding Towson scoreless for 14:46 over the second and third quarters and for 12:27 over the third and fourth quarters.

Junior Andrew Hodgson led the Tigers with a hat trick, while senior Matt Hughes posted two goals for the second straight game. Logan Schuss had a game-high six points on three goals and three assists for Ohio State. Senior Andrew Wascavage made eight saves for the Tigers, while Greg Dutton stopped seven shots for the Buckeyes.

“I want to commend Ohio State on an excellent game today,” said Head Coach Shawn Nadelen. “That said, we can’t make as many mistakes as we did today, we can’t allow them so many opportunities as far as possession times. They are a very balanced team and a very dangerous offense.

“I’m extremely proud of our team this year, and how they competed from the start to the finish. We didn’t start strong, but we finished strong. We were one of 16 teams to play in the NCAA tournament. A lot of people didn’t give us a chance, but our guys believed in themselves and put in the effort to get us to this point, back into the conversation as being a top team in the country.”

The Tigers won the opening face-off and worked the ball quickly down into the Buckeyes’ defensive zone. Sophomore Greg Cuccinello moved down the left side of the field and passed to Hughes who was waiting right in front of the cage. Hughes continued his stellar end-of-season play, posting the game’s first goal at 14:13.

Just under five minutes later, Schuss equalized for OSU unassisted at 9:16. The Tigers got strong play from their defense in the first quarter, particularly sophomore JoJo Ostrander and junior Jordan Fortmann. A caused turnover by Ostrander late in the third quarter led to a goal from Hodgson, off a feed from sophomore Justin Mabus, that gave Towson a 2-1 lead at 5:37 in the first quarter.

OSU’s King knotted the score at 2-2 with under two minutes remaining in the first quarter, and Carter Brown gave the Buckeyes the lead with 29 seconds left in the quarter, 3-2. Ohio State picked up a controversial David Planning goal as time expired on the first frame to hold a 4-2 advantage.

A series of quick passes led to King’s second goal for the Buckeyes at 14:09 in the second, but Towson’s Hodgson answered with his second of the game at 13:31 to inch the Tigers closer, 5-3. King’s third goal and a fast break tally from Dominique Alexander at 5:40 pushed the Buckeyes’ margin to four, 7-3. Hodgson then notched his second hat trick of the season with 2:06 left in the half. But confusion over the timer and possession led to another Ohio State goal, and the Buckeyes held an 8-4 advantage at the half.

Ohio State went on a tear in the second half, outscoring the Tigers 8-2 over the two frames. Cuccinello scored a goal at 2:52 in the third quarter and Hughes added his second at 5:26 in the fourth for Towson.

Towson finishes the season at 10-8, 4-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).

NOTES: Towson scored first for the eighth time this season (6-1) … Senior Matt Hughes scored two goals for the first straight game … Junior Andrew Hodgson posted his fourth straight multi-goal game and second hat trick of the season … the game marked Towson’s 11^th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2007.

College Men’s Lacrosse: No. 17 Towson 6, No. 3 Ohio State 16
Towson (10-8)              2-2-1-1/6
Ohio State (13-3)          4-4-4-4/16

GOALS: TOW – Hodgson 3, Hughes 2, Cuccinello; OSU – King 4, Schuss 3, Brown 3, Planning 2, Alexander, Evans, Kapinos, Liddil. ASSISTS: TOW – Cuccinello, DeNapoli, Mabus; OSU – Alexander 3, Schuss 3, Planning 2, Brown, Crawford, Evans, King. SAVES: TOW – Wascavage (8, 60:00, 16 GA); OSU – Dutton (7, 60:00, 6 GA).SHOTS: TOW – 23; OSU – 40. GROUND BALLS: TOW – 23; OSU – 34. FACE-OFFS: TOW – 5-24; OSU – 19-24. CLEARS: TOW – 14-16; OSU – 14-15. EMO: TOW – 0-0; OSU 2-4. ATT: 2358.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland’s men’s lacrosse team’s season came to an end with a 16-8 loss to Cornell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday afternoon at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium.

The Terps finishes the season with a 10-4 record, while the Big Red advance to next weekend’s NCAA quarterfinals with a 13-3 mark.

Cornell jumped out to an early two-goal lead scoring twice in the first minute and a half of action. Matt Donovan and Steve Mock gave the Big Red the early advantage.

The Terps answered back at 11:04 when senior Jesse Bernhardt took an outlet pass from junior goalie Nike Amato the distance and scored on a 14-foot bouncer to cut the lead to 1-2.

Cornell finished out the scoring in the first quarter with two more goals. Mock added his second of the day and Rob Pannell extended to lead to 4-1.

Maryland again cut the Big Red advantage to one by opening up the second quarter with two goals of its own. Junior Mike Chanenchuk took a feed from senior Kevin Cooper and finished the 10 yard rip to the top left corner at 13:24.

Senior John Haus added his first goal of the day at 9:57 to cut the Big Red lead to 4-3. Senior Jake Bernhardt found Haus on the left wing and the senior overpowered the goalie with a stick-side high shot.

The Big Red answered back with two more goals to extend their lead to 6-3 with 7:41 remaining in the first half.

The Terps finished off the scoring in the first half when Cooper scored an unassisted goal on a nice inside move cutting under a Big Red defender at 6:01 to cut the Cornell lead to 4-6 heading into halftime.

Maryland and Cornell traded goals to open up the second half. After Pannell scored an unassisted goal, Haus answered with one of his own, tip-toeing the crease and finished inside the near pip at 10:37 to tighten the game to 7-5.

The Big Red refused to let the Terps get any closer as they answered with two more goals to again widen the gap to four at 9-5.

Sophomore Charlie Raffa scoped up a faceoff and took it down the right alley at 5:46 to cut the Cornell lead to 9-6. However, with just over 30 seconds remaining in the quarter Pannell scored his fourth goal of the game to put the Big Red up 10-6.

After Cornell scored two goals to open the fourth quarter, seniorOwen Blye scored an unassisted goal, coming around the right side of the cage at 8:09, to cut the lead to 12-7.

Cornell’s offense was simply too much though as Cornell scored four unanswered goals to put the game out of reach.

Maryland’s final goal came at 1:46 of the fourth with Jake Bernhardtscoring an unassisted goal on a dodge down the right alley.

Junior Niko Amato finished with 10 saves in just over 54 minutes of play, while Cornell’s AJ Fiore ended up with 12 stops.

In addition to his goal, Jesse Bernhardt caused five turnovers while scooping up a team high nine ground balls.

The game marked the final game of the careers for nine Maryland seniors; Jake Bernhardt, Owen Blye, Mike Scheeler,Landon Carr, Curtis Holmes, Billy Gribbin, John Haus, Jesse Bernhardt, and Kevin Cooper.

Game Notes:
• With today’s 16-8 loss, Maryland is now 13-3 all-time vs. Cornell.
• Maryland is now 48-34 all-time in NCAA tournament play and 14-4 in first round games.
• Senior Own Blye had one point to give him 109 for his career, which moves him past Bud Beardmore (1960-62) and Terry Kimball (1976-79) for sole-possession of 36th place on Maryland’s all-time points list.
• With two points on a goal and an assists, senior Kevin Cooper now has 21 multi-point games for his career.
• With two points on two goals, senior John Haus now has 27 multi-point and 14 multi-goal games for his career.
• Haus’ two points gives him 103 for his career, tying him with Steve La Vaulte (1966-68) for 41st on Maryland’s all-time points list.
• With two points on a goal and an assist, senior Jake Bernhardt now has 18 multi-point games for his career.
• With 10 saves, junior Niko Amato recorded his ninth game this season and 21st of his career with at least 10 saves.

Game Data

Loyola will make its 21 all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships and 19th at the Division I level when it takes on Duke University in the First Round on Sunday, May 12, 2013.

The game is slated for a 5:15 p.m. start from Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C.
Watch The Action

The ESPN family of networks will televise all 15 games of this year’s NCAA Championships, and Sunday’s Loyola-Duke game will air live on ESPNU.

Mike Corey will call the play-by-play action, and Ryan Flannigan will provide color analysis.

The game can also be seen on the WatchESPN mobile platform.
Series History

Sunday will be the 26th meeting all-time between the Blue Devils and the Greyhounds, with Duke holding a 15-10 advantage in the series.

Including this year, the teams have played during the regular-season for 14-straight seasons (since 2000). Sunday’s game will be the second time the programs have met in the NCAA Tournament. Duke defeated Loyola, 12-7, in the 2008 NCAA First Round in Durham.

The Blue Devils won this year’s regular-season meeting, 9-8, outscoring Loyola 5-3 in the fourth quarter. Josh Offit’s goal with 12:26 left in regulation gave Duke its first lead since the second quarter, 6-5, but Sean O’Sullivan struck on an extra-man opportunity for Loyola, and the Greyhounds tied the game less than two minutes later.

Offitt and Christian Walsh, however, scored back-to-back goals to put the Blue Devils in front for good.

Justin Ward had two goals and an assist for Loyola and was the Greyhounds’ only multi-point scorer in the game. Offitt, Josh Dionne, Case Matheis and Jordan Wolf all scored twice, while Wolf added two assists.

Scott Ratliff had seven ground balls and four caused turnovers on the defensive end for Loyola.

Duke had won five-straight over Loyola and eight of nine, before the Greyhounds defeated the Blue Devils, 13-8, on March 10, 2012, in Baltimore.

The series dates back to 1946.
In The Polls

Loyola enters the NCAA Championships ranked ninth in both the USILA coaches poll and in the Inside Lacrosse media ranking.

Duke is fourth in the coaches version, eighth in the media’s.
Last Time Out

Ohio State scored with 1:33 to play in the third quarter, opening an 8-0 run that closed the game, and the Buckeyes defeated Loyola, 18-11, on Thursday, May 2, in the ECAC Semifinals.

Mike Sawyer and Chris Layne scored at 6:49 and 3:59 in the third quarter to break a 9-9 tie and give the Greyhounds a 11-9 advantage, but the Buckeyes tied the game on a Logan Schuss goal 51 ticks into the fourth, and he added another goal 55 seconds later to put Ohio State up for good.

Schuss scored five goals and added an assist, while Jesse King tallied four goals and an assist and Dominique Alexander scored once and had five assists for the Buckeyes.

Sawyer scored four to lead Loyola, while Nikko Pontrello tallied two goals and two assists, and Davis Butts and Justin Ward each had a goal and two assists.

Scott Ratliff picked up eight ground balls for Loyola, helping the Greyhounds win 18-of-33 faceoffs in the game.
NCAA Championships History

Loyola is making its 21st all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships, 19th in Division I history (since 1982). The Greyhounds are 12-19 all-time in the tournament, 12-17 at the Division I level.

The Greyhounds won the first NCAA Division I Championship, in any sport, last season, when they defeated Maryland, 9-3, on Memorial Day. The win completed an 18-1 season for the Greyhounds in which they tied the NCAA Division I record for wins in a season, matching the 18-2 Duke team from 2008. Loyola entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed and defeated Canisius, Denver and Notre Dame en route to the title game.
Two Tewaaraton Nominees

The Greyhounds one of five programs nationwide with five men’s nominees for the 2013 Tewaaraton Award, and Loyola is one of six schools with at least one man and one woman nominated.

Scott Ratliff and Mike Sawyer were named Tewaaraton Award nominees for the second-straight season, as was Marlee Paton from the Loyola women’s team.

Ratliff enters NCAA Championships play as one of the top long-stick midfielders in the game. He has 75 ground balls and 29 caused turnovers, both tops among players in the ECAC, and he has some of the top offensive numbers for long-stick players in the game’s history with 13 goals and four assists this year.

Sawyer has been on a hot streak of late (more later) and now leads the Greyhounds with 34 goals. He is second on the team with 40 points, as well.
ECAC Honors

Scott Ratliff became the first player in ECAC Lacrosse League history to earn an end-of-the-year award from the conference in a different category. The senior long-stick midfielder was named the 2013 ECAC Specialist of the Year in unanimous fashion after earning ECAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2012.

Joe Fletcher was named the 2013 ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, and both he and Ratliff earned All-ECAC First Team honors.

Mike Sawyer, Justin Ward, Davis Butts and Reid Acton were named to the All-ECAC Second Team, while Zach Herreweyers and Justin Verratti claimed ECAC All-Rookie Team laurels.
Sawyer Keeps Scoring

Mike Sawyer recorded his fourth-straight hat trick in the ECAC Semifinals against Ohio State, the second time in his career he’s accomplished that feat. He previously scored three or more goals in five-consecutive games from March 7-21, 2012.

In the Greyhounds’ last four games, Sawyer has scored 15 goals while assisting on four. In his first nine this year, he tallied 19 goals and two assists. He has three four-goal games to go with a three-goal outing against Johns Hopkins.

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 15 goals in three games, Sawyer has leapt into the team lead for goals scored with 34 this season. He finished the regular-season as the ECAC leader in goals per game during conference games (2.47).

In 57 career games, Sawyer has scored 126 goals and has 25 assists for 151 points.

Earlier this year, against UMBC, he became the eighth player in school Division I history to reach 100 goals, and his 126 total place him are second-most on the program’s Division I career chart. He is seven back of Pat Lamon in first. Sawyer’s 151 points rank eighth in school Division I history.
Fletcher Continues Consistent Performance

Joe Fletcher earned ECAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the third time this season on May 7 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.

This season, Fletcher has picked up 57 ground balls and caused 17 turnovers.
Second Half Defensive Success

Loyola’s defense held Johns Hopkins to just one goal in the second half 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.
Defending The Midfield

Loyola did not allow an offensive midfielder to score for Johns Hopkins 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 eight 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.

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

He has put 17-of-28 shots on goal and scored on 35.7-percent of his total shots.

In 48 career games, Hawkins has scored 25 goals and has nine assists as a short-stick defender.
O’Sullivan Shooting On Target

Sean O’Sullivan has scored eight goals in the Greyhounds’ last five 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 20 points.

He matched his career-high with four goals against Denver, and 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 43 shots (.398 shot percentage), and he is putting 69.8-percent of his total shots on goal (30-of-43). 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 was held to less than two points. He rebounded, though, with a goal and two assists versus Ohio State for his 14th multi-point game in 15 games this year.

He has now tallied at least two points in all but one games this season, and he has three or more in 10 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 62 career assists, Ward is in seventh place on the school’s Division I career chart; 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 30 assists and 57 points. His 30 assists are tied for seventh in school single-season history.
CLASSy Senior Candidate

Three 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 seventh in school Division I history in career ground balls (216) and he is second in caused turnovers (88). His caused turnovers are two shy of tying the school record set by P.T. Ricci.
Crane A Finalist For Yeardley Love Unsung Hero Award

Freshman Jason Crane is one of five men’s players nationally to be a finalist for the Yeardley Love Unsung Hero Award. In January, Crane led a group of 13 of his teammates to Newtown, Conn., to put on a youth lacrosse clinic for members of the town affected by the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Crane and his teammates have kept up the connection with the Newtown Youth Lacrosse players, hosting them and their families at the April 13 game against Denver.
Pontrello Keeps Tallying Points

Nikko Pontrello tallied two goals and two assists in the ECAC Semifinal against and Ohio State, coming up with his fourth multi-goal game of the season in addition to three hat tricks (UMBC, Air Force, Ohio State regular-season).

In his first season as a starter, Pontrello has scored 15 goals while assisting on 19 for 34 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 21 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 58-29 in the third quarter and 81-69 overall after halftime.

Opening Face-Off
Both No. 17 Towson and No. 3 Ohio State earned their conference automatic qualifiers to the NCAA Tournament with 11-10 wins in their respective title games. The Tigers come into today’s contest on a three-game win streak, while the Buckeyes have won six straight games.

Updating the Tigers
Towson won their fourth Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tournament trophy and first since 2005 with an 11-10 win over No. 9 Penn State on May 3. Sophomore Greg Cuccinello scored his second hat trick of the season and senior Andrew Wascavage made 12 saves. The Tigers are making their 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Scouting the Buckeyes
Ohio State is the 2013 ECAC champion after running the table at the conference tournament. The Buckeyes are 4-2 at home but had a 6-1 record on the road. One of those wins came against a common opponent – Penn State (10-9 in OT). This season, OSU won its first four games before trading wins and losses over the next five games. Ohio State comes into Sunday’s contest on a six-game win streak. The Buckeyes score 11.20 goals per game and convert on 50 percent of their man-up opportunities. They also win 56.3 percent of their face-offs.

Last Time Out vs. Ohio State – March 20, 2007 (Towson 10, Ohio State
Towson jumped out to a 6-1 lead but had to turn back a furious Ohio State rally as the Tigers held on for a win in the teams’ first meeting in 40 years. Joel Dalgarno, Kevin Buchanan, and Jeff Ryan each had two goals to lead the Buckeyes. Towson’s Jonathan Engelke led all scorers with five goals.

Towson-Ohio State Series History
Ohio State owns a slim 3-2 advantage in the all-time series between the teams. Towson and OSU played four times in the 1960s; the Buckeyes won three. The last meeting between the teams occurred on March 20, 2007 when Towson claimed a 10-8 victory at home.

Towson-Ohio State By the Numbers

 
Towson in the NCAA Tournament
This year is the the Tigers’ 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since receiving an at-large bid in 2007. The Tigers have reached the Final Four twice – in 1991 and in 2001. In 1991, Towson played in the national championship game, falling to No. 1 North Carolina, 18-13. The Tigers are 7-10 overall in NCAA Tournament games and have a 3-1 record in first round contests. Towson has not reached a Final Four since the tournament expanded to a 16-team field.

2×2
For just the second time in Towson history, both the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams are in the NCAA Tournament in the same season. The last time the Tigers accomplished this feat was 2005. In the 2013 NCAA Tournament fields, there are just eight schools that have men’s and women’s lacrosse teams in the NCAA tournaments – Penn State, North Carolina, Maryland, Duke, Loyola, Notre Dame, Denver and Towson.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland men’s lacrosse team is the No. 6 seed in the 2013 NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament and will play host to Cornell on Sunday, May 12. Faceoff is set for 1 p.m. at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium, as the Terps (10-3) battle the Big Red (12-3) for the first time since 2000.

• The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2, as well as streamed on wireless devices with the WatchESPN app. Eamon McAnaney will provide the play-by-play, while the analysis will come from Paul Carcaterra.

• The Terps, who received an at-large bid, are making their 36th NCAA Tournament appearance, the second most of any school in NCAA history, while Cornell, which earned an at-large bid out of the Ivy League, is making its 25th appearance in the NCAA tournament.

• The winner of the Maryland/Cornell game will take on the winner of the No. 3 seed Ohio State (12-3)/Towson (10-7) game on Saturday, May 18 at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. The Buckeyes and Tigers play in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, May 12 at 3 p.m.

• Maryland finished the regular season with a 10-3 mark following its 18-6 victory over Colgate. Senior Kevin Cooper leads the Terps in points and assists with 40 and 21, respectively. Junior Mike Chanenchuk took over the team lead in goals with his three vs. Colgate and now has 22 for the season. Four other Terps have scored double-digit goals. Senior Owen Blye has 21, sophomore Jay Carlson has 20, while Jake Bernhardt and John Haus have 16 apiece. Defensively, junior Niko Amato has stopped 61.2 percent of the shots put on goal by opponents, which is second among starting goalies in the NCAA tournament field, and has a 7.42 goals-against average, which is third-best in the tournament field. Sophomore faceoff man Charlie Raffaleads the team with 72 groundballs, while senior Jesse Bernhardt leads the team with 20 caused turnovers.

• The Big Red come into the 2013 tournament with an overall mark of 12-3 after dropping a 13-12 decision in overtime to Princeton in the Ivy League semifinals on May 2. Senior attackman Rob Pannell, who was the 2011 Tewaaraton Award winner, leads Cornell with 80 points on 36 goals and a team-best 44 assists. Senior attackman Steve Mock has a team-best 48 goals to go along with nine assists. The Raiders main man at the faceoff X is junior Doug Tesoriero, who is winning .586 percent of his draw this season with a team-best 99 groundballs. Senior goalie AJ Fiore has started all 15 games for the Big Red and has a 8.69 goals-against average this season.

The Count Down
10 … Since 2002 Maryland has won 101 of the 110 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .918 winning percentage.
9 … Maryland is 119-26 in games since 2002 when it allows nine goals or less, for an .821 winning percentage.
8 … Niko Amato has a .577 save percentage in eight career NCAA tournament games.
7 … Kevin Cooper has seven career goals in NCAA tournament play.
6 … Maryland is 3-3 in six games as the No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament.
5 … Owen Blye had five points on a goal and four assists in last season’s first round tournament win at Lehigh.
4 … Only four Division I teams have a current streal of winning 10 or more games in a season for at least five seasons. Maryland leads that list with 11-straight 10+ win seasons.
3 … Andrew “Buggs” Combs had three goals in the last meeting between Maryland and Cornell – an 8-7 Terrapin win in 2000.t
2 … Maryland and Cornell are two of the six programs in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse that have at least 700 wins all-time.
1 … Only one program – Maryland – has earned a bid in every NCAA tournament since the field expanded to 16 in 2003.

Coaching Match-Up
• John Tillman is in his sixth season as a head coach, and third with the Terps, with a 54-33 career record for a 62.1 winning percentage. Tillman is 34-14 (.708) as Maryland’s head coach. He had a 20-19 record in three seasons as the head coach at Harvard.

• Cornell’s Ben DeLuca is in his third season as a head coach and has a 35-10 (.778) record, all with the Big Red.

Tillman In The NCAA Tournament
• The meeting with Cornell will be John Tillman’s ninth NCAA tournament game as a head coach.

• Maryland’s 10-9 victory at No. 7 seed Lehigh on May 13, 2012 made Tillman 2-0 in first round games. He improved to 2-0 in quarterfinals as well with an 11-5 win over No. 2 seed Johns Hopkins on May 19, 2012. He then improved to 2-0 in semifinals with the 16-10 win over No. 3 Duke on May 26, 2012. Overall, Tillman is 6-2 in NCAA tournament games.

• The win over Hopkins in the 2012 quarters made Tillman the only coach in NCAA history to guide two unseeded teams to back-to-back appearances in the Final Four.

• Maryland’s run to the 2011 NCAA title game gave Tillman his first four NCAA tournament games as a head coach. He had a 3-1 record after the Terps defeated No. 8 seed UNC in the first round on May 15, No. 1 seed Syracuse on May 22 and No. 5 seed Duke on May 28 before losing to No. 7 seed Virginia.

• As an assistant coach, Tillman helped guide Navy to four consecutive NCAA tournaments from 2004-07, including a run to the 2004 championship game.

Maryland’s 36th Time In The NCAA Tournament
All-Time NCAA Tournament Results

• Maryland is making its 36th overall NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012. The Terps have played in the second-most tournaments since the event began in 1971. Only Hopkins has played in more with 41 appearances. Virginia is third all-time with 35 NCAA appearances.

• The Terps have captured two NCAA championships, 1973 and 1975.

Maryland’s 11th-Straight Trip To The Tournament
• This season marks Maryland’s 11th-straight appearance in the NCAA tournament, which is the longest active streak in Division I men’s lacrosse. The Terps are the only program to appear in every NCAA tournament since the field was expanded to 16 teams in 2003.

Maryland’s Record In The NCAA Tournament
• The Terps have won the fourth-most Division I NCAA Tournament games, compiling a 48-33 overall record in 81 games. Only Johns Hopkins (67-32) and Syracuse (59-21) have won more Division I tournament games. Virginia (48-30) is tied with the Terps.

• Maryland is seventh by percentage (.593) among all teams ever to play in the tournament. Only Syracuse (59-21, .738), Princeton (30-14, .682), Johns Hopkins (67-32, .677), Duke (24-15, .615) and Virginia (48-30, .615) are ahead of the Terps.

• The Terps have captured two titles. Only eight other schools have ever won the NCAA Championship: Syracuse (10), Johns Hopkins (9), Princeton (6), North Carolina (4), Virginia (5), Cornell (3), Duke (1) and Loyola (1).

The Terps As The No. 6 Seed
• This marks the fourth time that Maryland has been named the No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Terps were previously a No. 6 seed in 1983, 1992 and 2000. The Terps have a 3-3 record as the No. 6 seed.

• In 1983, Maryland topped No. 3 seed Virginia in the first round, which was also the quarterfinals, by a 13-4 score. The Terps then lost to No. 2 seed Syracuse in the semifinals, 12-5.

• In 1992, beat Duke, 13-11, in the first round, but lost to No. 3 seed Princeton, 11-10, in the quarters.

• The 2000 tournament was also a 1-1 finish for the Terps with a first round victory over Hofstra, 14-12, and a 10-7 loss in the quarters to No. 3 seed Princeton.

Series History vs. Cornell
• Maryland holds an 13-2 edge in the all-time series against Cornell, which dates to 1929. The Terps have won the last eight meetings including an 11-6 decision at Byrd Stadium on March 20, 1999, which is the last time these two storied programs have played in College Park.

• The only two losses to the Big Red came in NCAA Championship games. Cornell beat Maryland 12-6 in the 1971 final and topped the Terps 16-13 in 1976, in overtime.

• Chris Malone’s goal with 7:09 left in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference in Maryland’s 8-7 win over Cornell on March 18, 2000 at the Big Red’s Schoellkopf Field. Andrew “Buggs” Combs had a hat trick to lead the Terps, which also got two goals and two assists from Marcus LaChapelle. First team All-American goalie Pat McGinnis made 10 saves for the Terps.

• The 1999 game in College Park saw the Terps race out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter en route to an 11-6 victory. Brian Zeller had five goals and an assist to lead Maryland, while Andrew “Buggs” Combs had four points on three goals and an assist.

• The last time these two teams met in the NCAA tournament was the 1976 NCAA title game in Providence, R.I. Both teams cruised into the finals with Maryland, the No. 1 seed, defeating Navy, 22-11, and Cornell, the No. 2 seed, topping Johns Hopkins, 13-5. It was the first NCAA title game contested by two undefeated teams.

The Terps held a 7-2 lead at the half over the Big Red, but Cornell outscored Maryland 6-2 in the third to make it a one-goal game going into the fourth. The Terps took an early 10-8 lead in the fourth, but the Big Red ripped off the next four tallies to take a 12-10 lead. Maryland managed to pull to within a goal and then got one to go at the buzzer to tie it up and send the game into overtime.

Maryland freshman Terry Kimball scored the first goal in OT, but there was no sudden victory back then. Cornell then scored four-straight goals to claim the title with a 16-13 win. Ten different Terps scored in the game, including two from Frank Urso and John Lamon, but Cornell legend Mike French tied the then-NCAA tournament single-game scoring record with seven goals in the championship game.

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 101 of the 110 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .918 winning percentage.

• Maryland scored 10, but fell at North Carolina, 11-10, on March 24, 2012 and again came out on the losing end, despite scoring 11 in a 13-11 loss at Colgate on May 5, 2012. 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 91.8 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 119-26 in games, for a .821 winning percentage, when it has held opponents under 10 goals. The Terps have played 193 total games since 2002. Maryland has held opponents to nine goals or less 75.1 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 10-3 on the year and has shot 30% or better in seven of its 10 victories and under that mark in each of its three defeats.

W- Mount St. Mary’s: 23 goals, 46 shots = 50.0%
W- at Hartford: 16 goals, 51 shots = 31.4%
W- at Loyola: 12 goals, 36 shots = 33.3%
W- at Duke: 16 goals, 29 shots = 55.2%
W- Stony Brook: 13 goals, 30 shots = 43.3%
W- at Villanova: 10 goals, 26 shots = 38.5%
L- North Carolina: 8 goals, 37 shots = 21.6%
W- at Virginia: 9 goals, 32 shots = 28.1%
W- at Navy: 11 goals, 40 shots = 27.5%
L-Johns Hopkins: 4 hoals, 36 shots = 11.1%
W- Yale, 8 goals, 29 shots = 27.6%
L- vs. Virginia: 6 goals, 25 shots = 24.0%
W- Colgate: 18 goals, 27 shots = 48.6%

• Since 2005 the Terps are a remarkable 62-4 (.939) when shooting 30% or better in a game. The only four losses were: 13-10 to Georgetown in 2009 (the Terps shot 10 of 30 for 33.3% vs. the Hoyas), 11-10 to No. 1 Virginia on April 3, 2010 (10 of 33 for 30.3%), 12-11 in overtime on April 16, 2011 to No. 3 Johns Hopkins (11 of 28 for 39.3%) and 13-11 at Colgate on May 5, 2012 (11 of 31 for 35.5%).

• If 30% is the benchmark, then 40% shooting is in a class all to itself and Maryland has shot 40% or better in 15 games since the start of the 2008 season. Out of those 14 games, Maryland shot 50% or better in four of them.

Consecutive 10-Win Seasons
• Maryland’s 18-6 win over the Colgate on May 4, 2013 extended the Terps’ streak of double-digit win seasons to 11, which is the longest active streak in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse. (Special thanks to Patrick Stevens of the D1scource.com).

• There are only four programs with a current streak of at least five-straight 10-win seasons:

Maryland (11): 2013 (10-3), 2012 (12-6), 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)
Notre Dame (8): 2013 (10-3), 2012 (13-3), 2011 (11-3), 2010 (10-7), 2009 (15-1), 2008 (14-3), 2007 (11-4), 2006 (10-5)
Duke (7): 2013 (12-5), 2012 (15-5) 2011 (14-6), 2010 (16-4), 2009 (15-4), 2008 (18-2), 2007 ( 17-3)
North Carolina (5): 2013 (12-3), 2012 (11-6), 2011 (10-6), 2010 (13-3), 2009 (12-6)

• Cornell’s string of seven-straight 10+ win seasons came to an end in 2012 with a 9-4 final mark. Virginia’s streak of eight-consecutive seasons with 10+ wins ended in 2013 with a 7-8 record, while Siena saw its run of six 10-win seasons end with an 8-9 mark this season.

Three Terps Earn All-ACC Honors
• Maryland placed three players on the 2013 All-ACC Men’s Lacrosse Team, which was announced on April 24 by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Junior goalieNiko Amato made the team for the third-straight season, while senior long poleJesse Bernhardtand senior midfielderJohn Hausare two-time honorees.

• All four ACC men’s programs are represented on the annual All-ACC team, which was determined by a vote of the four head coaches. Maryland’s three honorees were the tied by Duke and Virginia, which each also had three selections, while North Carolina had two players make the team. .

Three Terps Named To Tewaaraton Watch List
• Senior midfielders Jesse Bernhardt and John Haus are joined by junior goalie Niko Amato on the 2013 Tewaaraton Award Watch List. The Terrapin trio are three of 92 selections on the Watch List.

• The Tewaaraton Award annually honors the top male and top female college lacrosse player in the United States. The selection committees are made up of top collegiate coaches and are appointed annually by The Tewaaraton Foundation. Committees will make additions to these lists as the season progresses and athletes earn a spot along side these elite players. The lists will be narrowed to 25 men’s and women’s nominees in late April. In mid-May, five men’s and five women’s finalists will be announced. These finalists will be invited to Washington, D.C. for the 13th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony, May 30 at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.

Bernhardt Named Senior CLASS Finalist
· Maryland senior long pole Jesse Bernhardt was named one of the 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. Fan voting consists of one-third of the final total to determine the winner, so click on the graphic to vote for Jesse. Fans can vote once per day per device, so come back every day to cast your vote for Jesse.

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’ 88th Season Of Lacrosse
• The Terps boast an all-time record of 747-252-4 (.747), 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 87 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 12-6. 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.

Terps On ESPNU
• Maryland has had 46 games on ESPNU since 2006. Maryland is 26-21 (.553) all-time in games broadcast on ESPNU.

• The Terps are scheduled to play four games (at Duke (W, 16-7), at Virginia (W, 9-7), vs. Johns Hopkins (L, 4-7) and vs. Virginia (L, 6-13) in the ACC tournament semifinals) on ESPNU in 2013.

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 familywith the passing of Maria Young on April 17, 2011.

· 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.

Going Teal
• Maryland players will also be wearing teal stickers in honor of Andrew Walsh’s mother, Gia, who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

· If you’re interested in more information, please visit the Ovarian Cancer Institute website.

Here are some facts about ovarian cancer from the American Cancer Society and the Ovarian Cancer Institute:
· Ovarian cancer is the ninth most common cancer among women, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers.
· Ovarian cancer will strike over 20,000 women this year.
· It ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.
· Ovarian cancer accounts for about 3% of all cancers in women. A woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 71.
· Currently, there are no effective means of early detection.
· Only 25% of cases are diagnosed early before the cancer has spread to the pelvic region. For these women, the 5-year survival rate is 90%.

Going Periwinkle
• Maryland players are also be wearing periwinkle stickers in honor of Terp alum Terry Kimball, who passed away on April 19 after a sixth-month battle with stomach cancer.

• Kimball lettered for the Terps from 1976-79 and helped Maryland accumulate a 36-7 record during his four seasons in College Park. Twice during his time with the Terrapins, the team reached the NCAA championship game and captured the ACC championship all four seasons. He totaled 108 points during his career as a Terp, including a 1978 season that saw him lead the team with 41 goals, which at the time was the third highest single-season total in Maryland history and is still the 11th-best single-season any Terp has recorded. He is also one of only seven Terps on record to score at least seven goals in a single game when he had seven goals vs. Brown in 1978.

· If you’re interested in more information, please visit the National Cancer Institute’s website.

Maryland In Season Openers
• Maryland has an 84-3-1 (.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.)

20 Straight in Season Openers
• After beating Mount St. Mary’s to open the 2013 season the Terps have an 20-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 (twice), Air Force, Hobart, Duke, Georgetown (four times), Bellarmine (twice), Presbyterian, Detroit Mercy and Hartford. Over the 20-year stretch, Maryland outscored its foes 290-105 (an average score of 14.5-5.3) in those games.

• The Terps have not allowed more than seven goals to any opponent in a season opener over the last 20 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.

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: 2010-11-12-13
Justin & Owen Blye: 2009-10-11
Brian & Kevin Cooper: 2011-12-13
Billy & Bobby Gribbin: 2012-13
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

Five Taken In MLL Draft
• Led by senior long pole Jesse Bernhardt, a record-tying five Maryland men’s lacrosse student-athletes were chosen in the 2013 Major League Lacrosse collegiate draft.

• Bernhardt was chosen fourth overall by the Chesapeake Bayhawks, becoming the second-highest Terrapin ever drafted in the MLL (Joe Walters, first overall selection in 2006). He is just the seventh Maryland player to be taken in the first round, joining Lee Zink (2004, 5th), Chris Passavia (2004, 6th), Walters, Bill McGlone (2006, 5th), Ray Megill (2007, 9th) and Joe Cinosky (2008, 9th).

• Senior midfielder John Haus was the next Terrapin off the board, going to the Hamilton Nationals in the second round with the 15th overall selection. Haus was followed by senior midfielder Kevin Cooper, who went to the Bayhawks with the 16th overall pick.

• The Denver Outlaws, which already has three Terps on its roster (Zink, Jeremy Sieverts and Drew Snider), were then next MLL squad to take a Maryland player, selecting senior midfielder Landon Carr with the 23rd overall selection.

• The fifth Terp to be selected was senior attackman Owen Blye with the very next pick by the Charlotte Hounds.

• The five players selected ties the school record for most players taken in the MLL draft. The 2011 senior class also had five players taken - Brian Farrell, Brett Schmidt, Dan Burns, Grant Catalino and Ryan Young.

• Maryland’s 2013 senior class also features redshirt senior midfielder Jake Bernhardt, who was selected by the Nationals with the 12th overall selection in the 2012 MLL collegiate draft.

2013 Team Captains
• Three players have been named team captains for the 2013 season. The trio, which was selected by a combination of team vote and coaches’ input, consists of seniors Jake Bernhardt, Jesse Bernhardt and Owen Blye. All three return as team captains from the 2012 squad.