CAA CO-CHAMPION TIGERS OVERLOOKED BY NCAA

Tigers Not Chosen For NCAA FCS Playoffs

TOWSON, Md. – Although Towson University finished the regular season with four consecutive victories and earned a share of the Colonial Athletic Association championship, the Tigers were not selected to play in the NCAA FCS playoffs. The NCAA announced its 20-team field on Sunday afternoon.

The Tigers, who finished the season with a 7-4 record and went 6-2 in the CAA, assembled in their locker room to watch the NCAA selection show. They sat in stunned silence when they learned that Towson was not selected.

“I can’t think of any time when I’ve been more disappointed,” said Towson Coach Rob Ambrose. “These players deserve better than this and they earned the right to play in the NCAA post-season again.

“These guys are champions,” Ambrose added. “We don’t need some people sitting in an NCAA Board Room to validate us. The goal should be to have the best 20 teams competing for the championship.”

The Tigers, who shared the CAA title with New Hampshire (8-3, 6-2), Villanova (8-3, 6-2) and Richmond (8-3, 6-2), were seeking their second straight appearance in the NCAA FCS playoffs. UNH and Villanova were selected to advance to the post-season while Towson and Richmond were overlooked.

In the final four weeks of the season, Towson posted convincing wins over Villanova (49-35) and New Hampshire (64-35). When Towson handed UNH a decisive 64-35 in the regular season finale on Saturday, it seemed like the Tigers had played their way into the NCAA FCS playoff field.

Over the last two seasons, Towson has posted a 13-3 record in CAA games and has won seven of eight CAA road games.

The Tigers also played the third-toughest schedule in FCS football, a slate that included losses to a pair of NCAA FBS teams that are having very good seasons, Louisiana State and Kent State.

Towson loses 14 seniors from this year’s team, including wide receiver Erron Banks (Bound Brook H.S./Bound Brook, N.J.), defensive end Frank Beltre (Randolph H.S./Randolph, N.J.), wide receiver Alex Blake (Friendly H.S./Fort Washington, Md.),  linebacker Brian Boateng (Gaithersburg H.S./Burtonsville, Md.), running back Dominique Booker (Hermitage H.S./Richmond, Va.), defensive end Ben Chroniger (DeMatha H.S./Crofton, Md.), safety Jordan Dangerfield (Royal Palm Beach H.S./Royal Palm Beach, Fla.), quarterback Grant Enders (Old Mill H.S./Millersville, Md.), tight end Cory Kirby (Kent Island H.S./Chester, Md.), defensive tackle Matt Morgan (Horseheads H.S./Horseheads, N.Y.), linebacker Nick Ranko (Foxborough H.S./Foxborough, Mass.), wide receiver Tom Ryan (Father Judge H.S./Philadelphia, Pa.), wide receiver Gerrard Sheppard (McDonogh H.S./Owings Mills, Md.) and defensive end Romale Tucker (Ballou H.S./Washington, D.C.).

Beltre and Dangerfield were All-American performers while Enders was a two-year starter at quarterback. He posted an impressive 16-6 record as the Towson signal-caller.

“These players will always be special to this program,” said Ambrose. “They changed the culture around here and brought respect to this football program.”

TIGER TALES:  In their season-ending four-game winning streak, the Tigers outscored their opponents by a 188-107 margin … In the last four contests, Towson averaged 525.5 yards of total offense per game while allowing 332.2 yards per game … Towson led the CAA in total defense, allowing 313.2 yards per contest.

In their four-game winning streak, the Tigers had a plus-five turnover ratio … Towson turned the ball over only once in the final four games of the year … Towson’s four-game winning streak is their longest winning streak since 2006 when the Tigers opened the season with four wins in a row.

– TowsonTigers.com –

Norfolk, Va.- The UMBC men’s soccer team advanced to the second round of the NCAA College Cup as the Retrievers played Old Dominion to a 0-0 double overtime draw, but advanced, 4-2, in penalty kicks.

UMBC is now 11-4-6, while Old Dominion’s season comes to an end at 11-3-3.

UMBC junior goalkeeper Phil Saunders (Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall) played the starring role for the second consecutive game, stopping a pair of penalty kicks.

After senior Milo Kapor (Toronto, Ont./Emily Carr) converted the first kick, Saunders saved ODU goalkeeper Victor Fracoz’ attempt.  UMBC’s Mamadou Kansaye’s (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) and Monarchs’ forward Chris Harmon matched successful kicks,  but UMBC senior back Liam Paddock’s (Worcestershire, England) attempt was saved by Francoz.

But on ODU’s tying attempt, Saunders again dove to his right and stopped the effort of Jordan LeBlanc. Both UMBC’s Kadeem Dacres (Rosedale, N.Y.) and ODU’s Ivan Militar converted, setting up Retriever senior Dave Vaeth (Dundalk, Md./Patapsco) for the game-winning opportunity. Vaeth buried his attempt into the upper left corner of the goal, setting off a wild celebration by the visitors.

UMBC will advance to the second round for the second time in three years and will compete at defending national champion North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

UMBC junior forward Pete Caringi III (Perry Hall, Md./Calvert Hall) was unable to start and played only the final 26 seconds of regulation and final 20 seconds of overtime after a free kick opportunities. Caringi suffered an ankle injury early in the America East championship game vs. UNH and did not return.

The first half was evenly-played, as both teams managed only three shots each. The Monarchs’ best opportunity was their first, as Gideon Asante hit a shot wide right from eight yards out in the 18^th minute. UMBC’s best chance came late in the half, as Dacres hit a rising shot from 17 yards out on the left wing which went over just the crossbar.

In the second half, Kansaye’s 50-yard free kick had to be parried over bar, giving UMBC its first corner of the match in 58’ The Retrievers attempted four corners in the second stanza, but the best chance, an Oumar Ballo (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) header in the 59^th minute went wide of the near post.

Old Dominion outshot UMBC, 10-6. Saunders and Francoz both made three saves in 110 minutes of play. Saunders recorded his fourth consecutive shuout.

BALTIMORE- The UMBC men’s soccer team, champions of the America East Conference will meet Old Dominion in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer College Cup in Norfolk, Va. on Thursday, Nov. 15. The game time has yet to be determined.

The winner of that first round contest will meet defending national champion North Carolina (15-3-2) in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Sunday, Nov. 18.

“We are all very excited to see our name on the screen,” said Head Coach Pete Caringi ,Jr. “This is something that we worked hard all year long for. We have a lot of respect for ODU, but we are going to prepare to go down there and play well.”

UMBC captured its second America East crown in the last three seasons at Retriever Soccer Park on Saturday, Nov. 10. The second-seeded Retrievers and No. 5 New Hampshire Wildcats played 110 minutes of scoreless soccer, but UMBC prevailed, 4-2, in a penalty kick shootout.

UMBC (11-4-5) enters the tournament on a seven-game unbeaten streak.

Old Dominion (11-3-2) received an at-large bid to the tournament. They competed in the Colonial Athletic Association this year, but were ineligible for the conference tournament. The Monarchs enter the tournament with three wins in their last four outings and capped the season with a 1-0 home win over Northeastern on November 2.

UMBC has only met ODU twice, and the Monarchs have a win and a tie vs. the Retrievers. Old Dominion won the latest meeting, capturing a 2-0 decision in Norfolk in 2003. The Retrievers have never faced North Carolina in the sport of men’s soccer.

This will be UMBC’s third NCAA Tournament appearance. The Retrievers faced No. 1 Duke in 1999 and fell, 4-3, to the Blue Devils in overtime. In 2010, UMBC defeated No. 10 Princeton, 2-1, but were unable to advance past No. 7 William & Mary, as they were ousted in penalty kicks.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – No. 2 Maryland was awarded the second overall seed in the 2012 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship on Monday.

The Terps (17-1-2) captured the ACC tournament championship Sunday in Germantown with a riveting win over No. 3 North Carolina.

Maryland will play either Brown or Drexel in the second round Sunday at 5 p.m. at Ludwig Field.

Brown boasts a 12-2-3 record and advanced to the third round for the second straight season with wins over Fairfield and St. John’s before falling to St. Mary’s (Calif.).

Drexel is 12-3-3 overall with a significant victory over Old Dominion (4-1) in 2012. The Dragons fell in the CAA semifinals on penalty kicks against Hofstra.

The announcement marks Maryland’s 12th straight appearance in the tournament and its 32nd postseason berth in program history.  The Terps are hoping to advance to the third round for a nation-best 11th straight season.

Maryland is 45-26-4 in the NCAA tournament and fell to Louisville in the third round in 2012. The Terps seek to return to the College Cup for the first time since 2008 when they won the program’s third national title.

BALTIMORE- For the second time in three years, the UMBC men’s soccer team has won the America East title and will represent the conference in the NCAA Men’s Soccer College Cup. The second-seeded Retrievers and fifth-seeded New Hampshire Wildcats played to a 0-0 double overtime draw, but UMBC advanced to the championships by prevailing, 4-2, in penalty kicks.

UMBC (11-4-5) junior goalkeeper Phil Saunders (Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall) was named the championship’s  Most Outstanding Player. Saunders made five saves, including a point-blank stop in the second overtime period, and stopped a pair of UNH (7-7-6) attempts in the penalty kick shootout. He also blanked Stony Brook, 1-0, in the semifinals.

The Retrievers will compete in their third Division I NCAA Championship, with previous appearances in 1999 and 2010. The team will learn its first-round opponent on Monday afternoon when the brackets are announced.

“The last two days, we told them we would find a way to win knowing they (UNH) was a great defensive team and if it comes down to penalty kicks, whatever it takes, we are going to do it, and that’s exactly what we did,” head coach Pete Caringi, Jr. said.

The partisan UMBC crowd of 1,016 was shocked early on as the America East Striker of the Year, junior forward Pete Caringi III (Perry Hall, Md./Calvert Hall) went down and had to be helped off the field in the fourth minute of play. Caringi, who led America East with 14 goals on the season, did not return to the lineup.

However, the Retrievers did control much of the play in the first 45 minutes. The best scoring chance came in the 13^thminute, when junior forward Kadeem Dacres (Rosedale, N.Y./Mercer County CC) tested UNH sophomore netminder Travis Worra with a 19-yard shot toward the far post, but Worra made a diving save to keep the game scoreless.

Saunders, who was not tested in the first half, made a pair of saves on UNH midfielder Robert Palumbo in the 50^thminute, stopping an initial drive from 16 yards out and then rejected a rebound opportunity from seven yards away.

UMBC countered with good chances in the 68^thand 70^th minutes, but freshman midfielder Michael Burgos (Huntingtown, Md./The Calverton School) was wide with a header, and sophomore midfielder Stephen Ho (North Potomac, Md./Wootton) missed on the short side after a cross from Dacres.

The game headed to overtime, and although UMBC outshot UNH, 6-2, over that 20-minute span, the Wildcats had two outstanding opportunities. In the 95’, reserve midfielder David Schlatter hit the underside of the crossbar as he found himself unguarded on the right side from 12 yards out.

With less than four minutes to play in the second extra period, Schlatter got inside of the Retriever defense and drilled a seven-yard shot, but Saunders aggressively challenged and turned the attempt away.

Just as it did in 2010, the game went to penalty kicks and the results were similar. UMBC senior Milo Kapor (Toronto, Ont./Emily Carr) converted, as did UNH senior back Jordan Thomas, and Retriever sophomore midfielder Mamadou Kansaye (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) gave UMBC a 2-1 advantage. UNH freshman Lukas Goerigk tried to beat Saunders to the goalie’s right, but the Retreiver netminder made the save on the hard shot along the turf.

UMBC senior fullback Liam Paddock (Worcesteshire, England/Chase Technology) and Palumbo matched scores, and the Retrievers led, 3-2, after three rounds. Dacres drilled his attempt into the upper left corner, but Saunders ended the proceedings by stopping Ryan McNabb’s effort with a similar diving save to his right.

The Retrievers won the 2010 shootout, 5-4 and went on to defeat No. 10 Princeton, 2-1, in the first round, before falling in penalty kicks at William & Mary.

“Tonight in general says a lot about UMBC Soccer- the crowd, the atmosphere, the enthusiasm for our program.,” Caringi said. “This is a culmination of a lot of work. This is a win for UMBC in general. I am really proud of the school and how everyone responded.”

In addition to Saunders, Dacres, Paddock and senior midfielder Dave Vaeth (Dundalk, Md./Patapsco) earned All-Tournament Team honors.

UMBC outshot UNH, 21-10, overall and earned 11 corners to five for the Wildcats. Worra collected seven saves in the contest.

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

Odds to win the 2012-2013 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship

Kentucky                      6/1 

Indiana                          13/2 

Louisville                       17/2 

North Carolina State       12/1 

UCLA                            12/1 

North Carolina                14/1 

Arizona                         15/1                 

Duke                             20/1 

Florida                          20/1 

Kansas                         20/1 

Michigan                       20/1 

Michigan State              20/1 

Ohio State                     20/1 

Syracuse                      20/1 

Missouri                        28/1 

UNLV                            30/1 

Florida State                  35/1 

Memphis                       35/1 

Georgetown                   40/1 

Texas                           40/1 

Baylor                           50/1 

Cincinnati                      50/1 

Pittsburgh                     50/1 

San Diego State            50/1  

Stanford                        50/1 

Creighton                      60/1 

Gonzaga                       60/1 

Wisconsin                     60/1 

St. John’s                      65/1 

Tennessee                    65/1 

Alabama                       75/1 

Kansas State                75/1 

Marquette                      75/1 

Miami FL                       75/1 

Minnesota                     75/1 

Notre Dame                   75/1 

Texas A&M                   75/1 

Butler                            100/1 

California                       100/1 

llinois                            100/1 

Oklahoma                     100/1 

Seton Hall                     100/1 

St. Joe’s                        100/1 

St. Louis                       100/1 

UMass                          100/1 

Vanderbilt                      100/1 

VCU                             100/1 

Villanova                       100/1 

Virginia                         100/1 

Washington                   100/1 

West Virginia                 100/1 

Wichita State                100/1 

Arkansas                      125/1 

BYU                             125/1 

Iowa State                     125/1 

USC                             125/1 

Xavier                            125/1 

Arizona State                150/1 

Clemson                       150/1 

Colorado                       150/1 

Davidson                       150/1 

Iowa                              150/1 

Maryland                       150/1 

New Mexico                  150/1 

Oklahoma State             150/1 

Oregon                          150/1 

Purdue                          150/1 

St. Mary’s                     150/1 

Temple                          150/1 

Oregon State                 200/1 

South Florida                 200/1 

Colorado State               250/1 

Dayton                          250/1 

Georgia                         250/1 

Georgia Tech                 250/1 

LSU                              250/1 

Mississippi                    250/1 

Mississippi State           250/1 

Virginia Tech                 250/1 

Harvard                         500/1 

South Carolina               500/1

Six-time NCAA Champion Metzbower Named Assistant Coach

BALTIMORE – David Metzbower, who as an assistant coach at Princeton University won six NCAA Championships and contributed to 230 wins, has been named a men’s lacrosse assistant coach at Loyola University Maryland, Head Coach Charley Toomey announced today.

Metzbower will join the defending national champion Greyhounds beginning Monday, November 12. He spent 20 years as an assistant coach, offensive coordinator and goalie coach at Princeton, the final seven as theTigers’ associate head coach.

“We are very excited to welcome David, his wife, Mimi, and his daughter, Jordan, and son, Derek, to the Loyola family,” Toomey said. “It is not often that you are able to bring someone onto your staff who is such a quality coach and a man of outstanding character who also has a Jesuit education background.

“David has a tremendous amount of experience at the offensive end of the field with his work at Princeton, and in recruiting in the Ivy League, something that is going to help us tremendously as we transition to the Patriot League.”

Metzbower joins the Loyola staff in place of Dan Chemotti who last week was named the first-ever head coach at the University of Richmond.

“I am excited to get back to college lacrosse, especially at Loyola,” Metzbower said. “I looked at this as a great opportunity to be a part of Charley’s staff and work with a team that is coming off a nationalchampionship. Loyola has a lot of returning talent, and I look forward to being on the field with the players and working with them.”

Originally form the Baltimore area and a graduate of nearby Loyola Blakefield High School, Metzbower graduated from the University of Delaware in 1986 after a standout career as an attackman.

He quickly joined the Blue Hens’ coaching staff and spent 1987-1989 on the sidelines in Newark.

In 1990, Metzbower joined the Princeton staff as the top assistant to then-Head Coach Bill Tierney and helped create dynamic offenses that averaged 181.6 goals per year over a 20-season span.

Metzbower helped the Tigers win six NCAA Championships, reach the NCAA Semifinals 10 times and the NCAA Quarterfinals on 16 occasions, win 14 Ivy League titles and achieve a cumulative 230-65 record.

He helped develop the top five goal scorers in Princeton history, the top four in career points, 22 All-Ivy attackmen, seven Ivy League Players of the Year, 27 first-team All-Americans and 74 All-Ivy First Team members. Under Metzbower, Kevin Lowe (1994) and John Hess (1997) won the Lt. Col. J.L. Turnbull Award as the outstanding attackman in Division I, and Sims twice won the Lt. Donald McLaughlin Award as the top midfielder in Division I (1998 and 2000).

As Princeton’s goalie coach, he directed three players – Scott Bacigalupo (1992-1994), Trevor Tierney (2001) and Alex Hewitt (2006) – who won the Ensign C. Markland Kelly Award as the top Division I goalkeeper a combined five times.

Metzbower left the program in June 2009 as associate head coach after turning down an offer to be the Tigers’ head coach and served as an assistant coach at the Haverford School in 2010.

Most recently, he was the head coach at Malvern Preparatory School in suburban Philadelphia.

Metzbower and his wife, Mimi, have two children, a daughter, Jordan, and a son, Derek.

NCAA DECLARES WELLS ELIGIBLE FOR COMPETITION

The University of Maryland athletics department on Wednesday morning announced the NCAA has approved the appeal on the waiver allowing Dez Wells to be immediately eligible for competition.

The appeal decision was provided by the NCAA Division I Legislative Council Subcommittee for Legislative Relief, which is comprised of athletics administrators from around the country, and overturned the staff decision denying the waiver.

“We’re very happy for Dez as the NCAA legislative relief process provided him with complete and fair due process,” said director of athletics Kevin Anderson. “Our staff was personally invested in the NCAA waiver and appeal process because it was in the best interest of our student-athlete. We’re pleased that Dez will be able to move forward and experience all the opportunities that come with being a student-athlete at the University of Maryland.”

“We’re excited for Dez because at the end of the day, the NCAA made the right decision,” said basketball head coach Mark Turgeon. “Our staff did an incredible job in putting this NCAA waiver appeal together on Dez’s behalf. Dez has been a welcomed addition, a great teammate, and has made a seamless transition in getting acclimated to our campus. This has been a long process for him and his family, and we’re grateful he can put it behind him and focus on being a student-athlete at the University of Maryland.”

- Terps -

Terrapins Achieve Academic Success

GPAs increase across the board

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – In addition to their work on the field, Maryland student-athletes worked hard in the classroom last year as the department-wide cumulative and semester GPAs were raised overall and all sports received impressive NCAA APR scores.

The student-athlete cumulative GPA increased to 2.875, up from 2.862 in the fall semester, and the semester GPA for spring 2012 was 2.881, which improved from 2.856 in the fall of 2011.

“Our student-athletes and the significant role our coaches and support staff play in assisting each of them as they work toward earning a university diploma has helped us to reach this level of success,” director of athletics Kevin Anderson said. “Maryland student-athletes truly epitomize the term student-athlete as they prove day-in and day-out that they can be successful in both the classroom and the athletic arena.”

Forty-eight student-athletes earned perfect semester GPAs of 4.00 and 139 Terrapins earned a 3.50 or higher. In addition, 281 Maryland student-athletes received a semester GPA of 3.00 or better, 262 Terps were nominated for the ACC Honor Roll and 113 were named to their colleges’ respective Dean’s Lists.

“The fact that the departmental semester and cumulative GPA’s have increased in each of the last two semesters speaks volumes to the commitment Maryland student-athletes have made in the classroom,” said Chris Uchacz, associate athletics director of academic support and career development.

Ninety-four student-athletes graduated in in the 2011-12 academic year. University of Maryland posted an all-time institutional high Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 82 percent, marking the second straight year Maryland has set a record.

The Federal Graduation Rate was 75 percent for all students-athletes that entered Maryland in the fall of 2004, which was 10 points higher than the national average.

-Terps-

Everyone knows all the details of the story. Sandusky was more than inappropriate with minors, Paterno and the Heads of Penn State did not to action as decent human beings and the university has lost all credibility.

Now the NCAA has felt the need to make their stamp on the football program; a program that allowed such monstrous acts. But is it really their fault; did the players, assistants, water boys, equipment managers, cheerleaders or the fans have any knowledge of this horrific situation? With the current sanctions against the school, the NCAA President, Mark Emmert certainly thinks so.

Paterno has already been fired, his legacy destroyed, his statue removed and lost his life over this ordeal. No one will argue that he deserved a more fair treatment from the community. But this punishment brought down on Penn State goes too far. Vacating wins off Paterno’s record to ensure he no longer holds the all-time record is one thing; taking those wins away from the kids who poured their heart and soul into the 1998-2011 seasons is simply unjust. Remove the head coach from books, do not remove the team.

Why are those individuals being punished for the terrible acts of a select few? 111 times, a unit of student-athletes took the field together, yet those 111 times are no longer recognized. How can Mr. Emmert look any of those players in the eye and say “this problem is partly your fault, you do not deserve to be rewarded.” Did these people do anything wrong at all? Nothing about this controversy was a football program violation; it was a university violation by its strongest contributors. The legacy of those at fault are now destroyed, like you intended NCAA, but at the cost of thousands of innocent bystanders.

Bowl Bans and scholarship reductions only punish the future of a distraught community. Penn State could rally around Bill O’Brien and a team that stands up in the face of adversity. Instead, they are hindered by monsters of the past; monsters that will have absolutely no relation to the incoming class of Nittany Lions four years from now. How are the current staff and players supposed to help this program move forward? The NCAA has set up O’Brien to fail.

And that is the only the first part of the sanctions. The NCAA is also stealing $60 million from the University. Why do they feel entitled to this money? What did they exactly do to deserve this jackpot? Even if they do not take a single dime of that fine (which is highly unlikely with their checkered past of greed), a nice tax break is in order for the mass amounts of charitable donations planned. Emmert wants PSU to become a haven for sexual abuse awareness; $60 million would certainly be good start to developing that program.

For a “legal” matter, the NCAA certainly has stuck their nose in, and returned winners. The NCAA’s power is limited to making a fair culture for all sports programs to compete, not to destroy a program over a legal matter. The University of Miami Football program has repeatedly been caught cheating (a department the NCAA is supposed to focus on), yet they will still return next season basically unscathed. Cam Newton led Auburn to a National Title, while it was proven his father was paid by the university for his “son’s services.” Where were you then Mr. Emmert? I recall Reggie Bush returning his Heisman trophy for the same exact situation. Worry about issues you are supposed to handle; let the government handle the rest.

Who do you think you are Mark Emmert? Who do you think you are NCAA?