BALTIMORE, MD – The Johns Hopkins starting attack unit of Chris Boland, Zach Palmer and Brandon Benn combined for 11 goals and seven assists and junior Mike Poppleton won 20-of-26 faceoffs to lead the Blue Jays to a 19-9 victory against visiting Stony Brook in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Tournament at Homewood Field Sunday afternoon. The win propels the Blue Jays into the NCAA Quarterfinals for the 39th time in 41 trips to the NCAA Tournament. Hopkins will take on the winner of the Maryland-Lehigh game, which will be played later tonight at Lehigh.

The victory also improves Hopkins’ record to 44-4 overall and 11-0 under head coach Dave Pietramala at home in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Jays (12-3) also reach the 12-win mark for the seventh time under Pietramala.

The Blue Jays jumped on the America East Champion Seawolves early as they led 3-0 before the game was four minutes old and 7-1 at the end of the first quarter. If not for some big saves from Stony Brook’s Sean Brady in the opening 15 minutes, the lead may have been bigger. Possession was decidedly in the Blue Jays’ favor in the first quarter as Poppleton won all eight of the faceoffs he took in the opening period and JHU was 9-for-9 overall.

Boland needed less than 14 minutes to notch his 12th career hat trick as he scored the first, fourth and seventh goals of the game for the Blue Jays, who answered Mike Rooney’s extra man goal midway through the period with four goals in a span of just under two minutes to push a 3-1 lead to 7-1. An extra-man goal by Boland ignited the quarter-ending spree, while junior John Ranagan and Benn added consecutive tallies before Boland closed his first quarter hat trick off a skip pass from senior Marshall Burkhart right off the faceoff after Benn’s strike. The goal was one of two JHU scored less than 10 seconds after a faceoff in the opening period.

The Seawolves (7-10) settled down in the second quarter and were outscored just 5-4 to make it a 12-5 game at the half. A pair of Russ Bonanno goals in the first 11 minutes of the period led the way and Stony Brook had the deficit at four once and five on two other occasions in the quarter, but back-to-back goals by Palmer in a 75-second span late in the period gave the Blue Jays the 12-5 lead.

Any hopes of a Stony Brook comeback were dashed early in the third quarter as Benn scooped up a loose ball in the slot and fired home his third of the game just under two minutes into the half and sophomore Rob Guida added an unassisted tally three minutes later to make it 14-5. Greg Edmonds’ second goal of the game with 5:57 remaining in the third quarter gave the Blue Jays a 10-goal lead before Matt Bellando and Jeff Tundo struck for back-to-back goals in the final five minutes to make it 15-7 entering the final quarter.

A three-goal flurry for he Blue Jays in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter was capped by Wells Stanwicks’ only goal of the game before Bellando and Robbie Campbell sandwiched goals around Hopkins’ final tally of the game to account for the 19-9 final score.

Boland tied his own school record for most points in a first round NCAA Tournament game with seven as he added four assist to his three-goal showing. Benn tied Boland’s record for most goals by a JHU player in the first round with five on the day. In addition to Boland (3g, 4a), Benn (5g) and Palmer (3g, 3a), the Blue Jays got a pair of goals from both Ranagan and Edmonds, while Guida, Stanwick and Michael Pellegrino added one goal and one assist each.

Poppleton added 13 ground balls to his 20-of-26 showing on faceoffs and the Blue Jays won 24-of-31 overall with freshman Drew Kennedy winning 4-of-5. Hopkins held advantages in shots (40-21) and ground balls (34-21) and tuned the ball over just six times.

Stony Brook had five players register multi-point games with Bellando’s three goals and one assist leading the way. Bonanno added the two goals and Campbell and Tundo chipped in with one goal and two assists each. Brady posted nine saves in just under 49 minutes of action, but the Seawolves never scored more than two consecutive goals in the game and couldn’t dig out of the six-goal deficit at the end of the first quarter.

The 19 goals are a season-high for the Blue Jays and the most for Johns Hopkins in an NCAA Tournament game since May 21, 2005, when Hopkins topped Massachusetts 19-9 in an NCAA Quarterfinal game at Homewood Field.

Stony Brook (7-10) 1-4-2-2/9
#7 Johns Hopkins (12-3) 7-5-3-4/19

Goals: S: Bellando-3, Bonanno-2, Tundo, Campbell, Rooney, Belton. J: Benn-5, Boland-3, Palmer-3, Ranagan-2, Edmonds-2, Guida, Pellegrino, Stanwick, Coppersmith. Assists: S: Campbell-2, Tundo-2, Bellando, Laforet, Rooney. J: Boland-4, Palmer-3, Burkhart, Guida, Pellegrino, Stanwick. Saves: S: Brady-9, Keneally-1. J: Bassett-5, Burke-0. Shots: S-21. J-40. EMO: S: 2-for-4. J: 2-for-4. Attendance: 1,676.

COLLEGE PARK, MD. - The Maryland men’s lacrosse team will hit the road for its opening round game of the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The Terps will travel to Bethlehem, Pa., to take on No. 7 seed Lehigh. Faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the sold-out Ulrich Sports Complex, as the Terps (9-5) battle the Mountain Hawks (14-2) for the first time since 1928.

• The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU, as well as streamed on ESPN3.com. Fans can also watch the game on their wireless device with the WatchESPN app. Joe Beninati will provide the play-by-play, while the analysis will come from Ryan Boyle.

• The Terps, who received an at-large bid, are making their 35th NCAA Tournament appearance, the second most of any school in NCAA history, while Lehigh, which earned the Patriot League’s automatic bid, is making its first appearance in the NCAA tournament.

• The winner of the Maryland/Lehigh game will take on the winner of the No. 2 seed Johns Hopkins (11-3)/Stony Brook (7-9) game on Saturday, May 19 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. The Blue Jays and Seawolves play in Baltimore on Sunday, May 13 at 3 p.m.

• Maryland enters the tournament with a 9-5 record after finishing the regular season with a 13-11 loss at Colgate, which also earned an at-large bid into the field. The Terps are led by senior attackman Joe Cummings, who has 27 goals and 14 assists for 41 points. Junior midfielder John Haus is the team leader with 16 assists on the season. Maryland’s defense is led the co-ACC Defensive Player of the Year Jesse Bernhardt, who is tops on the squad with 53 groundballs and 29 caused turnovers. Sophomore goalie Niko Amato comes into the postseason with a 7.40 goals-against average and a .551 save percentage.

• Lehigh is 14-2 after defeating Colgate, 16-14, in the Patriot League title game. The Mountain Hawk offense is led by junior attackman Nicky Galasso, who has 44 points on 22 goals and 22 assists. Fellow junior attackman Dante Fantoni also has 22 goals on the season to go along with 19 assists. Lehigh boasts the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense. Freshman Matthew Poillon has started all 16 games in goal for the Mountain Hawks and ranks second in the nation with a 6.55 goals-against average and fourth in the country with a .595 save percentage.

The Count Down
10 … Since 2002 Maryland has won 90 of the 99 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .909 winning percentage.
9 … Maryland is 108-24 in games since 2002 when it allows nine goals or less, for an .818 winning percentage.
8 … Including preseason scrimmgaes, Maryland has played eight games this spring vs. teams in the NCAA tournament field.
7 … Joe Cummings leads all current Terps with seven goals in NCAA tournament play.
6 … Maryland and Lehigh are two of six teams in the NCAA tournament with a faceoff win percentage below .500.
5 … This will be the fifth all-time meeting between Maryland and Lehigh, but the first since 1928 when the two teams were nicknamed the Old Liners and Engineers, respectively.
4 … Niko Amato has a .642 save percentage in four career NCAA tournament games.
3 … This is the third time since 1997 that the Terps have been unseeded in the NCAA tournament.
2 … Two current Terps - Kevin Cooper and Drew Snider - have recorded a hat trick in an NCAA tournament game.
1 … Only one unseeded team (Maryland) advanced past the first round in the 2011 NCAA tournament.

Coaching Match-Up
• John Tillman is in his fifth season as a head coach, and second with the Terps, with a 42-29 career record for a 59.2 winning percentage. Tillman is 22-10 (.688) as Maryland’s head coach. He had a 20-19 record in three seasons as the head coach at Harvard.

• Lehigh’s Kevin Cassese is in his fifth season as a head coach, all at Lehigh, and has a 39-38 (.505) record.

• This will be Tillman’s first game as a head coach vs. the Mountain Hawks.

Tillman in the NCAA Tournament
• The meeting with Lehigh will be John Tillman’s fifth NCAA tournament game as a head coach.

• Maryland’s run to the 2011 NCAA title game gave Tillman his first four NCAA tournament games as a head coach. He has 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.

Series History vs. Lehigh
• The series history between Maryland and Lehigh is more like ancient history, but the Terrapins lead the series 3-1.

• The series dates back to 1924 – the very first varsity season of men’s lacrosse at Maryland. Lehigh is one of just four teams to win the first game of a series with Maryland, winning 3-0 in 1924.

• The two teams played in 1925 and 1926 with Maryland winning both games, 5-3 and 7-3, respectively. The last time the two schools met was 1928 and Maryland took that one by a final of 15-2.

• The last time these two programs met neither school had the nickname it currently has. Until the early 1930′s Maryland’s athletic teams were the Old Liners, while Lehigh changes its nickname from the Engineers to the Mountain Hawks in 1995.

Maryland’s 35th Time in the NCAA Tournament
All-Time NCAA Tournament Results

• Maryland is making its 35th 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, making its 41st appearance this season. Virginia is also making its 35th NCAA appearance.

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

Maryland’s Record in the NCAA Tournament
• The Terps have won the fourth-most Division I NCAA Tournament games, compiling a 45-32 overall record in 77 games. Only Johns Hopkins (66-31), Syracuse (59-20) and Virginia (47-29) have won more Division I tournament games.

• Maryland is seventh by percentage (.584) among all teams ever to play in the tournament. Only Syracuse (59-20, .747), Princeton (30-13, .698), Johns Hopkins (66-31, .680), Virginia (47-29, .618), Duke (22-14, .611) and Cornell (30-21, .588) are ahead of the Terps.

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

Maryland Unseeded in the NCAA Tournament
• This season marks the sixth time that Maryland has been unseeded since the tournament began in 1972. The Terps were previously unseeded in 1993, 1994, 1997, 2009 and 2011.

• In those first two unseeded-years Maryland lost its first round game to the No. 8-seeded team, which were Army and Duke, respectively.

• The Terrapins were much more successful in 1997, advancing to the NCAA championship game. Maryland defeated No. 7-seed Georgetown in the first round before knocking off No. 2 Virginia in the quarters. In the 1997 Final Four Maryland upset No. 3 Syracuse, but couldn’t topple No. 1-seed Princeton in the finals.

• The 2009 Terps were the lone unseeded team to win a first round game, knocking off previously unbeaten Notre Dame, 7-3. The Terps lost to eventual national champion Syracuse in the quarterfinals.

• Last season saw the Terps head into the tournament unseeded, but Maryland advanced to the NCAA title game, knocking off No. 8 seed North Carolina in the first round, No. 1 seed Syracuse in the quarterfinals and No. 5 seed Duke in the semifinals. The Terrapins’ run ended with a 9-7 loss to No. 7 seed Virginia in the championship game.

The Terps vs. the No. 7 Seed
• This marks the 10th time that Maryland has faced the No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament. Maryland is 6-3 all-time when playing the No. 7 seed.

• The Terps previously played the No. 7 seed in 1975, 1979, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2001. En route to its second NCAA title, the 1975 Terps toppled No. 7 Washington & Lee, 15-5, in the semifinals. The 1979 Maryland team opened the tournament vs. No. 7 Syracuse and beat the Orangemen 16-13. After losing in the 1996 quarters to No. 7 Johns Hopkins, an unseeded Terrapin squad took down No. 7 Georgetown, 14-10, in the first round. Maryland dropped a quarterfinal game to No. 7 Princeton in overtime in 2004, but had some measure of closure in 2005 when the Terps beat No. 7 Georgetown in overtime in the quarterfinals. Maryland was the No. 2 seed in 2006 and again matched up with No. 7 Princeton. This time it was the Terps heading to the Final Four as they defeated the Tigers 11-6. Maryland was the lone unseeded team to advance past the first round in 2009, topping previously unbeaten Notre Dame, 7-3, in South Bend, Ind. Last season, the Terps were also unseeded when they played No. 7 seed Virginia in the NCAA title game, but were unable to overcome the Cavaliers, who pulled out a 9-7 victory in Baltimore.

The Terps On ESPNU
• Maryland has had 42 games on ESPNU since 2006. Maryland is 23-19 (.548) all-time in games broadcast on ESPNU.

• The Terps will have at least four games (at UNC, vs. Virginia, at Johns Hopkis, at ACC tournament) Maryland will play on ESPNU in 2012.

Cummings Named Male Athlete of the Year at the Inaugural Terp Awards
• Senior Joe Cummings took home the top honor at the inaugural Terp Awards celebration on Tuesday, May 8, being selected as the 2012 Male Athlete of the Year. The Towson, Md., native was also recognized by the ACC for his community service efforts.

• Junior Owen Blye was the recipient of the men’s lacrosse Academic Achievement Award, which is presented to the junior or senior from each team with the highest cumulative GPA.

• Senior Jake Bernhardt may have been sidelined from the field this season due to injury, but that didn’t stop him from contributing in the community and he was honored with the men’s lacrosse Community Service Award.

Bernhardt, Murray Earn Annual ACC Awards
• Junior long pole Jesse Bernhardt and freshman defender Goran Murray were among the five student-athletes recognized as recipients of the annual ACC men’s lacrosse individual awards, the conference announced Tuesday.

• Bernhardt, a native of Longwood, Fla., shares the inaugural ACC Defensive Player of the Year award with Duke’s CJ Costabile. Bernhardt, who is also a 2012 Tewaaraton Trophy nominee, leads the Terps with 22 caused turnovers and leads the conference with 2.0 caused turnovers per game. He is also averaging 3.3 groundballs per game and is the captain of a Maryland defense that currently ranks seventh in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 7.45 goals per game.

• Murray, a native of Merion Station, Pa., becomes the seventh Terp to be named the ACC Freshman of the Year. He is the first since 2007 when Brian Phipps earned the honor and the first Maryland defender since Michael Howley won the honor. Murray was a long-pole midfielder coming into preseason practice, but was converted to close defense and has become Maryland’s shutdown defender. Murray has started all 11 games for the Terps and became the first freshman close defender to start a season opener since 2008. He currently ranks sixth in the conference with 1.1 caused turnovers per game.

• Virginia senior Steele Stanwick earned ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors, while Duke’s John Danowski was named the ACC Coach of the Year.

League-Best Four Terps Named To All-ACC Team
• Maryland placed a league-high four players on the 2012 All-ACC Men’s Lacrosse Team, which was announced today by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Senior attackman Joe Cummings and sophomore goalie Niko Amato made the team for the second-straight season, while junior long pole Jesse Bernhardt and junior midfielder John Haus are first-time selections.

• 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 four honorees were the most by any school. Duke and Virginia each had three selections, while North Carolina had one player make the team.

The Game: Seventh-ranked and second-seeded Johns Hopkins (11-3) welcomes Stony Brook to Homewood Field for the first round of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Tournament. Faceoff is set for 3 pm on Sunday, May 13 with a live national television broadcast on ESPNU.

Last Time Out: Johns Hopkins closed the regular season with a 13-6 win over Army on Homecoming last Saturday at Homewood Field. Stony Brook punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament by winning the America East Tournament last week. The Seawolves topped Hartford, 9-8, in the semifinals and Albany, 14-8, in Saturday’s championship game.

A Look Ahead: The winner of this week’s first round game between Johns Hopkins and Stony Brook will advance to the quarterfinals to take on the winner of the first round game between seventh-seeded Lehigh and Maryland. That quarterfinal game will take place on Saturday, May 19 at Navy.

Noting JHU in the NCAA Tournament: Johns Hopkins is making its 41st consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. By comparison, the next five longest active streaks of qualifying for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament add up to 37 consecutive appearances (Maryland-10, Virginia-8, Notre Dame-7, Duke-6, North Carolina-6).

Home in the NCAAs – Historically: This week’s game against Stony Brook will be the 48th home NCAA Tournament game in school history. The Blue Jays will carry a 43-4 (.915) record in home playoff games into this weeks’ game against the Seawolves.

Home in the NCAAs Under Pietramala: Johns Hopkins is 10-0 all-time at Homewood Field in NCAA Tournament games under head coach Dave Pietramala.

More About JHU at Home in the NCAAs: Here are a few additional notes about Johns Hopkins playing at home in the NCAAs:
• JHU has won 16 straight home playoff games. Hopkins’ last loss at home in the NCAAs was an 11-8 loss to Syracuse in the 1991 quarterfinals
• Hopkins has outscored the opposition 141-65 in its 10 NCAA home playoff games under head coach Dave Pietramala.
• Johns Hopkins has scored 10 or more goals in 11 straight home playoff games

Series History: Johns Hopkins and Stony Brook are meeting for the first time. The teams shared six common opponents this season with JHU posting a 6-0 record against those teams, while Stony Brook was 4-3.

These are the Facts: Johns Hopkins enters this week’s game against Stony Brook with an all-time record of 923-297-15 (.753). The Blue Jays own nine NCAA titles, 29 USILA titles and six ILA titles for a total of 44 national championships.

A Win For Johns Hopkins Would …
• Advance Johns Hopkins to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the 39th time in 41 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
• Give the Blue Jays 12 wins for the seventh time in 12 seasons under head coach Dave Pietramala.
• Give JHU 12 wins for the 17th time in school history.
• Improve Johns Hopkins’ overall home winning streak in the month of May to 25 games. JHU last lost a home game in the month of May on May 2, 1992 when Towson topped the Blue Jays, 14-13.
• Improve Hopkins’ record to 33-9 (.786) under head coach Dave Pietramala in games played in the month of May.

Career Win Number 150: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala picked up career win number 150 with the 12-6 victory vs. Towson in the season opener. He now sports an all-time record of 160-61 (.724), including a 137-44 (.757) record at Johns Hopkins. He ranks second all-time in school history in career coaching victories as only Hall of Fame coach Bob Scott (158 wins from 1955-74) has more victories than Pietramala while patrolling the sidelines at Homewood.

Representing the Stars and Stripes: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala will serve as an assistant coach for the United States at at the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championships in Denver Colorado. Pietramala will serve under Richie Meade, the head coach at Navy from 1995-2011.

Durkin, Bassett Among Tewaaraton Nominees: Johns Hopkins placed two players among the top 25 men’s nominees for the 2012 Tewaaraton Award it was announced on April 25. Juniors Tucker Durkin (D) and Pierce Bassett (G) are among the 25, making Johns Hopkins one of just five schools with two nominees.
The 12th-annual Tewaaraton Award will be presented to the top male and female lacrosse players on May 31 at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Durkin is one of just three close defensemen among the final 25, while Bassett is one of just four goalies among the final 25.

Working Overtime: The Blue Jays have won their last three overtime games dating back to last season and are now 19-9 all-time in overtime under head coach Dave Pietramala.

Play it and They Will Come: Johns Hopkins played in front of its second sellout crowd in three weeks at Loyola (April 28) as LU sold all 6,000 tickets available for its home game against JHU. JHU also played in front of a packed house of 8,500 on April 14 when Maryland visited Homewood Field.
Playing in front of large crowds is nothing new for the Blue Jays, who lead the nation in average attendance for all games played (6,876).

Six Over Six: The crowd of 6,000 that watched the Johns Hopkins-Loyola game on April 28 was the sixth crowd of 6,000 or more that Johns Hopkins has played in front of in 2012.

Eight of Nine: Johns Hopkins has played in front of a crowd of 5,130 or more in eight of its last nine games.

Against Number One: The 10-9 overtime victory at Loyols (April 28) was JHU’s second win of the season against a team ranked number one in the nation. Earlier this season (March 24) the Blue Jays knocked off then top-ranked Virginia, 11-10, in overtime.
The game against Loyola was also the 11th Johns Hopkins has played against a team ranked number one under head coach Dave Pietramala. The Blue Jays are now 7-4 in their 11 games against the nation’s top-ranked team under his guidance. This is the first time in school history that Johns Hopkins has defeated a top-ranked team twice on the road in the same season.

Close Calls: Eight of the 11 games Johns Hopkins has played against teams ranked number one under head coach Dave Pietramala have been decided by one goal. JHU is 6-2 in those eight one-goal games.

Streaking: In case you didn’t notice, Johns Hopkins is 19-4 in its last 23 games, 24-6 since the start of the 2011 season and 26-8 in its last 34 games.

Bassett Now 24-6 in Last 30 Starts: Junior goalie Pierce Bassett picked up his 27th career victory in goal with the 13-6 win over Army. Bassett is now 24-6 in his last 30 starts dating back to the start of the 2011 season and counts a 27-10 career record to his credit.
Through 14 games Bassett currently ranks fifth in the nation in goals against average (7.08) and 20th in save percentage (.542).
Bassett concluded his first full season as the starter for the Blue Jays last season and posted a 7.07 goals against average and a .570 save percentage. He finished fifth in the nation in GAA and 10th in save percentage. Bassett’s 7.07 goals against average is the second best by a JHU goalie since 1993 (Jesse Schwartman’s 6.68 GAA in 2005 is the best since records became available in ‘93).

Boland Returns: Senior attackman Chris Boland returned to the lineup against North Carolina after missing seven consecutive games with an injury he suffered 35 minutes into the season opener against Towson. Boland scored twice and dished out a pair of assists against the Tar Heels and came back with a three-goal, two-assist showing against Albany and a one-goal, one-assist effort against Maryland to push his season totals to 10 goals and five assists. He had 13-game goal and point-scoring streaks snapped at Navy, but tallied a pair of assists at Loyola and three goals and two assists against Army.
Boland pushed his career totals to 79 goals and 47 assists for 126 points with his effort against Army. He now has 11 career hat tricks, 30 career multi-point games and 19 games with four points or more.

Stanwick in Rare Company: Freshman Wells Stanwick scored the fifth goal in JHU’s game-opening 5-0 run at top-ranked Loyola and added the final goal in a 4-1 game-opening run in the win last week over Army.
Stanwick has eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 11 games played. He missed three games early in the season with an injury, but still ranks second on the team in assists and tied for fifth in points.
Stanwick ran his streak of consecutive multi-point games to seven with one goal and two assists in the win over Albany before being held scoreless by Maryland and Navy. His run of seven straight multi-point games to open his career is the longest by a Johns Hopkins player (freshmen only – not transfers) since all-time leading scorer Terry Riordan opened his career with 18 consecutive multi-point games from 1992-93.

Offensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU offense:
• JHU has scored at least one goal in 51 of 56 quarters this season and two or more in 42 of the 56 quarters.
• For all the talk about JHU being a slow down team, the Blue Jays are averaging 35.9 shots per game. That number compares favorably to JHU’s averages in 2005 (38.1) and 2007 (36.3) – the most recent years in which Johns Hopkins won the national championship.
• Johns Hopkins ranks 27th in the nation in scoring offense (10.07), 11th in extra-man offense (.429) and ninth in scoring margin (+3.07).

Defensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU defense:
• Hopkins is surrendering an average of just 28.7 shots per game.
• JHU has held the opposition scoreless in 16 of 56 quarters this season (28.6%).
• The Blue Jays rank fourth in the nation in scoring defense (7.00), 15th in man-down defense (.737) and ninth in scoring margin (+3.07) this season. • Johns Hopkins has held each of its 14 opponents scoreless for a stretch of at least 14:25 and 10 of the 13 have gone scoreless for 19:30 or longer. Now That’s a Drought: The Johns Hopkins defense did not allow an even-strength goal for an amazing stretch of 116:37 from late in the win at Princeton through early in the fourth quarter of the win over UMBC.

About the Shutout: Shutouts in college lacrosse are rare, but JHU notched one with the 11-0 victory over Manhattan on March 6. Prior to that, the Blue Jays had last posted a shutout on March 26, 1988, when they knocked off Princeton, 9-0. The shutout vs. Manhattan was the 61st in JHU history with 57 of those coming prior to 1950.

Poll Position: The Blue Jays check in at number seven in both the USILA Coaches Poll and the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll this week. The Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications Office uses the USILA Poll to represent JHU’s official ranking at the time of a game. Prior to falling out of the top 20 of the USILA Poll on April 26 and May 3, 2010 (JHU was receiving votes in both polls), the Blue Jays had been ranked in the top 20 in 367 consecutive polls dating back to the first poll in 1973.

More Poll Position: Including this week’s USILA Poll, there have been 396 weekly polls since the inception of the poll in 1973. Amazingly, JHU has been ranked in the top 20 in 394 of those 396 polls. The Blue Jays have been in the top 10 in 373 of the 396 and the top five in 295 of those 396. Johns Hopkins has been ranked number one 104 times since the poll debuted in 1973.

First to 900: Johns Hopkins’ 10-6 win at Towson in the 2011 season opener not only got the season off on the right foot for the Blue Jays, but also made history. The win was the 900th all-time in school history, making Johns Hopkins the first program to record 900 all-time wins. JHU now has 923 all-time wins.

That’s 626 Games Over .500: The Blue Jays’ all-time record is now 923-297-15 (.753) … that’s 626 games over .500. To put this in perspective: JHU has played an average of just over 15 games per season under head coach Dave Pietramala. Using a 15-game season as a reference, if the Blue Jays posted a 5-10 record for 125 straight seasons, they would still be six games over .500.

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2012 – The Tewaaraton Foundation has announced the 2012 Tewaaraton Award men’s and women’s finalists lists, presented by Panama Jack. Five men and five women were selected as finalists and will be invited to Washington, D.C. for the 12th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony, May 31 at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.

The five men’s finalists are Colgate University attackman Peter Baum, Duke University midfielder C.J. Costabile, University of Massachusetts attackman Will Manny, Loyola University attackman Mike Sawyer and University of Virginia attackman Steele Stanwick.

The five women’s finalists are University of Florida midfielder Brittany Dashiell, University of North Carolina attacker Becky Lynch, University of Maryland attacker Katie Schwarzmann, Northwestern University midfielder Taylor Thornton and Syracuse University attacker Michelle Tumolo.

This year marks the first time that 10 different schools are represented among the finalists, as well as the first time finalists originally hailing from North Carolina, Oregon and Texas have been selected. Returning 2011 finalists include Stanwick (2011 men’s winner) and Schwarzmann. All ten finalists will compete in this month’s NCAA lacrosse championships, at the conclusion of which the selection committees will vote on and select this year’s winners.

“It is the ultimate recognition for these 10 finalists to have been recognized by the game’s very best coaches,” said Jeffrey Harvey, chairman of The Tewaaraton Foundation. “They are all worthy of the sport’s ultimate award, and we could not be more excited to have this group come to Washington, D.C. on May 31.”

The Tewaaraton Award annually honors the top male and top female college lacrosse player in the United States. Finalists were selected from a pool of 25 men’s and 25 women’s nominees. The selection committees are comprised of 12 men’s and 10 women’s current and former college coaches.

Brief bios of the finalists:

Peter Baum (Portland, Ore.) leads the nation in goals (64) and points (93), setting Colgate and Patriot League records in both categories en route to being named the 2012 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. The junior attackman’s 93 points are the most in NCAA Division I play since 2008, when Tewaaraton Award finalist Zack Greer recorded 95. Baum is the first finalist in Colgate lacrosse history.

C.J. Costabile (New Fairfield, Conn.) is looking to become the third Duke Blue Devil to receive the Tewaaraton, following Matt Danowski (2007) and Ned Crotty (2010). On his way to being named the 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Co-Defensive Player of the Year, the senior long-stick midfielder grabbed an ACC-best 113 ground balls along with 18 caused turnovers, 10 points (6g, 4a) and 119 of 231 draws.

Will Manny (Massapequa, N.Y.) led Massachusetts’ third-ranked offense (13.07 goals per game) and the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in both goals (43) and points (75), helping the Minutemen to an undefeated regular season in which his team led the nation in scoring margin. The junior attackman ranked in the nation’s top six in goals (2.87), assists (2.13) and points (5.00) per game and earned 2012 CAA Player of the Year honors.

Mike Sawyer (Waxhaw, N.C.) helped the Loyola Greyhounds land the No. 1 seed in the NCAA men’s lacrosse championship as well as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) regular season and tournament titles. The junior attackman was a first-team All-ECAC performer, leading his team and the ECAC in goals (45), and his 3.00 goals per game average ranked third nationally. Sawyer is the first men’s finalist in Loyola lacrosse history.

Steele Stanwick (Baltimore, Md.) is looking for a repeat of his 2011 Tewaaraton Award-winning campaign, when he led the Virginia Cavaliers to the national title. The senior attackman claimed his second straight ACC Player of the Year award, leading Virginia with 71 points (26g, 45a). Stanwick led the nation in assists and is ranked second in the country with 5.07 points per game.

On the women’s side, the five finalists represent the top five schools in the final regular season Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) coaches’ poll.

Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.) was a catalyst for the Florida Gators third-ranked offense, leading the Gators to the program’s first American Lacrosse Conference (ALC) tournament title and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA women’s lacrosse championship. The junior attacker led Florida with 23 assists and was third on the team with 59 points. Her 27 ground balls and 42 draw controls ranked second on the Gators and helped her garner a first-team All-ALC selection. Dashiell is the first finalist in Florida lacrosse history.

Becky Lynch (Garden City, N.Y.) ranked in North Carolina’s top two in goals, assists, points (team-leading 55), ground balls and draw controls (team-leading 37). The senior attacker became the Tar Heels’ career assist leader (89) en route to first-team All-ACC honors and the ACC regular season championship. She paced the Tar Heels with six points in the ACC tournament and became the only player in program history to earn all-tournament honors in four consecutive seasons.

Katie Schwarzmann (Sykesville, Md.) has the opportunity to join two other Maryland Terrapins as Tewaaraton winners: Jen Adams (2001) and Caitlyn McFadden (2010). Schwarzmann led the ACC and ranked third nationally with 63 goals. Her 78 points were second best in the conference, and she also led the Terrapins in ground balls (29) and recorded 40 draw controls, second on the team. A member of the 2011-12 U.S. women’s national team, the junior midfielder was named 2012 ACC Offensive Player of the Year and received her third straight all-conference selection. She paced the Terrapins with a tournament-record 11 goals in their run to the ACC tournament title, earning MVP honors.

Taylor Thornton (Dallas, Texas) was the leader for Northwestern’s fourth-ranked defense and was named 2012 ALC Player of the Year, earning her third-straight all-conference selection. The junior midfielder, who in 2011 was named IWLCA Division I Defensive Player of the Year, was also a member of the 2011-12 U.S. women’s national team. She set a career high with 27 goals and ranked in the top two for the Wildcats in ground balls (team-leading 44), draw controls (59) and caused turnovers (24). She is looking to become Northwestern’s record sixth Tewaaraton winner, following the likes of Kristen Kjellman (2006, 2007), Hannah Nielsen (2008, 2009) and Shannon Smith (2011).

Michelle Tumolo (Mullica Hill, N.J.) paced the Syracuse offense, ranking in the Orange’s top two in goals (43), assists (team-leading 40), points (83), ground balls (20) and caused turnovers (11). The junior attacker made her second appearance on the All-Big East First Team and was named Big East Attack Player of the Year. A member of the 2011-12 U.S. women’s national team, she became only the second player in Syracuse history to record 200 points and 100 assists in her career.

For more information on the Tewaaraton Award or to attend the ceremony, visit www.tewaaraton.com. Like and follow The Tewaaraton Foundation at www.facebook.com/tewaaraton and www.twitter.com/tewaaraton.

About The Tewaaraton Foundation

First presented in 2001 at the University Club of Washington DC, the Tewaaraton Award is recognized as the pre-eminent lacrosse award, annually honoring the top male and female college lacrosse player in the United States. Endorsed by the Mohawk Nation Council of Elders and US Lacrosse, the Tewaaraton Award symbolizes lacrosse’s centuries-old roots in Native American heritage. The Tewaaraton Foundation ensures the integrity and advances the mission of this award. Each year, the Tewaaraton Award celebrates one of the six tribal nations of the Iroquois Confederacy – the Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora – and presents two scholarships to students of Iroquois descent. To learn more about The Tewaaraton Foundation, visit www.tewaaraton.com.

Loyola Men’s Lacrosse Earns No. 1 Seed, Will Host Canisius In NCAA First Round

BALTIMORE – The Loyola University Maryland men’s lacrosse team gathered as ECAC Champions on Sunday night to watch the NCAA Championship Selection Show on ESPNU, and the Greyhounds learned they will host CanisiusCollege in the First Round on Saturday, May 12, at 5 p.m. at Ridley Athletic Complex.

The Greyhounds, who have won a school record 14 games this year with just one loss, received the No. 1 seed in the Championships afterwinning the ECAC Championship on Friday evening with a 14-7 victory over Fairfield University.

“It’s a special day for our program,” Head Coach Charley Toomey said. “I am so proud of our guys. They have worked so hard day-in, day-out. Our senior leadership, and our captains have been special this year.”

Loyola and Canisius will play on ESPNU with a simulcast offered online on ESPN3. The winner of the game will take on the winner of North Carolina and Denver in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Saturday, May 19 in Annapolis, Md., at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Canisius enters the NCAA Championships after winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Game over Siena. The Golden Griffins rallied from a 9-6 halftime deficit to beat the Saints 10-9. Canisius will bring a 6-7 record to Ridley for the First Round game.

The Greyhounds will host a game for the first time since 2000.

BALTIMORE, MD – Junior attackman Zach Palmer scored a career-high five goals and added two assists and the 10th-ranked Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team scored nine of the game’s final 11 goals as the Blue Jays knocked off visiting Army, 13-6, at Homewood Field Saturday afternoon. Johns Hopkins finishes the regular season with a record of 11-3 and seems assured of a record 41st consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament. Army ends its season at 7-8.

After Army’s Alex Van Krevel knotted the game at 4-4 early in the third quarter, Palmer and the Blue Jay offense took over. Palmer answered Van Krevel’s strike just 10 seconds later as he scored off a nice skip pass from senior Chris Boland to give Hopkins a lead that it would never relinquish. Sophomore Greg Edmonds dipped inside his defender at the top of the box and scored on the run 61 seconds later and Brandon Benn’s rebound goal 90 seconds after that gave the Blue Jays their second three-goal lead of the game.

Conor Hayes’ goal just under a minute after Benn’s tally made it 7-5, but Benn’s second goal of the game, this one off an assist from John Ranagan, and another Palmer goal made it 9-5 before Devin Lynch closed the third quarter scoring with an unassisted tally of his own to make it 9-6 entering the final period. Palmer’s goal that made it 9-5 was the latest of his highlight-reel goals this season as he went behind-the-back from in tight with a pair of defenders on him to stake JHU to its first four-goal lead of the game.

The Blue Jays, who dominated at the X throughout the game, won all five faceoffs in the fourth quarter and used that possession advantage to outscore the Black Knights 4-0 in the final 15 minutes; Palmer had a hand in all four goals.

After coming up with a loose ball in a riding situation, he went in alone on goalie Zach Palmieri and beat him low before capping another transition opportunity with his career-best fifth goal of the game off another assist from Boland to make it 11-6. Boland capped the victory with back-to-back goals in a two-minute span midway through the quarter – both off assists from Palmer – to account for the final scoring.

Army was held scoreless in the final 15 minutes to mark the 16th time this season the Blue Jay defense has held the opposition scoreless in a quarter.

A tightly contested first half saw the Blue Jays jump out to a 4-1 lead as Ranagan, Palmer, Boland a freshman Wells Stanwick all scored in the first 18 minutes of the game, but Army hung in and pulled within a goal by intermission as senior Garrett Thul’s 39th goal of the season midway through the second quarter was followed by Van Krevel’s first of the game as he blew a 14-yarder from the top of the box past Hopkins goalie Pierce Bassett to account for a 4-3 score at the half.

By the time Van Krevel added his second goal just under four minutes into the third quarter, the Blue Jays had gone more than 16 minutes without scoring and the Black Knights had eaten away all of JHU’s three-goal lead. The tie last just 10 seconds before Palmer’s transition goal opened the floodgates as the Blue Jays scored on nine of their 21 second-half shots to secure their 18th consecutive victory over Army.

Palmer led the Blue Jays with his five goals and two assists as he scored on five of his seven shots in the game and had a hand in six of the nine goals Johns Hopkins scored after halftime. Boland added his 11th career hat trick as he totaled three goals and two assists, while Ranagan (1g, 2a) and Benn (2g) also added multi-point games for the Blue Jays. Junior Mike Poppleton continued to excel on faceoffs for the Blue Jays as he won 15-of-19 and grabbed a game-high six ground balls. The 15 faceoffs won match Poppleton’s career high.

Army goal two goals from Van Krevel and Lynch and one goal and one assist from Hayes, but Thul, who entered the game with 38 goals on the year, was held to just one goal and the Black Knights didn’t get a point from a non-starter.

Johns Hopkins will learn its NCAA fate on Sunday, May 6 at 9 pm when the bracket for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Tournament is announced live on ESPNU. Johns Hopkins has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 40 years. The streak is the longest active streak of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in any Division I team sport.

Army (7-8) 1-2-3-0/6
#10 Johns Hopkins (11-3) 2-2-5-4/13
Goals: A: Lynch-2, Van Krevel-2, Hayes, Thul. J: Palmer-5, Boland-3, Benn-2, Ranagan, Stanwick, Edmonds.Assists: A: Glesener, Hayes. J: Boland-2, Palmer-2, Ranagan-2, Goodrich. Saves: A: Palmieri-7, Somers-1. J: Bassett-5, Burke-1, Van Syckle-0. Shots: A-24. J-37. EMO: A: 0-for-1. J: 1-for-2. Attendance: 5,130.

The Game: Tenth-ranked Johns Hopkins (10-3) closes the 2012 regular season with its annual Homecoming game as the Blue Jays welcome Army to Homewood Field. Faceoff is set for 2 pm.

Last Time Out: Johns Hopkins snapped a two-game losing streak with a 10-9 win at top-ranked Loyola last Saturday. Army had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 13-7 loss to Lehigh in the Patriot League Semifinals last Friday at Colgate.

A Look Ahead: The bracket for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Tournament will be announced at 9 pm on Sunday, May 6. The bracket will be announced live on ESPNU with first round games scheduled for Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13.

JHU’s NCAA Tournament Credentials: There are a number of factors that go into selecting the field for the NCAA Tournament, not the least of which are RPI and Strength of Schedule. Johns Hopkins currently sports a 10-3 record, is ranked fifth in the latest RPI and has played six games against teams ranked in the top 20 of the RPI (JHU is 4-2 in those six games).

Noting JHU in the NCAA Tournament: Johns Hopkins made its 40th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. By comparison, the next six longest active streaks of qualifying for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament add up to exactly 40 consecutive appearances (Maryland-9, Cornell-8, Virginia-7, Notre Dame-6, Duke-5, North Carolina-5).

Series History: Johns Hopkins and Army are meeting for the 68th time in a series that dates to a 3-2 Johns Hopkins win in 1921. Johns Hopkins won last season’s meeing, 15-10, at Michie Stadium and has won 54-of-67 all-time meetings. A complete series review can be found at the back of this week’s note packet.

These are the Facts: Johns Hopkins enters this week’s game against Army with an all-time record of 922-297-15 (.753). The Blue Jays own nine NCAA titles, 29 USILA titles and six ILA titles for a total of 44 national championships.

A Win For Johns Hopkins Would …
• Give the Blue Jays 11 wins for the eighth time in 12 seasons under head coach Dave Pietramala.
• Give JHU 11 wins for the 27th time in school history.
• Be the 18th consecutive win for Johns Hopkins over Army.
• Improve Johns Hopkins’ record to 13-0 in regular season games played in May under head coach Dave Pietramala.

Gardner Awards to be Presented: The Johns Hopkins Department of Athletics and the Blue Jay men’s lacrosse team are continuing their fight against cancer with this week’s game against Army. Chris Gardner, who would have been a senior on the 1999 Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team, lost his life to cancer in 1997. In 1998, the Blue Jays began their fight against cancer with the inaugural IKON Lacrosse Classic to benefit the American Cancer Society.
In the last 14 years the Blue Jays have continued their fight against cancer with a game to benefit the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, where Chris received treatment for his illness. An additional dollar has been added to the cost of all tickets for today’s game with the extra money being donated to the Children’s Center in Chris’ name. To date, more than $70,000 has been donated to the Children’s Center in Chris’s honor.
At the conclusion of the game, the Chris Gardner Players-of-the-Game will be selected and each will receive a plaque for their efforts in Chris’ name. Kathleen Van Haverbeke, Chris’ mom, will present the plaques to a member of both teams.

Career Win Number 150: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala picked up career win number 150 with the 12-6 victory vs. Towson in the season opener. He now sports an all-time record of 159-61 (.723), including a 136-44 (.756) record at Johns Hopkins. He ranks second all-time in school history in career coaching victories as only Hall of Fame coach Bob Scott (158 wins from 1955-74) has more victories than Pietramala while patrolling the sidelines at Homewood.

Representing the Stars and Stripes: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala will serve as an assistant coach for the United States at at the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championships in Denver Colorado. Pietramala will serve under Richie Meade, the head coach at Navy from 1995-2011.

Durkin, Bassett Among Tewaaraton Nominees: Johns Hopkins placed two players among the top 25 men’s nominees for the 2012 Tewaaraton Award it was announced on April 25. Juniors Tucker Durkin (D) and Pierce Bassett (G) are among the 25, making Johns Hopkins one of just five schools with two nominees.
The 12th-annual Tewaaraton Award will be presented to the top male and female lacrosse players on May 31 at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Durkin is one of just three close defensemen among the final 25, while Bassett is one of just four goalies among the final 25.

May Day: Johns Hopkins has won 13 straight regular season games in the month of May. JHU’s last regular season loss in May came on May 8, 1999, when Hofstra nipped the Blue Jays, 9-8, in overtime. Johns Hopkins is 32-9 (.780) in games played in May under head coach Dave Pietramala (2001-present).

Working Overtime: The Blue Jays have won their last three overtime games dating back to last season and are now 19-9 all-time in overtime under head coach Dave Pietramala.

Play it and They Will Come: Johns Hopkins played in front of its second sellout crowd in three weeks last Saturday as Loyola sold all 6,000 tickets available for its home game against JHU last week. JHU also played in front of a packed house of 8,500 on April 14 when Maryland visited Homewood Field.
Playing in front of large crowds is nothing new for the Blue Jays, who lead the nation in average attendance for all games played (7,010). Amazingly, Johns Hopkins’ average attendance dropped last week despite playing in front of a sellout crowd.

Six Over Six: Last week’s crowd of 6,000 at Loyola was the sixth crowd of 6,000 or more that Johns Hopkins has played in front of in 2012. A large Homecoming crowd is also expected this Saturday when Army visits Homewood Field.

Five of Top 10: There have been 10 crowds of 6,500 or more at a Division I men’s lacrosse game this season and Johns Hopkins has been a participant in five of the 10.

Against Number One: Last week’s 10-9 overtime victory at Loyols was JHU’s second of the season against a team ranked number one in the nation. Earlier this season (March 24) the Blue Jays knocked off then top-ranked Virginia, 11-10, in overtime. Last week’s game was also the 11th Johns Hopkins has played against a team ranked number one under head coach Dave Pietramala. The Blue Jays are now 7-4 in their 11 games against the nation’s top-ranked team under his guidance. This is the first time in school history that Johns Hopkins has defeated a top-ranked team twice on the road in the same season.

Close Calls: Eight of the 11 games Johns Hopkins has played against teams ranked number one under head coach Dave Pietramala have been decided by one goal. JHU is 6-2 in those eight one-goal games.

That’s Odd: Despite the win at top-ranked Loyola, Johns Hopkins remained ranked 10th in this week’s USILA Coaches Poll. This week’s game against Army will be the fifth game Johns Hopkins has played under head coach Dave Pietramala as the 10th-ranked team in the nation. JHU is a perfect 4-0 in the previous four games.

April Reign: Flipping the calendar to April has usually been a good sign for the Blue Jays, who improved to 50-10 (.833) under head coach Dave Pietramala in games played in April with last week’s win at Loyola. JHU is 28-4 at home, 20-4 on the road and 2-2 on a neutral field in April under Pietramala’s guidance.

Prepping For May: May become a whole lot more important when the NCAA began sponsoring the lacrosse national championhip in 1971. Johns Hopkins currently has a streak of 40 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament and finishing April strong has been a big part of Hopkins’ success. In fact, Johns Hopkins has won the last game it has played in the month of April in each of the last 16 years and 40 of 41 during its streak of qualifying for the NCAAs. The only time JHU lost its last game in April since 1972 was in 1996 (Towson: Lost 13-12).

Marching Orders: Johns Hopkins closed out the March portion of its 2012 schedule at Virginia on March 24. The Blue Jays posted their first perfect record in the month of March (5-0) since 2005, when they also won all five of their games played in the month. Since 1972, JHU has posted a perfect record in the month of March 15 times (not including this season). In six of those years the Blue Jays went on to win the national championship and in seven other instances JHU finished as national runner-up.

Streaking: In case you didn’t notice, Johns Hopkins is 18-4 in its last 22 games, 23-6 since the start of the 2011 season and 25-8 in its last 33 games.

13-Win Seasons: With a 13-3 record last season, Johns Hopkins reached the 13-win mark for the fifth time under head coach Dave Pietramala and the 12th time in school history.

Balancing Act: Johns Hopkins scored 10 goals in the win last week at top-ranked Loyola and those 10 goals and the 15 total points the Blue Jays amassed were pretty evenly distributed. JHU got two goals and four assists from its starting attack, five goals from its first midfield and three goals from its second midfield.

Attack Oriented: Despite being forced to start five different players in three different combinations, the starting attack units the Blue Jays have trotted out have been effective and efficient. The unit has combined for 56 goals and 42 assists (7.54 points per game) through 13 games.

On the Flip Side: While the Blue Jay attack is collectively averaging over 7.5 points per game, the Blue Jay defense has not been nearly as giving. In fact, the starting attack units Johns Hopkins has faced this season have totaled just 45 goals and 24 assists (5.3 points per game).

Bassett Now 23-6 in Last 29 Starts: Junior goalie Pierce Bassett picked up his 26th career victory in goal with the 10-9 win at top-ranked Loyola as he posted nine saves. Bassett is now 23-6 in his last 29 starts dating back to the start of the 2011 season and counts a 26-10 career record to his credit.
Through 13 games Bassett currently ranks seventh in the nation in goals against average (7.14) and 21st in save percentage (.547).
Bassett concluded his first full season as the starter for the Blue Jays last season and posted a 7.07 goals against average and a .570 save percentage. He finished fifth in the nation in GAA and 10th in save percentage. Bassett’s 7.07 goals against average is the second best by a JHU goalie since 1993 (Jesse Schwartman’s 6.68 GAA in 2005 is the best since records became available in ‘93).

Boland Returns: Senior attackman Chris Boland returned to the lineup against North Carolina after missing seven consecutive games with an injury he suffered 35 minutes into the season opener against Towson. Boland scored twice and dished out a pair of assists against the Tar Heels and came back with a three-goal, two-assist showing against Albany and a one-goal, one-assist effort against Maryland to push his season totals to 10 goals and five assists. He had 13-game goal and point-scoring streaks snapped at Navy, but tallied a pair of assists in last week’s win at Loyola.
Boland pushed his career totals to 76 goals and 45 assists for 121 points with his two-assist effort at Loyola. He has 10 career hat tricks, 29 career multi-point games and 18 games with four points or more.

Stanwick in Rare Company: Freshman Wells Stanwick scored the fifth goal in JHU’s game-opening 5-0 run last week at top-ranked Loyola to help the Blue Jays to the 10-9 overtime victory.
Stanwick has seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 10 games played. He missed three games early in the season with an injury, but still ranks second on the team in assists and fourth in points.
Stanwick ran his streak of consecutive multi-point games to seven with one goal and two assists in the win over Albany before being held scoreless by Maryland and Navy. His run of seven straight multi-point games to open his career is the longest by a Johns Hopkins player (freshmen only – not transfers) since all-time leading scorer Terry Riordan opened his career with 18 consecutive multi-point games from 1992-93.

Offensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU offense:
• JHU has scored at least one goal in 47 of 52 quarters this season and two or more in 38 of the 52 quarters.
• For all the talk about JHU being a slow down team, the Blue Jays are averaging 35.8 shots per game. That number compares favorably to JHU’s averages in 2005 (38.1) and 2007 (36.3) – the most recent years in which Johns Hopkins won the national championship.
• Johns Hopkins ranks 29th in the nation in scoring offense (9.85), 12th in extra-man offense (.426) and 12th in scoring margin (+2.77).

Defensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU defense:
• Hopkins is surrendering an average of just 29.1 shots per game.
• JHU has held the opposition scoreless in 15 of 52 quarters this season (28.8%).
• The Blue Jays rank fifth in the nation in scoring defense (7.08), 15th in man-down defense (.730) and 12th in scoring margin (+2.77) this season.
• Johns Hopkins has held each of its 13 opponents scoreless for a stretch of at least 14:25 and 10 of the 13 have gone scoreless for 19:30 or longer.

Now That’s a Drought: The Johns Hopkins defense did not allow an even-strength goal for an amazing stretch of 116:37 from late in the win at Princeton through early in the fourth quarter of the win over UMBC.

About the Shutout: Shutouts in college lacrosse are rare, but JHU notched one with the 11-0 victory over Manhattan on March 6. Prior to that, the Blue Jays had last posted a shutout on March 26, 1988, when they knocked off Princeton, 9-0. The shutout vs. Manhattan was the 61st in JHU history with 57 of those coming prior to 1950.

Poll Position: The Blue Jays check in at number 10 in the USILA Coaches Poll and eighth in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll this week. The Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications Office uses the USILA Poll to represent JHU’s official ranking at the time of a game. Prior to falling out of the top 20 of the USILA Poll on April 26 and May 3, 2010 (JHU was receiving votes in both polls), the Blue Jays had been ranked in the top 20 in 367 consecutive polls dating back to the first poll in 1973.

More Poll Position: Including this week’s USILA Poll, there have been 395 weekly polls since the inception of the poll in 1973. Amazingly, JHU has been ranked in the top 20 in 393 of those 395 polls. The Blue Jays have been in the top 10 in 372 of the 395 and the top five in 295 of those 395. Johns Hopkins has been ranked number one 104 times since the poll debuted in 1973.

Fifteen Straight – Historically: Johns Hopkins won 15 straight regular season games prior to falling to North Carolina on April 1. Not only was the 15-game regular season winning streak the second longest under Dave Pietramala, it’s also the sixth longest in school history during the NCAA Tournament era (1971 – Present).

State Rivalries: Without question the Blue Jays play one of the most difficult schedules in the nation and a big part of the schedule are the in-state rivalries the Blue Jays have. Including wins this season vs. Towson, UMBC and Loyola and losses to Maryland and Navy, JHU is 56-6 (.903) against teams from Maryland under head coach Dave Pietramala.

First to 900: Johns Hopkins’ 10-6 win at Towson in the 2011 season opener not only got the season off on the right foot for the Blue Jays, but also made history. The win was the 900th all-time in school history, making Johns Hopkins the first program to record 900 all-time wins. JHU now has 922 all-time wins.

That’s 625 Games Over .500: The Blue Jays’ all-time record is now 922-297-15 (.753) … that’s 625 games over .500. To put this in perspective: JHU has played an average of just over 15 games per season under head coach Dave Pietramala. Using a 15-game season as a reference, if the Blue Jays posted a 5-10 record for 125 straight seasons, they would still be five games over .500.

BALTIMORE, MD – Sophomore Rob Guida provided the emotional spark the Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team needed when he opened the scoring with an unassisted goal less than three minutes into Saturday’s showdown at top-ranked Loyola. Guida did himself one better with 2.3 seconds remaining in overtime when he quick-sticked home a pass to the crease from junior Zach Palmer to lift the 10th-ranked Blue Jays to a 10-9 win before a capacity crowd of 6,000 at Loyola’s Ridley Athletic Complex.

In a game that saw the Blue Jays lead 9-5 with less than 13 minutes remaining in regulation, Guida netted his game-winner after Loyola hit the post with its second shot in overtime and the Blue Jays failed on an extra-man opportunity. With the clock winding down, Hopkins midfielder John Ranagan worked to an ally dodge, but was trail-checked nicely and the ball flew out to Palmer along the goal line. There, he threaded a pass to the crease, where Guida caught it for the briefest time and slipped a quick shot between the legs of Loyola goalie Jack Runkel. The goal completed Guida’s first career hat trick and improved Hopkins’ record to 19-9 all-time in overtime games under head coach Dave Pietramala.

A late goal in overtime didn’t look like it would be necessary for the Blue Jays after Guida’s extra-man goal early in the fourth quarter gave JHU a 9-5 lead. To that point, the ‘Hounds hadn’t been closer than three since the first quarter and the Blue Jays appeared to be in control.

It look less than two minutes for Davis Butts to answer Guida’s tally and less than a minute after that before a Sean O’Sullivan strike made it 9-7 with more than 11 minutes remaining.

The 9-7 lead held for the Blue Jays (10-3) for more than eight minutes as Runkel and his counterpart, JHU goalie Pierce Bassett, traded saves. Still, the Greyhounds made it a one-goal game with 54 seconds remaining when Justin Ward found Pat Laconi alone in the high slot and Laconi picked the near post for his first goal of the season.

Loyola (12-1), which had its 12-game winning streak snapped, won the ensuing faceoff and worked the ball to Ward behind the goal. Hopkins senior Gavin Crisafulli bodied up with Ward along the goal line and appeared to be in solid position, but Ward worked topside just slightly and rifled home the equalizer to force the extra period.

Loyola maintained possession for more than 90 seconds in overtime and Eric Lusby rang the far post with the ‘Hounds second shot, but Guida came up with the ensuing ground ball and drew a flag for a hold while trying to clear. Hopkins maintained possession after the penalty expired and Palmer threaded his pass to a tightly-marked Guida a short time later to seal Hopkins’ 13th straight win over the Greyhounds.

After back-to-back losses the Blue Jays were looking for something positive early in the game and Guida, Mark Goodrich and Lee Coppersmith provided just that with first quarter goals that gave JHU a 3-0 lead at the end of the opening quarter. It marked the 15th time Hopkins has held an opponent scoreless in a quarter this season and the first time all year that Loyola failed to score in the opening quarter of a game.

The Blue Jays pushed the lead to 5-0 when Coppersmith and Wells Stanwick scored in the opening 2:03 of the second period, but Loyola got goals by Butts, Lusby and Chris Layne in the final 11:15 of the period with only a Palmer strike in that time for JHU to account for a 6-3 score at the half.

The teams traded third-quarter goals to make it 8-5 entering the final period and Gudia’s extra-man goal 47 seconds into the fourth quarter gave JHU the 9-5 lead. Butts ignited Loyola’s 4-0 run a short time later when he scored on an ally dodge and Ward capped the spree in the final seconds with his only goal of the game. That set the stage for the overtime period, which went nearly the full four minutes before Palmer and Guida put an end to the dramatics and lifted Hopkins to its 47th all-time win in the 50-game series with Loyola.

Guida, who had scored previously scored a career-high two goals in a game six times in his career, led the Blue Jays with his three goals, while Palmer added two goals and two assists. Coppersmith and Goodrich added two-goal efforts for the Blue Jays, who held advantages in shots (40-28) and ground balls (34-30). Bassett posted nine saves in goal and freshman Michael Pellegrino added a game-high seven ground balls for the Blue Jays, who picked up their second win of the season against a team ranked number one and have now won 7-of-11 against teams ranked number one under Pietramala.

Loyola got two goals from Lusby and Butts, one goal and two assists from Layne and the one goal and one assist from Ward, while Runkel was solid in goal with 14 saves on the day. J.P. Dalton took all 23 faceoffs in the game for Loyola and won 14 of them, although the Blue Jays won 7-of-11 in the second half.

Johns Hopkins will return to action next Saturday, when the Blue Jays welcome Army to Homewood Field for JHU’s annual Homecoming game. Loyola has a quick turnaround as the Greyhounds will play at Denver in the ECAC Semifinals on Wednesday.

#10 Johns Hopkins (10-3) 3-3-2-1-1/10
#1 Loyola (12-1) 0-3-2-4-0/9

Goals: J: Guida-3, Palmer-2, Coppersmith-2, Goodrich-2, Stanwick. L: Lusby-2, Butts-2, Layne, Ward, Sawyer, O’Sullivan, Laconi. Assists: J: Boland-2, Palmer-2, Burkhart. L: Layne-2, Ratliff, Ward. Saves: J: Bassett-9. L: Runkel-14, Bonitatibus-0. Shots: J-40. L-28. EMO: J: 2-for-4. L: 0-for-1. Attendance: 6,000.

The Game: Tenth-ranked Johns Hopkins (9-3) makes the short trip to the Ridley Athletic Complex to take on top-ranked Loyola (12-0). The game is sold out.

Last Time Out: Johns Hopkins dropped its second straight game with an 8-2 loss at Navy last Saturday. Loyola moved to 12-0 and took over sole possession of the top spot in the national rankings with a 17-6 win at Hobart.

Series History: Johns Hopkins and Loyola are meeting for the 50th time in a series that dates to a 20-1 Johns Hopkins win in 1939. Johns Hopkins won last season’s meeing, 8-7, at Homewood Field, has won 12 straight against the Greyhounds and leads the series 46-3. A complete series review can be found at the back of this week’s note packet.

These are the Facts: Johns Hopkins enters this week’s game against Loyola with an all-time record of 921-297-15 (.753). The Blue Jays own nine NCAA titles, 29 USILA titles and six ILA titles for a total of 44 national championships.

A Win For Johns Hopkins Would …
• Give the Blue Jays 10 wins for the ninth time in 12 seasons under head coach Dave Pietramala.
• Give JHU 10 wins for the 33rd time in school hsitory.
• Be the 13th consecutive win for Johns Hopkins over Loyola.
• Improve JHU’s record to 56-6 against teams from the state of Maryland since Dave Pietramala took over in 2001.
• Improve Johns Hopkins’ reocrd to 50-10 in games played in April under Dave Pietramala.

Career Win Number 150: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala picked up career win number 150 with the 12-6 victory vs. Towson in the season opener. He now sports an all-time record of 158-61 (.721), including a 135-44 (.754) record at Johns Hopkins. He ranks second all-time in school history in career coaching victories as only Hall of Fame coach Bob Scott (158 wins from 1955-74) has more victories than Pietramala while patrolling the sidelines at Homewood.

Representing the Stars and Stripes: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala will serve as an assistant coach for the United States at at the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championships in Denver Colorado. Pietramala will serve under Richie Meade, the head coach at Navy from 1995-2011.

Durkin, Bassett Among Tewaaraton Nominees: Johns Hopkins placed two players among the top 25 men’s nominees for the 2012 Tewaaraton Award it was announced on April 25. Juniors Tucker Durkin (D) and Pierce Bassett (G) are among the 25, making Johns Hopkins one of just five schools with two nominees.
The 12th-annual Tewaaraton Award will be presneted to the top male and female lacrosse players on May 31 at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Durkin is one of just three close defensemen among the final 25, while Bassett is one of just four goalies among the final 25.

Program Ties-I: Johns Hopkins Associate Head Coach Bill Dwan is the older brother of Loyola assistant coach/defensive coordinator Matt Dwan.

Program Ties-II: Loyola sophomore faceoff specialist Brandon Donovan is the younger brother of Tim Donovan, who played at Johns Hopkins from 2008-11 and helped the Blue Jays to four straight trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Play it and They Will Come: Johns Hopkins will play in front of its second sellout crowd in three weeks on Saturday as Loyola has sold all 6,000 tickets available for this week’s game. JHU also played in front of a packed house of 8,500 on April 14 when Maryland visited Homewood Field.
Playing in front of large crowds is nothing new for the Blue Jays, who lead the nation in average attendance for all games played (7,094).

Six Over Six: This week’s crowd of 6,000 at Loyola will be the sixth crowd of 6,000 or more that Johns Hopkins will have played in front of in 2012.

Five of Top Eight: There have been eight crowds of 6,500 or more at a Division I men’s lacrosse game this season and Johns Hopkins has been a participant in five of the eight.

Against Number One: This week’s game against Loyola will be the second this season for the Blue Jays against a team ranked number one – and both will have taken place on the road.
Earlier this season (March 24) the Blue Jays knocked off then top-ranked Virginia, 11-10, in overtime.
This week’s game will be the 11th Johns Hopkins has played against a team ranked number one under head coach Dave Pietramala. The Blue Jays are 6-4 in their 10 games against the nation’s top-ranked team under his guidance and 16-22 overall against the number-one ranked team since 1973 (USILA rankings began in 1973).

Close Calls: Seven of the 10 games Johns Hopkins has played against teams ranked number one under head coach Dave Pietramala have been decided by one goal. JHU is 5-2 in those seven one-goal games. Overall, 15 of JHU’s 37 games against a team ranked number one have been decided by one goal – JHU is 7-8 in those 15 games.

That’s Odd: This will be the fourth game Johns Hopkins has played under head coach Dave Pietramala as the 10th-ranked team in the nation. JHU is a perfect 3-0 in the previous three games.

April Reign: Flipping the calendar to April has usually been a good sign for the Blue Jays, who are 49-10 (.831) under head coach Dave Pietramala in games played in April. JHU is 28-4 at home, 19-4 on the road and 2-2 on a neutral field in April under Pietramala’s guidance.

Prepping For May: May become a whole lot more important when the NCAA began sponsoring the lacrosse national championhip in 1971. Johns Hopkins currently has a streak of 40 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament and finishing April strong has been a big part of Hopkins’ success. In fact, Johns Hopkins has won the last game it has played in the month of April in each of the last 15 years and 39 of 40 during its streak of qualifying for the NCAAs. The only time JHU lost its last game in April since 1972 was in 1996 (Towson: Lost 13-12).

Marching Orders: Johns Hopkins closed out the March portion of its 2012 schedule at Virginia on March 24. The Blue Jays posted their first perfect record in the month of March (5-0) since 2005, when they also won all five of their games played in the month. Since 1972, JHU has posted a perfect record in the month of March 15 times (not including this season). In six of those years the Blue Jays went on to win the national championship and in seven other instances JHU finished as national runner-up.

Streaking: In case you didn’t notice, Johns Hopkins is 17-4 in its last 21 games, 22-6 since the start of the 2011 season and 24-8 in its last 32 games.

13-Win Seasons: With a 13-3 record last season, Johns Hopkins reached the 13-win mark for the fifth time under head coach Dave Pietramala and the 12th time in school history.

Home Cookin’: Johns Hopkins had its 12-game home winning streak snapped with the 9-6 loss to Maryland on April 14. The streak is the second-longest under head coach Dave Pietramala, who picked up his 75th career victory at Homewood Field with the win earlier this season against Delaware. Hopkins sports a 79-13 (.859) record in home games during his career at JHU.
JHU won a school and national-record 37 straight home games from 2001-06 under Pietramala’s guidance and the recent 12-game home winning streak is the fourth home streak of seven wins or more since he arrived.

Balancing Act: Johns Hopkins has employed virtually the same first and second midfield units throughout the first 12 games and those units have proven to be steady in terms of production. JHU’s first unit of Rob Guida(13), John Ranagan (13) and John Greeley (7) has combined for 33 goals, while the second unit of Lee Coppersmith (12), Mark Goodrich (6) and Greg Edmonds (4) has 22 goals to its credit.
The major difference between the two groups has been with assists. The unit of Guida, Ranagan and Greeley has combined for 19 assists. Edmonds’ assist against North Carolina was the first assist of the season from the trio on the second midfield, which now has two assists to its credit.

Attack Oriented: Despite being forced to start five different players in three different combinations, the starting attack units the Blue Jays have trotted out have been effective and efficient. Despite struggling the last two weeks, the unit has combined for 54 goals and 38 assists (7.67 points per game) through 12 games.

On the Flip Side: While the Blue Jay attack is collectively averaging nearly eight points per game, the Blue Jay defense has not been nearly as giving. In fact, the starting attack units Johns Hopkins has faced this season have totaled just 41 goals and 23 assists (5.3 points per game).

Bassett Now 22-6 in Last 28 Starts: Junior goalie Pierce Bassett picked up his 25th career victory in goal with the 17-6 win vs. Albany as he posted 11 saves in just over 55 minutes of action. Bassett is now 22-6 in his last 28 starts dating back to the start of the 2011 season and counts a 25-10 career record to his credit.
Through 12 games Bassett currently ranks sixth in the nation in goals against average (7.02) and 19th in save percentage (.552).
Bassett concluded his first full season as the starter for the Blue Jays last season and posted a 7.07 goals against average and a .570 save percentage. He finished fifth in the nation in GAA and 10th in save percentage. Bassett’s 7.07 goals against average is the second best by a JHU goalie since 1993 (Jesse Schwartman’s 6.68 GAA in 2005 is the best since records became available in ‘93).

Boland Returns: Senior attackman Chris Boland returned to the lineup against North Carolina after missing seven consecutive games with an injury he suffered 35 minutes into the season opener against Towson. Boland scored twice and dished out a pair of assists against the Tar Heels and came back with a three-goal, two-assist showing against Albany and a one-goal, one-assist effort against Maryland to push his season totals to 10 goals and five assists. He had 13-game goal and point-scoring streaks snapped last week at Navy.
Boland pushed his career totals to 76 goals and 43 assists for 119 points with his one goal and one assist vs. Maryland. He has 10 career hat tricks, 28 career multi-point games and 18 games with four points or more.

Stanwick in Rare Company: Freshman Wells Stanwick ran his streak of consecutive multi-point games to seven with one goal and two assists in the win over Albany before being held scoreless by Maryland and Navy. His run of seven straight multi-point games to open his career is the longest by a Johns Hopkins player (freshmen only – not transfers) since all-time leading scorer Terry Riordan opened his career with 18 consecutive multi-point games from 1992-93.
Stanwick has six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in nine games played. He missed three games early in the season with an injury, but still ranks second on the team in assists and fourth in points.

Offensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU offense:
• JHU has scored at least one goal in 43 of 48 quarters this season and two or more in 35 of the 48 quarters.
• For all the talk about JHU being a slow down team, the Blue Jays are averaging 35.5 shots per game. That number compares favorably to JHU’s averages in 2005 (38.1) and 2007 (36.3) – the most recent years in which Johns Hopkins won the national championship.
• Johns Hopkins ranks 30th in the nation in scoring offense (9.83), 15th in extra-man offense (.419) and 12th in scoring margin (+2.92).

Defensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU defense:
• Hopkins is surrendering an average of just 29.2 shots per game.
• JHU has held the opposition scoreless in 14 of 48 quarters this season (29.2%).
• The Blue Jays rank fifth in the nation in scoring defense (6.92), 14th in man-down defense (.722) and 12th in scoring margin (+2.92) this season.
• Johns Hopkins has held each of its 12 opponents scoreless for a stretch of at least 14:25 and 10 of the 12 have gone scoreless for 19:30 or longer.

Now That’s a Drought: The Johns Hopkins defense did not allow an even-strength goal for an amazing stretch of 116:37 from late in the win at Princeton through early in the fourth quarter of the win over UMBC.

About the Shutout: Shutouts in college lacrosse are rare, but JHU notched one with the 11-0 victory over Manhattan on March 6. Prior to that, the Blue Jays had last posted a shutout on March 26, 1988, when they knocked off Princeton, 9-0. The shutout vs. Manhattan was the 61st in JHU history with 57 of those coming prior to 1950.

Poll Position: The Blue Jays check in at number 10 in the USILA Coaches Poll and 11th in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll this week. The Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications Office uses the USILA Poll to represent JHU’s official ranking at the time of a game. Prior to falling out of the top 20 of the USILA Poll on April 26 and May 3, 2010 (JHU was receiving votes in both polls), the Blue Jays had been ranked in the top 20 in 367 consecutive polls dating back to the first poll in 1973.

More Poll Position: Including this week’s USILA Poll, there have been 394 weekly polls since the inception of the poll in 1973. Amazingly, JHU has been ranked in the top 20 in 392 of those 394 polls. The Blue Jays have been in the top 10 in 371 of the 394 and the top five in 295 of those 394. Johns Hopkins has been ranked number one 104 times since the poll debuted in 1973.

Noting JHU in the NCAA Tournament: Johns Hopkins made its 40th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. By comparison, the next six longest active streaks of qualifying for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament add up to exactly 40 consecutive appearances (Maryland-9, Cornell-8, Virginia-7, Notre Dame-6, Duke-5, North Carolina-5).

First to 900: Johns Hopkins’ 10-6 win at Towson in the 2011 season opener not only got the season off on the right foot for the Blue Jays, but also made history. The win was the 900th all-time in school history, making Johns Hopkins the first program to record 900 all-time wins. JHU now has 921 all-time wins.

That’s 624 Games Over .500: The Blue Jays’ all-time record is now 921-297-15 (.753) … that’s 624 games over .500. To put this in perspective: JHU has played an average of just over 15 games per season under head coach Dave Pietramala. Using a 15-game season as a reference, if the Blue Jays posted a 5-10 record for 125 straight seasons, they would still be four games over .500.

COLLEGE PARK, MD. - The No. 9 Maryland men’s lacrosse team closes out its regular season home slate by hosting Bellarmine on Saturday, April 28, at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. Faceoff is scheduled for noon.

• The game will mark the final regular season game for seven Terrapin seniors: Joe Cummings, MJ Leonard, David Miller, Pat Morrison, Tim Shaeffer, Michael Shakespeare and Drew Snider. The 2012 senior class has compiled a 43-20 (.683) record during its time in College Park, helped bring the Terps the 2011 ACC Championship and were key to Maryland’s run to the 2011 NCAA championship game. They have also helped Maryland to three NCAA tournament bids with a fourth a near certainty when the 2012 field is announced on May 6.

• Maryland (8-4, 1-2 ACC) is coming off of a 12-8 victory at Mount St. Mary’s on Wednesday, April 25. Senior Joe Cummings became just the 38th player in the 87-year history of the Maryland men’s lacrosse program to reach 100 career points with four points on three goals and an assist vs. the Mount. Owen Blye led the Terps with five points on two goals and three assists.

• The Knights are 4-7 on the year and are coming off of a 9-8 victory over Detroit Mercy on April 21. Bellarmine opened the season winning three of its first five games, but then went on a five-game losing skid before beating the Titans. This season the Knights are led by senior midfielder Colton Clark, who has 30 points on 18 goals and 12 assists. Junior attackman Michael Ward is the team leader in goals with 22. Junior Dylan Ward has started all 11 of Bellarmine’s 11 games in cage and has a .515 save percentage and a 10.25 goals-against average.

The Count Down
10 … Since 2002 Maryland has won 89 of the 97 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .918 winning percentage.
9 … Maryland is 107-24 in games since 2002 when it allows nine goals or less, for an .817 winning percentage.
8 … Owen Blye needs eight points to reach 75 for his career.
7 … Seven Terps will be playing in their final regular season game at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium.
6 … Joe Cummings has had six games this season with at least three points.
5 … Niko Amato is fifth in the lastest NCAA rankings with a 6.94 goals-against average.
4 … This will be the Terps’ fourth meeting all-time with Bellarmine.
3 … Three Terps have totaled 20 or more points so far this season.
2 … Goran Murray is just the second close defender to be named the ACC Freshman of the Year in the last 12 years.
1 … Head coach John Tillman is 1-0 all-time vs. Bellarmine.

Coaching Match-Up
• John Tillman is in his fifth season as a head coach, and second with the Terps, with a 40-28 career record for a 58.8 winning percentage. Tillman is 20-9 (.690) as Maryland’s head coach. He had a 20-19 record in three seasons as the head coach at Harvard.

• Bellarmine’s Kevin Burns is in his first season as a head coach and has a 4-7 (.364) record at Bellarmine.

• This will be Tillman’s second game vs. the Knights as a head coach. He is 1-0 vs. Bellarmine, winning 12-8 in College Park in his first season as Maryland’s head coach.

Series History vs. Bellarmine
• There’s not much of a series history, but Maryland holds an 3-0 advantage in it.

• Last season the Terps hosted Bellarmine in a Monday matinee and Maryland, behind hat tricks by seniors Travis Reed and Ryan Young, raced out to an 11-3 lead through three quarters and won the game 12-8. Niko Amato played the first three quarters and made eight saves, while allowing just three goals.

• Maryland played its 2010 season opener at Bellarmine as the Knights dedicated the plaza area of its stadium to Jack McGetrick, the former head coach who founded the Knights’ lacrosse program. McGetrick passed away from prostate cancer in October of 2010. The Terps went on to win their 17th straight season opener, 11-6, behind four different Maryland players each scoring a pair of goals. Grant Catalino led the way with six points on two goals and four assists. Brian Phipps made 12 saves to lead the Terrapin defense.

• The first meeting between the two clubs came in the 2007 season opener with the Terps taking an 11-6 victory at Maryland’s Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. The game was the Terrapin debut for some highly touted freshmen and they did not disappoint. Long pole Brian Farrell scored twice in his college debut to go along with four groundballs. Goalie Brian Phipps was pressed into duty from the start due to injuries to Harry Alford and Jason Carter, but he responded with nine saves and three groundballs to pick up his first career victory. Overall, 11 different Terps registered points in the game, led by attackmen Michael Phipps and Max Ritz, who had three apiece.

Bernhardt, Murray Earn Annual ACC Awards
• Junior long pole Jesse Bernhardt and freshman defender Goran Murray were among the five student-athletes recognized as recipients of the annual ACC men’s lacrosse individual awards, the conference announced Tuesday.

• Bernhardt, a native of Longwood, Fla., shares the inaugural ACC Defensive Player of the Year award with Duke’s CJ Costabile. Bernhardt, who is also a 2012 Tewaaraton Trophy nominee, leads the Terps with 22 caused turnovers and leads the conference with 2.0 caused turnovers per game. He is also averaging 3.3 groundballs per game and is the captain of a Maryland defense that currently ranks seventh in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 7.45 goals per game.

• Murray, a native of Merion Station, Pa., becomes the seventh Terp to be named the ACC Freshman of the Year. He is the first since 2007 when Brian Phipps earned the honor and the first Maryland defender since Michael Howley won the honor. Murray was a long-pole midfielder coming into preseason practice, but was converted to close defense and has become Maryland’s shutdown defender. Murray has started all 11 games for the Terps and became the first freshman close defender to start a season opener since 2008. He currently ranks sixth in the conference with 1.1 caused turnovers per game.

• Virginia senior Steele Stanwick earned ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors, while Duke’s John Danowski was named the ACC Coach of the Year.

League-Best Four Terps Named To All-ACC Team
• Maryland placed a league-high four players on the 2012 All-ACC Men’s Lacrosse Team, which was announced today by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Senior attackman Joe Cummings and sophomore goalie Niko Amato made the team for the second-straight season, while junior long pole Jesse Bernhardt and junior midfielder John Haus are first-time selections.

• 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 four honorees were the most by any school. Duke and Virginia each had three selections, while North Carolina had one player make the team.