Going into last season, the McDonogh boys soccer team was clearly the team to beat, while Mount St. Joseph was just another one of the solid teams looking to do just that.

The Eagles were two-time defending Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champions and, in early October, had a 38-game winning streak working that earned them the country's No. 1 ranking in both the NSCAA/adidas and ESPN Rise national polls.

When the Gaels pulled off the season's biggest upset -- a 2-1 win over McDonogh on Oct. 2 -- it ended their 18-game winless streak against the Eagles. After the Gaels repeated the effort in the MIAA title game -- winning on penalty kicks after 100 minutes of scoreless soccer -- a rivalry was fully formed.

Which brings us to this season. Now, it's the Gaels ranked No. 1 in the metro area and looking to defend their conference championship, while the No. 4 Eagles (4-1) try to reclaim lost territory. The first of two regular season games takes place at 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon at Mount St. Joseph.

"I think they kind of got the gorilla off their back beating us last year," McDonogh coach Steve Nichols said. "That makes us upset and, at the same time, it gives them the belief that they can beat us."

Plenty of talent will be on display with the Eagles leaning on the one-two offensive punch of Mike Gamble and Julian Griggs, while the Gaels counter with defensive standouts Jalen Robinson and Jordan Manley.

Just how big is this game? Expected to be in attendance to scout the talent is Maryland men's soccer coach Sasho Cirovski -- the Terrapins are slated to play at Loyola later tonight -- and Wake Forest men's soccer coach Jay Vidovich.