Hours before Towson picked itself out of the ranks of the winless with a 10-9 decision against No. 17 Navy Tuesday night, Mount St. Mary’s also secured its first victory of the season by shocking previously unbeaten Robert Morris, 19-13.

The Mountaineers had opened the season back-to-back losses to then-No. 3 Virginia (15-7) and Jacksonville (14-7). So Tuesday afternoon’s outcome was enormously pleasing to coach Tom Gravante.

"Outside of the fact that it’s the first time the program beat a ranked team, it’s an opportunity for the kids to get a taste of winning and learn how to win," Gravante said Wednesday morning. "It was a little bit of a see-saw battle."

Mount St. Mary’s actually trailed, 6-2, just 106 seconds into the second quarter, forcing Gravante to burn the team’s second and final time-out of the half.

"It wasn’t that Robert Morris was playing that much better than us," he said. "They were just making plays, and that’s what we have to do. We knew we were capable of playing better lacrosse, and they hadn’t done that. Then they re-organized themselves and peeled off eight straight. People were complimenting me on that timeout and asking me, ‘What did you tell them?’ Sometimes you don’t need to tell them what they need to do. You’ve got to tell them what they haven’t done. In our case, we hadn’t started playing yet, and they knew it. I was just very pleased that they fought back."

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Categories: Mount St. Mary's
        

The relief etched on the faces of Towson players told the whole story.

Tuesday night’s 10-9 victory over No. 17 Navy at Johnny Unitas Stadium helped the Tigers avoid the program’s first 0-4 start – and stoked a competitive fire that has shown no signs of flaming out.

Moments after the win, junior goalkeeper Travis Love was licking his chops over Sunday’s tilt with No. 1 Virginia.

"It’s scary," Love said of the showdown with the undefeated Cavaliers, "but on any day, I feel like anything can happen. CP [senior Christian Pastirik, who scored three goals including the game-winner with 6 seconds left against the Midshipmen] was huge for us. It just takes that one guy and everyone else can ride their coattails. Our team has guys that can step up like that. I’m looking forward to Virginia. I want them. I want that second win."

Love might be getting a little ahead of himself, but the point is that Towson is not out of the playoff picture just yet. Yes, there are some challenging match-ups with Virginia and No. 11 Loyola in the next two weeks, but the Tigers can still makes waves in the Colonial Athletic Association.

"It’s a win – any way we can," coach Tony Seaman said. "We hung in there. … Our big theme was let’s play 60 minutes. We had been playing 50, 48, 49, and tonight, we finished it up with six seconds left. So thank God. We did everything we could to give me a heart attack tonight. … It was unbelievable."

Other notes:

Continue reading "Postscript from Navy at Towson" »

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Categories: Navy, Postscript, Towson
        

On a night when Towson is seeking its first victory, the host Tigers lead No. 17 Navy, 6-5, at halftime.

Junior attackman Tim Stratton already has a hat trick in the first half, and the third goal involved a little trickery as he and senior midfielder Brock Armour engaged in a ball fake behind the net. As Midshipmen sophomore goalkeeper R.J. Wickham followed Armour to the left wing, Stratton -- who had the ball -- curled around the right post and dumped the ball into the open net.

Senior midfielder Christian Pastirik has a pretty goal of his own when he accepted a pass from freshman attackman Matt Hughes, and as he was running out of real estate while running to the right side of the crease, whipped a shot behind his head into the top left corner of the cage.

Towson, which hasn't trailed in the first half, broke a 3-3 tie with three consecutive goals. But Navy answered with two goals, including a tally from senior defenseman Jake Brosnan with 17 seconds left in the second quarter.

Other notes:

Continue reading "Navy at Towson: Halftime thoughts" »

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Categories: Halftime thoughts, Navy, Towson
        

Two teams hungry for wins meet Tuesday night at 7 p.m. when No. 17 Navy (3-3) meets Towson (0-3) at Johnny Unitas Stadium. Here are a few developments that could determine the outcome.

Continue reading "Navy at Towson: Three things to watch" »

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ESPN analyst Quint Kessenich, a former All-American goalkeeper at Johns Hopkins, offered his perspective for an article advancing Saturday night’s showdown between No. 2 Syracuse and No. 8 Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field. He also shared his thoughts on the season thus far.

Question: What player or team has exceeded your preseason expectations?

Quint Kessenich: "There’s three really surprising unbeatens right now. Robert Morris, which is an independent, was 9-7 last year, and they’ve gotten off to a great start. They’re scoring a lot of goals, averaging about 16 goals a game. I think Lafayette is a huge surprise with their coach Terry Mangan. All of a sudden, they’re a favorite in the Patriot League. I felt the Patriot League would be a little down this year, but I still thought Bucknell might be the team to beat there, but Lafayette beat Navy last weekend, and that’s a huge win for that Lafayette program. It’s the best start in program history. And Yale is off to a good start in the Ivy League. They’re undefeated also, which is a surprise on the positive side."

Q: What player or team has underwhelmed you?

QK: "Albany is off to a horrendous start. Towson’s schedule is just brutal. It goes from hard to impossible. But on any given Saturday, we’re seeing crazy results, and if you win your one-goal games, that’s a big deal."

Continue reading "Q&A with ESPN's Quint Kessenich" »

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Salisbury sophomore midfielder Sam Bradman was named the Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Week for his performances in the Sea Gulls' pair of victories over nationally-ranked opponents.

In a 12-11 win against reigning national champion SUNY-Cortland last Wednesday, Bradman registered six points on four goals and two assists, including feeding junior midfielder Shawn Zordani for the game-winner. In a 16-5 victory over Ohio Wesleyan last saturday, Bradman set a personal record with seven points on four goals and three assists.

Through six games, Bradman has posted 33 points, which is just eight shy of his point total from last season.

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Mired in a 0-3 start, Towson will make a change at goalkeeper, sending junior Travis Love for his first career start against No. 12 Navy (3-3) at Johnny Unitas Stadium Tuesday night.

Love, a Westminster native and Winters Mill graduate, has surrendered nine goals in second halves against No. 13 Stony Brook and No. 6 Maryland and made 12 saves for a .571 save percentage. Tigers coach Tony Seaman confirmed the move Monday morning.

"I just think that we’re 0-3 and we’re going the other way, and maybe it’s time to see if a change helps us," Seaman said. "And I think this is something that he’s worked at and deserves because of his play in two halves and at practice."

Love replaces senior Rob Wheeler, a Baltimore native and Friends graduate who has registered a 15.00 goals-against average and a .362 save percentage in three starts this season. Seaman said the pair bring different styles to the net.

"Rob’s game is based more on being technically sound, and I think Travis has the ability to make some unbelievable saves at times," Seaman said. "They’re both different personalities, too."

Other notes:

Continue reading "Towson makes change in the net" »

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No. 12 Navy’s 15-8 setback to Patriot League rival Lafayette Friday night was compounded by the absence of two defensive starters.

Senior long-stick midfielder Jaren Woeppel, the Patriot League’s preseason Defensive Player of the Year, sat out with a hamstring injury and is listed as day-to-day. The prognosis is even more dire for senior short-stick defensive midfielder Joe McAuliffe, who could miss as many as the team’s next six games after suffering a Lisfranc sprain in his foot.

"Joe’s going to be out for a month," coach Richie Meade said. "He’s got a Lisfranc sprain. Could have been a lot more serious if it was a break. It would have been a season-ending injury. But he’s working through that. Jaren’s situation is kind of day-to-day. We thought he might be able to play on Friday night, but he’s got a little tweak of a hamstring, and we didn’t want to risk him on Friday night – partly because we didn’t think he could be effective and part of it was we were playing on AstroTurf, which we never play on and is a hard surface. I just didn’t think it was in our best interest to do that."

McAuliffe’s absence could mean more playing time for a pair of freshmen in Jordan Seivold and Bucky Smith, both of whom played in Friday night’s loss. Senior Zack Schroeder will replace Woeppel, but he played against Lafayette despite dealing with what Meade called an acute back injury that may require surgery after the season.

Coupled with the season-ending loss of senior attackman Tim Paul (torn right anterior cruciate ligament) and freshman midfielder Jay Mann (collarbone), the Midshipmen have been bitten by the injury bug. But Meade pointed out that injuries aren’t limited to Annapolis.

"That’s all stuff you’ve got to kind of work through," he said. "Injuries are a little disruptive, but it’s not an excuse. I don’t think injuries may be a part of this, but the other part of this is we’ve got to execute better at both ends of the field. Offensively, we played well enough to score 14 or 15 goals, and we didn’t do it."

Other notes:

Continue reading "Navy playing without two defensive starters" »

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For all of the good vibes resulting from No. 6 Maryland’s 12-8 victory over intra-state rival Towson at Byrd Stadium in College Park on Saturday, Terps coach Dave Cottle had one concern on his mind.

The first midfield line of seniors Will Yeatman and Adam Sear and sophomore Jake Bernhardt did not record a single point and combined for 0-for-5 shooting. Bernhardt did win 5 of 9 face-offs and collected three ground balls, but Cottle said changes could be coming.

"We’ve got a dilemma with our first," he said. "We’ve got to figure this thing out: who’s the third guy on the first? That’s something we’ve got to fix in the next couple of days. We’ve got to find some guys that can run by some guys. Jake Bernhardt didn’t play as well as he’s played. He did a good job facing off, but he missed a bunch of shots, and I think it affected his game."

That eventually led to Cottle musing about some uncharacteristic displays of emotion from some players. A few players grew frustrated or pouted when plays didn’t go according to plan, and Cottle made a point to address the matter with the team in the locker room after the game.

"We’ve got to man up a little bit," he said. "The message I gave our guys after the game was that I didn’t like our body language from a couple guys when things didn’t go our way. That’s something we have to work on. You can’t let your opponent know that you feel like you should have either had that one or should have made a shot. You’ve got to keep battling, and that’s something we’re going to work on."

Other notes:

Continue reading "Postscript from Towson at Maryland" »

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Categories: Maryland, Postscript, Towson
        

Towson junior goalkeeper Travis Love’s patience may be rewarded – with his first career start against No. 12 Navy on Tuesday night at Johnny Unitas Stadium.

Love, a Westminster native and Winters Mill graduate, was spectacular in the second half of the Tigers’ 12-8 loss to No. 6 Maryland Saturday, finishing with seven saves – including five from point-blank range.

Love, who replaced senior Rob Wheeler (Friends) at halftime, may have earned himself Tuesday night’s start, according to coach Tony Seaman whose team is off to a 0-3 start.

Continue reading "Towson's Love could start against Navy" »

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Categories: Navy, Towson
        

On the strength of a five-goal second quarter, No. 6 Maryland enjoys an 8-3 advantage over visiting Towson at Byrd Stadium Saturday.

Both teams have had to endure a steady rain and wind that has been torrential at times, but the Terps (3-0) appear to be handling it better. The Maryland players appear quicker to the ball, more solid in their footing, and more adept at causing turnovers and protecting the ball.

For the half, the Terps have taken more shots (25-6), collected more groundballs (20-13) and forced more turnovers (9-4) than the Tigers (0-2).

Maryland has also gotten goals from seven different players. Only sophomore attackman Joe Cummings (Loyola) has scored twice -- both on extra-man opportunities. Junior attackman Travis Reed (Boys' Latin) has recorded two assists.

Other notes:

Continue reading "Towson at Maryland: Halftime thoughts" »

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Categories: Halftime thoughts, Maryland, Towson
        

When Towson visits Byrd Stadium in College Park for an unusual 11 a.m. tilt with No. 6 Maryland on Saturday, you can expect a lot of adrenaline and intensity between the lines. Here are a few things I will be interested in seeing.

Continue reading "Towson at Maryland: Three things to watch" »

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Categories: Maryland, Three things to watch, Towson
        

Cooper MacDonnell is extremely questionable for No. 10 Loyola’s home opener against No. 8 Duke at Ridley Athletic Complex on Saturday at 3 p.m.

The senior attackman, who has missed the Greyhounds’ past two games because of a right shoulder injury he suffered in an 11-5 win against Quinnipiac on Feb. 27, returned to practice for the first time on Friday – albeit on a limited basis, according to coach Charley Toomey.

"He was trying to catch and throw a little bit," Toomey said. "No contact. We’re going to make the decision tomorrow. I think he’s going to try and play, but we haven’t made a decision."

Without MacDonnell, who has recorded eight goals and one assist in two games, Loyola has leaned on senior attackman Collin Finnerty, who has scored eight goals in MacDonnel’s absence, and junior midfielder Eric Lusby, who has scored six goals over that same span.

If MacDonnell cannot play, freshman Patrick Fanshaw will make his third consecutive start. Fanshaw scored three goals in a 14-8 victory over Bellarmine, but was shut out in an 11-10 loss to No. 4 Notre Dame.

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Categories: Loyola
        

An article in Friday’s edition of The Sun noted the uncertain futures of Towson coach Tony Seaman and Maryland coach Dave Cottle – both of whom will meet at Byrd Stadium on Saturday at 11 a.m. when Seaman’s Tigers (0-2) attempt to upset Cottle’s No. 5 Terps (3-0).

Although Maryland is enjoying its best start since 2006 and routinely boasts top-10 recruiting classes almost on a yearly basis, Cottle has been criticized for not bringing a NCAA title to College Park since Bud Beardmore did in 1975.

Cottle said he doesn’t pay any attention to the doubters.

"As you say, I don’t really deal with that," he said. "I thought going into it last year, we were starting six sophomores at the time. All three defensive positions were first-time starters, and I think we got a little bit ahead of ourselves. And with that, I think we had some gut-wrenching losses. That seven-overtime loss to Virginia was a gut-wrencher. Having a lead against Hopkins in the third [quarter] was a tough loss. But to the credit of our kids, we kept playing. We went to Notre Dame and became the only road team to win a game in the playoffs [in the first round] and beat a team that was undefeated. And unfortunately, we lost to the eventual national champion who would up going on a pretty good run themselves. So I wouldn’t say you get tired of it. You can’t pay attention to it. I think we’ve done some good things. … I think we’re poised to be a pretty good lacrosse team."

Continue reading "More on Maryland coach Dave Cottle" »

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Categories: Maryland
        

An article in Friday’s edition of The Sun noted the uncertain futures of Towson coach Tony Seaman and Maryland coach Dave Cottle – both of whom will meet at Byrd Stadium on Saturday at 11 a.m. when Seaman’s Tigers (0-2) attempt to upset Cottle’s No. 5 Terps (3-0).

Seaman’s status figures to be shaky as the team is still looking for its first win and is in the midst of a schedule that has been ranked as the toughest in Division I. Seaman, whose skills have been questioned recently, said he understands the scrutiny.

"I think that’s the way it is," he said. "When things go well, you get the compliments, and when things aren’t going your way, it turns the way. It’s still about the players who play the game. I think we do a great job of getting them ready to play the game. You can’t worry about that other stuff. That other stuff’s going to be there, good or bad."

Despite the team’s 0-2 start, Seaman pointed out that last year’s squad overcame a 1-4 start to advance to the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament championship final where Towson fell to Villanova by one goal.

Continue reading "More on Towson coach Tony Seaman" »

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The first primetime game between No. 2 Syracuse and No. 7 Johns Hopkins -- two programs with a combined 20 NCAA championships -- is driving up ticket sales.

Less than 200 reserved-section seats are available for the Saturday, March 20 contest at Homewood Field at 8 p.m., and school officials are encouraging fans to purchase their tickets before they run out.

Tickets can be bought at the Johns Hopkins Department of Athletics between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or by calling 410-516-7490. All tickets ordered over the phone will be left at Will Call on gameday.

Gates and ticket booths will open 90 minutes prior to face-off, and fans are encouraged to arrive early.

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Much like his predecessor, Brian McCullough will get another chance to cement his status as UMBC’s starting goalie.

The sophomore, who started in the No. 19 Retrievers’ 16-10 loss to No. 7 Johns Hopkins Tuesday night, will start in the net Saturday when UMBC (1-3) travels to New Jersey to tangle with No. 5 Princeton, coach Don Zimmerman confirmed Thursday morning.

"We’re going to go with Brian McCullough again," Zimmerman said. "I think he gave us a good solid game, and we want to give him another opportunity."

McCullough, who finished with eight saves in his first career start, gets the unenviable task of trying to stop a Tigers squad that has scored 28 goals in wins against then-No. 8 Hofstra and then-No. 5 Johns Hopkins.

Blue Jays coach Dave Pietramala compared Princeton’s offense to a box lacrosse-style hybrid that emphasizes two-man games and off-ball movement. That strategy would seem to be a lot for a goaltender, who played just 3 minutes, 44 seconds as a backup to Jeremy Blevins last season, but Zimmerman said McCullough is ready.

Continue reading "UMBC's McCullough to make second straight start" »

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After a NCAA-record 351 career wins and eight national championships, many of the victories don’t stand out to Salisbury coach Jim Berkman.

That’s why he wasn’t about to declare the No. 4 Sea Gulls’ 12-11 triumph over reigning national titlist and No. 5 SUNY-Cortland Wednesday as a turning point for a program that didn’t reach the NCAA Tournament final last May for the first time since 2002.

"I don’t think it’s a ‘statement’ win," Berkman said Thursday morning. "They’re a good team, and we’re a good team. We happened to have one more goal than they did yesterday. But I definitely think it shows that Salisbury is a pretty good team."

Continue reading "No "statement" from Salisbury's win against 2009 champion Cortland" »

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While working on a feature to advance Saturday’s intra-state tilt between Towson and No. 6 Maryland at Byrd Stadium in College Park at 11 a.m., I had a chance to talk Tigers junior attackman Tim Stratton about the team’s 0-2 start.

Both losses to No. 17 Bucknell and No. 13 Stony Brook entailed three quarters of solid play by Towson marred by one poor period. The Bison scored six goals in the fourth quarter to climb out of a two-goal deficit and win, 13-9. Against the Seawolves last Saturday, the second quarter was the backbreaker as Stony Brook scored six times to take a 9-4 advantage into halftime.

"The thing is, those games should have been wins for us," said Stratton, who has recorded five points on two goals and three assists thus far. "That first game, we pretty much had beaten Bucknell through the first three quarters and then in the fourth quarter, we just got worked. Against Stony Brook, it was the second quarter that killed us. Our problem is we just can’t put together a full game, and we all know that. We know that we can be a pretty good team this year. Everyone’s keeping their heads up, but we also know that we’ve got to get focused and put together a full game in order to win."

Continue reading "Towson looking to put together four quarters" »

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Navy, winner of five of the last six Patriot League regular-season titles and five of the last six Patriot League Tournament crowns, is accustomed to being challenged for league supremacy. But the face of the next contender is new.

Lafayette, which plays host to the No. 12 Midshipmen (3-2 overall and 2-0 in the league) is 4-0, but has yet to play a conference opponent. The Leopards have outscored their opponents – which includes Fairfield, Binghamton and Pennsylvania – by a combined score of 56-32.

Count Navy coach Richie Meade as a Lafayette fan.

Continue reading "Another challenge to Navy's supremacy in Patriot League" »

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Categories: Navy