Attackman

A great afternoon's work by the 12th-ranked Loyola College men's lacrosse team almost was erased during one, final, wild minute yesterday against visiting No. 11 Syracuse. But in the end, after the Greyhounds had nearly blown a four-goal lead they built by controlling the Orange throughout the fourth quarter, Loyola sophomore goalie Alex Peaty saved the day. Peaty stepped up to stop a point-blank shot by Syracuse sophomore attackman Kenny Nims as time expired, and Loyola escaped with a huge, 11-10 victory before 3,582 at Diane Geppi-Aikens Field.

As if anyone needed to be convinced, Duke senior attackman Matt Danowski proved once again Sunday that he is without peer in Division I men's lacrosse. Watching Danowski run circles around upset-minded North Carolina in a 19-11 rout in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals was the treat of the day at Navy. I remember at one point, while Danowski was igniting top-seeded Duke's furious comeback from an early 6-1 deficit, looking out at the crowd and thinking, if I didn't have this job and press pass that comes with it, I'd gladly fork over the dough for the ticket and the parking to watch this guy anytime, anywhere.

For the first 30 minutes of yesterday's season opener, the shooters on the Navy men's lacrosse team peppered Saint Joseph's sophomore goalie Erik Hotaling, but he kept getting in the way. Once the No. 10 Midshipmen started to solve their nemesis, they cruised by their overmatched opponent. Junior attackman Nick Mirabito scored a game-high three goals, all in the second half, and Navy's hustling defense allowed no goals after halftime, as the Mids rolled to a 10-3 rout at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Johns Hopkins junior attackman Dan Denihan has trudged through seasons of unrealistic hype and expectations. And he actually invites the tremendous pressure of drawing one of the opposition's top defensemen.Yet oddly enough, the turning point of Denihan's career occurred when he gave all of this up.The sport that he had played for 13 consecutive springs pushed aside.The school where he had always dreamed of playing a distant and painful memory down the turnpike.After two up-and-down seasons with the Blue Jays, Denihan decided to withdraw from Hopkins last spring, a resolution made after an off-campus altercation which he declined to talk about specifically.

The Greater Baltimore Chapter of U.S. Lacrosse will add nine members to its Hall of Fame tonight at Marriott's Hunt Valley Inn. The inductees, whose career highlights span from recreation to indoor lacrosse, are:John Cheek: Division III's Player of the Year in 1976, he remains the all-time leading scorer at Washington College. A two-time, first-team All-America attackman, Cheek played for the U.S. national team in 1978. He was a two-time high school All-American at Towson, the Baltimore County champion in 1972 and 1973.

Craig Hochstadt, a Maryland reserve attackman and a Boys' Latin graduate, was arrested earlier this month after a stolen parking pass from a senior campus administrator was found in a car registered in Hochstadt's name, a university police spokesman said yesterday. The freshman has been suspended for three games.Hochstadt, a Columbia native and the younger brother of the Terrapins' second-team All-America attackman Scott Hochstadt, was charged with theft by police on Feb. 8 after a university parking employee discovered an all-campus parking permit hanging in a car window.

AttackScott Hochstadt, Maryland: Only his tenacious attitude is scarier than ability.Ryan Powell, Syracuse: With brother Casey's shadow gone, the spotlight now shines on him.Lorne Smith, Princeton: Back on attack and ready to make an impact.MidfieldJosh Sims, Princeton: Midfielder of the Year raises his game a notch when it counts.A. J. Haugen, Hopkins: His change of direction can make defenders look foolish.Mark Frye, Loyola: Scoring and clearing machine will run through you as easily as by you.Long-stick midfielderTim Knowles, Duke: Solid pressure defender who coasts in the open field.

Records can deceive.Both Mount Hebron (8-5 overall, 8-0 league) and visiting Centennial sported unbeaten league records entering yesterday's next-to-last regular season game.But it was Hebron that fashioned a 17-3 thrashing of Centennial yesterday, earning the Vikings at least a tie for the county title. The result may seem shocking. But it really was to be expected.The Vikings have rolled through the league without allowing a county opponent more than five goals. They have now outscored opponents, 127-23.

Alone at a dead-end street in Timonium, 4-year-old Greg Patchak picked up his two-wheel bike for the first time while his father went inside to take an hourlong phone call.On one try, Patchak lost his balance and scuffed up his elbows. The next attempt, he toppled over again and grazed his knees.Another try another fall. And when his father returned, he cringed at the bloody arms and legs before staring in amazement as his son successfully rode the bike all by himself."I remember he still had a big smile," Patchak's father, Richard, said.

Championships for men 35 and older, as well as those 45 and up, will be decided today at Homewood Field.The '98 Grand Masters For those 45 and olderFinalists at a glance: Two U.S. teams, the Stars and Old Glory, are each 4-0 in a tournament that began with eight teams from the U.S., England, Australia and the Iroquois Nation.When: 3: 15 p.m.Players to watch: Hall of Fame goalie Cookie Krongard leads Old Glory, whose roster includes 10 Virginia alumni.The Stars, coached by Kent Island resident Arlie Marshall, are led by attackman Chooch Turner, middie Doug Maynard, defenseman Morgan Ames and ex-Hopkins goalie Jon Weston.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - - The NCAA tournament semifinal between Syracuse and Duke was billed as a meeting between offensive juggernauts. The Orange held up its end of the deal - convincingly. Seniors Kenny Nims and Pat Perritt each had four goals and one assist to spark No. 2 seed and reigning national champion Syracuse to a 17-7 rout of the No. 3 seed Blue Devils in a NCAA tournament semifinal at Gillette Stadium on Saturday. The Orange improved to 15-2 and earned its seventh trip to the championship final since John Desko succeeded Roy Simmons Jr. as coach before the 1999 season.

FOXBOROUGH, MASS. - The next time Duke gets an opportunity to play in the NCAA Division I men's Final Four lacrosse tournament, maybe it should borrow former first lady Nancy Reagan's line, and "just say no." Enough is enough. For the third straight year, Duke came into the final four as one of the hottest teams in the country, and for the second straight year the Blue Devils were eliminated in the semifinals, this time losing to Syracuse, 17-7, Saturday at Gillette Stadium. The first two losses were bad for morale because Duke had the two best offensive players on the planet in attackmen Matt Danowski and Zack Greer.

Mount St. Mary's men's lacrosse coach Tom Gravante had hoped the team's defense would be solid. He didn't realize the unit would be stellar. The Mountaineers have lost their first three games but have limited No. 1 Virginia and No. 17 Navy to season scoring lows in 10-2 and 6-2 losses, respectively. Bryant, which averages 11.7 goals, scored just seven times in a one-goal victory Sunday. One reason is that half of Mount's 14 seniors and juniors occupy that half of the field. "Most of us have been playing three or four years already," fifth-year defensive midfielder Shaun Moran said.

Senior attackman Shane Koppens' fourth goal of the afternoon pulled No. 19 Loyola within one with 7:27 to play, but 15th-ranked Duke held the Greyhounds scoreless the rest of the way and the host Blue Devils added an insurance goal to take an 11-9 victory yesterday at Koskinen Stadium. After Koppens' fifth point on four goals - one short of his career high in both categories - Loyola trimmed Duke's lead to 10-9 and looked to have momentum, threatening on several chances deep in Blue Devils territory.

No. 4 UMBC (3-1) Coming up: Vs. No. 6 Princeton, tonight, 8, UMBC Stadium Comment: The Retrievers and Tigers haven't met in a regular-season contest since 1990. Junior midfielder Kyle Wimer is tied for first on the team with 11 goals and has collected a team-best 19 ground balls. No. 7 Maryland (3-1) Coming up: At Towson, tomorrow, 2 p.m. Comment: The Terps have owned this series, winning the past seven and 25 of 30 overall. Sophomore attackman Grant Catalino, who leads the team in assists (nine)

When Max Quinzani and the Duke men's lacrosse team walked out to their first practice of the season, they did not have to sprint from the locker room along a path flanked by TV cameras and notebooks. News trucks no longer sit in the parking lot, and players can walk freely without having microphones shoved in their faces. That's life when your school distances itself from controversies of the past three years. It's a welcome change of pace for the No. 14 Blue Devils, who play No. 8 Maryland in the second game of the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium tomorrow.

No. 3 Maryland (2-0) Coming up: Vs. Georgetown, tomorrow, 1 p.m., Ludwig Field Comment: The Terps have posted a 7-1 record in the series. Sophomore Brett Weiss (Boys' Latin), who had four goals and four assists for Maryland before transferring, is expected to rotate with sophomore Ryan Schuler as Georgetown's third attackman. No. 5 Johns Hopkins (0-0) Coming up: Vs. Siena, tonight, 6, Homewood Field Comment: The first meeting between these teams brings a Saints squad that lost four times by one goal last season.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Michael Gvozden had little to say. And no one could blame him. The normally chatty sophomore goalkeeper for the No. 5 seed Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team had just made 20 saves in a 13-10 loss to No. 3 Syracuse in the NCAA tournament final at Gillette Stadium, and he might have been a little tired of getting peppered with shots -- and questions. But as has been his habit since he was anointed the Blue Jays' starter at the beginning of the season, Gvozden declined to lean on excuses.

Division I men's quarterfinals Virginia (13-3) vs. Maryland (10-5) Site -- Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis Time, TV -- Noon, ESPNU Seeds -- Virginia, No. 2; Maryland, No. 7. Outlook -- As Sunday's 10-9 victo ry over UMBC proved, the Cavaliers' fortunes revolve around the potency of their attack. Senior attackman Ben Rubeor leads the team in goals with 35, and junior attackmen Garrett Billings and Danny Glading are tied for the team lead in points with 58 each. The Achilles' heel for Virginia has been a shaky defense exposed by the Retrievers.

During any game, Navy attackman Tim Paul might exchange a few words with coach Richie Meade on the sideline. The discussion can be animated, even heated at times, but always ends with Paul having a great deal of respect for Meade. Paul is a rebel, but one with a clue. His game matches his outgoing personality. He is extremely fast, shifty and accurate. He can beat a defense in many ways. And he isn't afraid to take risks, which sometimes draws criticism from Meade. "I think one of my strengths is being able to push Coach Meade's buttons a little bit," said Paul, a Loyola High graduate from Parkton.