Extra Man

It's speculation to suggest that Navy might have avoided Saturday's 14-9 loss to Bucknell at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium if the offense had been more successful on extra-man opportunities. But with a 2-of-6 showing, the Midshipmen are just 3-of-17 on man-up chances. That's 17.6 percent for the season. Navy was 2-of-5 on extra-man opportunities in the fourth quarter, but coach Rick Sowell was left wondering what might have been if the offense had succeeded on a man-up chance with 4:32 left in the third quarter after the Bison had scored four straight goals.

This season, UMBC has featured one of Division I's more opportunistic man-up offenses, converting 39.5 percent of its chances (15-of-38) which ranks 14th in the country. The program's strength will soon be tested this Saturday when America East rival Binghamton pays a visit to UMBC Stadium in Catonsville. The Bearcats (5-8 overall and 2-2 in the league) are tops in the nation in suffocating extra-man opportunities, surrendering just four goals on 28 man-up chances and turning away 85.7 percent of those opportunities.

WICHITA, Kan. -- Close games have proved troublesome recently for the Baltimore Blast. The problems continued here Saturday night.After doing its best to take charge of a close game, Baltimore got burned twice in the late going, by former Blast player David Byrne and by its bench, as the Blast fell to Wichita, 5-4, in overtime.Chico Moreira's power-play goal with 4 minutes, 9 seconds gone in the extra period gave the Wings their fourth straight victory. It also put them in a second-place tie with the Blast in the Major Soccer League's Eastern Division, two games behind the Kansas City Comets.

After scoring just nine goals in a one-goal win against Delaware in last Saturday's season opener, top-ranked Loyola returned to last season's form - that same form that brought the university its first Division I national championship - in Wednesday night's 14-9 victory over host Towson. Four of those 14 goals came from the team's man-up unit, which was awarded five opportunities against the Tigers. It was a welcome departure from the 9-8 decision against the Blue Hens when the Greyhounds failed to score on two extra-man chances.

A series that had been relatively even has begun shifting to one side. No. 4 North Carolina (3-0) has won four of the past five meetings, including an 11-4 win on Feb. 25, 2010 that was Navy's worst loss to the Tar Heels since 1998. The Midshipmen (1-1) are looking to rebound from Sunday's 13-7 setback to Jacksonville. Here are a few factors that could influence the outcome at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday. 1) Taking advantage of extra-man advantages. Navy is averaged 10.5 goals per game thus far, but that number was inflated by the team's 14-goal outburst against VMI. The offense mustered just seven goals in a seven-goal loss to Jacksonville, and the unit's futility was aided by going 0-for-3 on man-up opportunities.

After scoring just nine goals in a one-goal win against Delaware in last Saturday's season opener, top-ranked Loyola returned to last season's form - that same form that brought the university its first Division I national championship - in Wednesday night's 14-9 victory over host Towson. Four of those 14 goals came from the team's man-up unit, which was awarded five opportunities against the Tigers. It was a welcome departure from the 9-8 decision against the Blue Hens when the Greyhounds failed to score on two extra-man chances.

These teams met last year in the regular season with Tufts outlasting a 1-hour, 45-minute lightning delay and Stevenson to emerge with a 14-13 win. The Jumbos fell hard in the Division III title game to Salisbury last May, but they are 3-0 and ranked No. 2 in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll. The No. 10 Mustangs are 5-2, but have dropped two of their last three contests to then-No. 9 Lynchburg and No. 3 Cortland. Here are a few factors that could play a role in the outcome at Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills on Tuesday night.

Salisbury's defensive display in Sunday's 7-2 victory over Stevenson in an NCAA tournament semifinal at Sea Gull Stadium in Salisbury helped that unit overtake Cabrini as the stingiest defense in Division III, surrendering just 4.8 goals per game thus far. One reason why opponents are having trouble scoring on the Sea Gulls is that their man-down defense is nearly as imposing. That unit ranks sixth in the nation after allowing opposing offenses to score on just 13.6 percent (19-of-140)

Stevenson's 6-3 loss to then-No. 9 Lynchburg Saturday night shone a spotlight on an offense that is still looking for an identity and its footing. The Mustangs, who dropped from No. 4 to No. 9 in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll, didn't help themselves on extra-man opportunities. They went 0-of-5 on man-up chances, including wasting a 30-second span in the fourth quarter when the Hornets were down two players. Stevenson is just 5-of-35 (14.3 percent)

Goucher is just 3-4 against Scranton, the only Landmark Conference opponent with a winning record against the Gophers. The Royals (8-4 overall and 2-2 in the league) are currently tied for fourth place and in danger of being unable to defend the tournament championship they won last year by stunning Goucher, 12-8. The Gophers (13-1, 4-0) are riding a program-high 10-game winning streak and are 6-0 at home this season. Here are a few factors that could play a role in the outcome at Gopher Stadium in Towson Saturday.

Salisbury's defensive display in Sunday's 7-2 victory over Stevenson in an NCAA tournament semifinal at Sea Gull Stadium in Salisbury helped that unit overtake Cabrini as the stingiest defense in Division III, surrendering just 4.8 goals per game thus far. One reason why opponents are having trouble scoring on the Sea Gulls is that their man-down defense is nearly as imposing. That unit ranks sixth in the nation after allowing opposing offenses to score on just 13.6 percent (19-of-140)

Salisbury is 9-4 in this series against its Capital Athletic Conference rival, but since coach Paul Cantabene took Stevenson's reins in 2005, the Mustangs have tagged the Sea Gulls with four of their eight losses over that same span. Stevenson (18-4), which has won its last four contests, is making its third Final Four appearance in the last four years, but has never gotten to the NCAA tournament final. The nine-time reigning national champion Sea Gulls (21-0) haven't lost since April 16, 2011 - to the Mustangs - and are playing to get to their 14th title game.

Washington had won the first two meetings between these teams until Goucher edged the Shoremen, 8-6, on Feb. 25. The Gophers, ranked 10th in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll, have won 14 straight contests game en route to a 17-1 mark and their second Landmark Conference tournament championship in the last three years. Washington, ranked 18th, is 11-5 and captured its first Centennial Conference regular-season title since 2004. Here are a few factors that could play a role in this NCAA tournament first-round contest at Roy Kirby, Jr. Field in Chestertown Wednesday afternoon.

The odds were not in Washington's favor. Not only had No. 5 Dickinson tied the score at nine with 72 seconds left in regulation, but the host Red Devils also had momentum - and the crowd - on their side with an extra-man opportunity in overtime as junior attackman Matt Lewis served a one-minute penalty for slashing with just 28 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. But the Shoremen killed the penalty and escaped with a 10-9 decision when junior attackman Bennett Cord converted a feed from freshman attackman Grant Hughes with 30 seconds left in overtime.