Faceoffs

These two teams will meet for the first time in an NCAA tournament first-round contest. Stony Brook (7-9) is one of two participants in the 16-team field with a sub-.500 record, but the Seawolves did capture their third America East tournament crown and second in the last three years. Johns Hopkins (11-3) is 11-2 all-time in first-round games and is 8-1 in the first round under coach Dave Pietramala. Here are a few factors that could play a role in the outcome at Homewood Field in Baltimore Sunday afternoon.

After dominating faceoffs in a recent game, Loyola midfielder David Tamberrino pounded his chest. "It's a jungle out there," the senior said later. But for yet another day, Tamberrino was the king of the beasts. Tamberrino ranks among the Baltimore City/County area's top faceoff midfielders with Dulaney's Matt Mindel, McDonogh's Dan Callaugher, Boys' Latin's Alex Smith and Mount St. Joseph's Dan Michalowicz. They play a position where glory is rare, but bloody knees, wrist injuries and torn gloves are commonplace.

Johns Hopkins opened the season with a comfortable 12-6 victory over visiting Towson at Homewood Field Friday evening, but there was little that was comfortable about the team's performance on faceoffs. The No. 4 Blue Jays finished with a 9-of-21 showing on draws, but those numbers were distorted by a 6-of-7 display in the fourth quarter. Through the first three quarters, the unit had won just 3-of-14 faceoffs. Still, Johns Hopkins collected 30 groundballs to the Tigers' 21, which pleased coach Dave Pietramala.

Much like Maryland junior Curtis Holmes, North Carolina sophomore R.G. Keenan has hit a bit of a dry spell on faceoffs. After winning just 3-of-12 draws on Saturday night against Lehigh's Ryan Snyder, Keenan succeeded on 10-of-19 faceoffs on Tuesday night against the Penn duo of freshman Joe McCallion and sophomore Dan Feeney. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Tar Heels dropped those contests. The Perry Hall native and Boys' Latin graduate is still winning 70.5 percent (79-of-112)

Johns Hopkins just wouldn't let Duke have the ball yesterday. The Blue Jays began playing keep-away at the start and held possession for the first 7:20 while getting the game's first 14 shots and four goals. Johns Hopkins pulled the same trick in the second quarter, holding the ball for 10 of the final 12 minutes and repeatedly breaking down the Blue Devils' defense. In perhaps its best all-around performance this season, top-ranked Hopkins took No. 10 Duke out of the game almost before it started and cruised to a 19-6 victory before 2,086 at Homewood Field.

Taylor Marino knows how to make an impression quickly. In just three seasons as the faceoff specialist for the UMBC men's lacrosse team, Marino has won 404 faceoffs, joining Ray Ignacio (450 wins in 1984-1987) as the only two Retrievers to reach the 400 mark. "I knew I was getting close to it," said Marino, who won 12 of 17 faceoffs in No. 7 UMBC's 16-5 thumping of Hartford on Saturday. "But I don't have 400 ground balls in my career, so a lot of my success goes to the guys around me picking up those balls."

Curtis Holmes is Maryland's primary faceoff specialist, but the No. 11 Terps plan to give the Marriottsville native and McDonogh graduate some help. Coach John Tillman said earlier this week that freshman Charlie Raffa will give Holmes a breather and take some draws. That plan could be enacted as early as this Saturday when No. 2 Virginia - which rotates senior Ryan Benincasa and freshman Mick Parks on faceoffs - visits Byrd Stadium. “I think they feel like us,” Tillman said Tuesday of the Cavaliers.

At the end of No. 1 seed Loyola's convincing 17-5 win in Saturday's NCAA tournament first-round contest at Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore, Canisius won 14 faceoffs to the Greyhounds' 12. Through the first two quarters, however, it wasn't that close. Over that span, the Golden Griffins won 7-of-9 draws. After three quarters, Canisius was still humming at 10-of-15. It was a somewhat stunning outcome as the Golden Griffins had entered the contest winning just 48.5 percent (150-of-309)

For the second straight year, one of Broadneck's Case brothers beat Mount Hebron in sudden-death overtime in the state Class 3A-4A championship game.Last year Gerry Case scored the game-winning goal. Yesterday at UMBC, it was Joey Case making the assist on the game-winning goal scored by Jason Randolph.Broadneck's 9-8 victory gave the No. 8-ranked Bruins, now 17-3, their second straight state title and their fourth state crown in six years -- the most by any school.No. 4-ranked Mount Hebron's loss was the Vikings' (18-2)