Faceoffs

As the primary faceoff specialist for top-ranked Maryland, Charlie Raffa has the green light from the coaching staff to take a shot if the opportunity presents itself. But it comes with a caveat. “They tell me that if I have it, I can just go,” he said. “If not, just don't do anything stupid.” Raffa has been anything but that in 2013. The sophomore has won 64.3 percent (54 of 84) of his draws, including going 15 of 18 in the Terps' 13-7 victory over Stony Brook Sunday.

Many teams would be hard-pressed to win at a consistent rate without their conference's Specialist of the Year and one of the top midfielders in the country. But that's exactly what Denver is doing. Despite the right knee injury that has sidelined senior Chase Carraro, the Pioneers have picked up three straight victories and risen to No. 8 in The Sun's rankings. Coach Bill Tierney said the posterior cruciate ligament in Carraro's right knee is improving to the point where he has returned to running on the practice field.

Junior attackman Thomas DeNapoli's fourth goal of the game with 64 seconds left in overtime propelled Towson to a 9-8 decision over Mercer last Sunday - an outcome that netted the team its first win of the season. But the Tigers (1-3) didn't get much aid from their faceoff specialists. Freshmen Conor Pequigney and Zack Gregory and junior Austin Lyons combined to win just 8-of-20 draws. Pequigney's 1-of-3 outing was especially surprising considering his 10-of-23 effort in a 14-9 loss to then-No.

When Salisbury takes the field Wednesday against Washington & Lee since losing a 31-game winning streak in a 13-12 setback to Lynchburg last Saturday, coach Jim Berkman will pay a good deal of attention to the middle. Junior goalkeeper Alex Taylor, who anchors the defense, and senior Tyler Granelli, who headlines the faceoff unit, slogged through surprisingly poor showings in the loss to the Hornets -- a result that will surely drop the Sea Gulls from the top spot in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association preseason poll.

No. 1 Loyola (0-0) Coming up: At Delaware, Saturday, 3 p.m. Comment: The Greyhounds begin their defense of the 2012 national title against the Blue Hens, who have won just six of 29 contests in this series. Loyola must neutralize sophomore Tyler Barbarich, who has won 62.5 percent (25 of 40) of his faceoffs thus far. No. 3 Maryland (1-0) Coming up: At Hartford, Saturday, 1 p.m. Comment: The Terps opened last season with a 12-6 home victory over the Hawks, the sides' only meeting.

Thursday's entry is the third installment of a series taking a look at each of the eight Division III programs in this state according to their order of finish from last season. The Sun's lacrosse preview is slated to be published on Friday, Feb. 8. This is Frostburg State's turn. Overview: After establishing a foundation with six wins in the program's first year at the Division III level, the Bobcats took a punch to the gut last season, ending with a 2-15 record. A spate of injuries - especially those of the season-ending variety - took a toll on the roster, but coach Tommy Pearce blamed himself for not strengthening the team's depth.

The Chesapeake Bayhawks strengthened their offense with attackman Grant Kaleikau as their first pick (16th overall) in Wednesday's Major League Lacrosse supplemental draft. Unlike most other teams in the league, the Bayhawks acquired an offensive-heavy total of 15 players during the draft, which was conducted by the MLL general managers and coaches via conference call, including J.P. Dalton (St. Mary's), who won the 2012 NCAA championship with Loyola. Kaleikau, a Germantown native who played at Delaware, was selected by Bayhawks with the 27th overall pick in the 2012 Collegiate Draft but was not protected at the end of last season.

National men's lacrosse runner-up Maryland had a conference-high five players picked to the Preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference team in Inside Lacrosse's Face-Off Yearbook. The Terps selections were midfielder John Haus , short-stick defensive midfielder Landon Carr , long-stick midfielder Jesse Bernhardt , defenseman Goran Murray and goalie Niko Amato . North Carolina attackman Marcus Holman (Gilman) and faceoff specialist R.G. Keenan (Boys' Latin)

Inside Lacrosse released its 2013 Division I Preseason All-Americans on Tuesday as part of its annual Face-Off Yearbook, and the list - as usual - has a heavy Baltimore flavor. Selected to the first team were midfielder Josh Hawkins and defenseman Joe Fletcher of defending champion Loyola, as well as Maryland senior long-stick midfielder Jesse Bernhardt, Johns Hopkins senior defenseman Tucker Durkin and North Carolina senior attackman Marcus Holman (Gilman). Featured on the second team were senior attackman Mike Sawyer and senior long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff of the Greyhounds; Hopkins junior midfielder Rob Guida; Notre Dame junior midfielder Jim Marlatt (River Hill)

Sophomore defenseman Kai Storrs of Blake School in Minneapolis has orally committed to Maryland. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound recruit has played varsity since eighth grade and will be attending Jake Reed's Nike Blue Chip and Maverik Showtime camps next summer. A member of MN Elite, Storrs was an All-Star at Adrenaline Challenge, UNC Team Camp and Hotbeds. He also considered North Carolina, Princeton and High Point. Junior commitments Arundel faceoff specialist-midfielder Brett Malamphy  has orally committed to   UMBC.