Gary Gait

Bayhawks tonight Matchup: Bayhawks (4-3) at Long Island Lizards (4-3) Site: Mitchel Field, Uniondale, N.Y. Time: 7:30 Outlook: These two perennial Major League Lacrosse powerhouses are struggling in their bids to retain division titles, with the Bayhawks leading Rochester by a half game and Long Island trailing Boston by 2 1/2 . They will meet again tomorrow night at Towson University to conclude an unusual back-to-back arrangement caused by postponements...

ITHACA, N.Y. - Gary Gait, assistant coach of the Maryland women's lacrosse team for nine years, said yesterday he will not return to the Terps next season. Citing his commitment to the Baltimore Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse as well as new business opportunities, Gait said he will leave Maryland after his contract runs out in June. The decision last year by Maryland officials not to give him the men's coaching job when Dick Edell retired also figured into his decision. "I had been waiting for the opportunity to apply for that job. I had that opportunity.

Playing in the Carrier Dome seemed like a dream. The 10,000 roaring fans were fanciful images in his head.But to Casey Powell, his back yard was the Dome. And he was Gary Gait.After watching Gary and Paul Gait work their magic, Powell and his brother, Ryan, relived each game in the afternoon behind their house. Wearing a bright orange Syracuse jersey with No. 22, Powell imitated Gary Gait move for move, soaring to take acrobatic shots, spinning through a series of defenders and slamming the ball into the net.Seven years later, youngsters still flock to the Dome with their orange No. 22 jerseys and T-shirts.

The first time Nick Shevillo saw Tom Marechek play lacrosse, the Syracuse attackman did wondrous things with the stick."Things I had never seen," Shevillo said. "I thought he had thrown the ball three times, but they were just fakes. He still had it."Shevillo, a Johns Hopkins senior defenseman, has played against Marechek three times, but never in the role he will fill today. When the No. 3 Blue Jays take on No. 1 Syracuse at 2 p.m. at Homewood, Shevillo will have the assignment of trying to contain Marechek one-on-one.

The sensational Gait twins, Gary and Paul, will not be playing their indoor lacrosse for the Baltimore Thunder this winter.Instead, they'll play for Philadelphia -- despite living and working here."

In the game among the stars, Johns Hopkins junior midfielder Paul Rabil was the best player on the field yesterday. Duke attackman Matt Danowski had a goal and an assist. His running mate, Zack Greer, had one assist. Hopkins' Jesse Schwartzman was named the Division I tournament Most Outstanding Player, but goalies get those type of awards when they show up at crunch times of games. From beginning to end in the championship game at M&T Bank Stadium, the sport's biggest stage belonged to Rabil, who set the tone by contributing on the Blue Jays' first two and last two goals, including the game-winner with 3:25 remaining.

Ask Tony Seaman why Terry Riordan is gathering goals in bunches and the Johns Hopkins coach answers in staccato fashion."Well, he's 6-5, 215 and works in the weight room three days a week," Seaman said. "Shoots from behind his head. Mature. Good shot selection. Has more goals on fewer shots than at this time last season."Riordan, a junior with a team-high 21 goals, and senior Brian Piccola (13) are one of the most prolific attack duos in Hopkins history. After scoring six in the upset of Syracuse, Riordan is No. 5 on the school goals list with 105.He and Piccola are recording goals and assists at a pace that should put them among Hopkins' top 10 in career points this year.

The Thunder couldn't find the net in the first quarter of yesterday's National Lacrosse League semifinal against the visiting Rochester Knighthawks.In the second quarter, Baltimore couldn't seem to miss it.After being shut out in the opening quarter, the Thunder scored 10 goals in the second and then matched the Knighthawks the rest of the way to claim a 15-14 victory and a berth in the NLL best-of-three championship series.Baltimore will face the Philadelphia Wings, who advanced Saturday by defeating the Buffalo Bandits, 17-12, next weekend at an undetermined site and time.

Harvard head coach John Tillman agreed Tuesday night to become the ninth head coach at Maryland. The paperwork is still being completed, but an announcement could come as early as Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the situation. Terps athletic director Debbie Yow and senior associate athletic director Michael Lipitz, who heads the university's search committee, did not respond to e-mail inquiries. A school spokesman declined to comment, citing the absence of official paperwork required before confirming such a hire.

Petrenko takes gold at figure skating worldsOlympic champion Viktor Petrenko of the Commonwealth of Independent States won the gold medal in the men's competition at the world figure skating championships last night in Oakland, Calif.Petrenko received two perfect marks of 6.0 for artistic impression and was scored highest by all nine judges.Canadian Kurt Browning, the three-time defending world champion, won the silver, and Canadian Elvis Stojko took a surprising third.Czechoslovakia's Petr Barna, who entered the long program in second place, dropped to sixth.