Midfield

A year has passed since they were reunited in a way neither of them could have foreseen, and UMBC junior midfielder Terry Kimener smiles at the strange memory. There he was, telling his 26-year-old brother, P.J., what to do. There was Terry, who was blossoming as a sophomore star, counseling his oldest sibling on the finer points of the UMBC offense and the Division I game. The adjustment period has since passed, and it has led to another unlikely scenario. As the 15th-ranked Retrievers (7-4)

Boys' Latin wanted to stop Severn's high-scoring offense, so it went to a five-man midfield to slow down the Admirals. The move paid off as the Lakers held Severn scoreless for the first time all season and earned a share of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference boys soccer title yesterday at UMBC. The final score after two 10-minute overtimes was 0-0. "That was the first time we've seen a five-man midfield all season," said Admirals coach Ian Carr. "And it worked for them."

Blast coach Tim Wittman needed another defenseman, and when he looked at his roster late last summer, it was apparent to him that midfielder Danny Kelly was the answer. The Blast had lost three defensive stalwarts. Jason Dieter, who is now the team's assistant coach; Lance Johnson, who retired; and Sean Bowers, the Major Indoor Soccer League's Defender of the Year, who was traded to San Diego. As outsiders assessed the team for the coming season, they came to the conclusion that the Blast's defense would be its weakest link.

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.

Westminster coach Jim Peters calls the start of this season the craziest he has been part of in his 14 years of coaching -- 12 of which have been with Owls lacrosse.By season's end, it also has the possibility of being one of the best for Peters and his experienced Westminster squad."It's really hard to tell. We've had 15 days of practice up to this point and have only gotten out on grass three times," Peters said."We've got some very good seniors who are working hard and ready to go."Peters' entire attack consists of seniors, led by John Bolesta and Chris Ahrens.

Entering this season, John Haus figured to be comfortably situated on a Maryland first midfield that featured the steadying presence of senior Jake Bernhardt and the dazzling potential of redshirt sophomore Mike Chanenchuk. But Bernhardt suffered a left shoulder injury in a scrimmage against Loyola that eventually led to a mutual decision by player and coaching staff to sit out this spring and apply for a medical redshirt. Chanenchuk has missed just one start in the Terps' 14 contests, but he struggled to find his shooting stroke after undergoing surgery in December.

FOXBORO, Mass. -- The vast majority of soccer games are won or lost at midfield, and the Major League Soccer championship game today will be no different.For both the Los Angeles Galaxy and D.C. United, finalists in the inaugural major-league season, midfield is their strength. John Harkes, Marco Etcheverry, Richie Williams and John Maessner of United have been the league's best combination in midfield in the playoffs; the Galaxy relies heavily on the inventiveness of Mauricio Cienfuegos and the speed of Cobi Jones on the flanks.

Prior to this season, the anticipated return of Jake Bernhardt was expected to anchor Maryland's midfield as he registered 14 goals and three assists as a junior last season. But a shoulder injury has sidelined Bernhardt through the team's first three games. That might sound like a liability, but the play of the starting midfield of senior Drew Snider (five goals and two assists), junior John Haus (4, 5) and redshirt sophomore Mike Chanenchuk (3, 2) builds in a cushion for coach John Tillman to ease Bernhardt back to the team at a reasonable pace.

Fallston got back eight starters from last season's Harford County co-championship boys soccer team, and the No. 7-ranked Cougars expected to do well this season. So far, they're probably exceeding expectations. Yesterday at C. Milton Wright, the Cougars' midfield dominated, as it has all season, and after 65 minutes finally broke down a determined Mustangs defense for a 2-0 victory. Fallston improved to 11-0 overall and 5-0 in the Chesapeake Division of the first-year Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference, which includes teams from Harford and Cecil counties.

Senior Zach Palmer returned to No. 13 Johns Hopkins after sitting out two games with an undisclosed injury and finished with zero points on four shots in Saturday's 8-4 loss to then-No. 7 Loyola. But rather than take up his usual spot on attack with sophomore Wells Stanwick and junior Brandon Benn, Palmer ran with seniors John Ranagan and John Greeley as members of the second midfield. Senior John Kaestner made his third consecutive start with Stanwick and Benn for the Blue Jays (8-5)