Ranked Teams

Despite getting upset by Princeton in the semifinals of the Ivy League tournament last Friday, Cornell was thought to be in position to earn one of the eight seeds in the NCAA tournament and the right to host a home game in the first round. Instead, the No. 5 Big Red (12-3) were frozen out and forced to travel to meet No. 9 and sixth-seeded Maryland (10-3) this Sunday. Cornell had an RPI of eight and four wins against teams in the top 20 in RPI (seventh-rated Yale, 14th-rated Penn, 16th-rated Princeton and 19th-rated Virginia)

Fifth-ranked C. Milton Wright and No. 12 North Harford crammed most of their action into the second 10-minute overtime, then had to settle for a scoreless tie in Pylesville last night.Each side had its chances in the final segment, but the back-line defenders and the goalkeepers were there to thwart every offensive threat. For the two overtime periods, North Harford (9-1-1, 4-1-1) had eight shots and Wright (8-0-1, 4-0-1), seven. For the game, Wright had a 27-18 shot margin.Junior goalkeeper Jessica Colletta (North Harford)

The North Carroll-Old Mill wrestling match last January probably wasn't the last important meeting between the two schools.Old Mill of Anne Arundel County meets North Carroll Saturday in the second gameof the Westminster holiday softball tournament at Deer Park. The Patriots start the season ranked No. 8 in The Sun, while North Carroll is ranked one spot behind in the same poll.In an ideal world, the tournament would be set up so its top two teams would meet in the championship game, but Westminster would liketo play in that game, too. So, the Owls face Littlestown (Pa.)

As early in the season as it is, the big wrestling match in Carroll County is already here.Defending regular-season champ Francis Scott Key, 2-0 on the season and ranked 11th in the metro area, travels to Westminster tonight to take on the 1995 county tournament champ Owls, ranked fourth with a 5-0 mark.The Owls appear to have a slight edge.They are at home. They're a bit healthier with Key having the tougher time battling the flu bug. And they have been simply dominating teams so far.The Owls' latest romps came on Monday when they easily handled Fallston (55-12)

The 41-14 victory that No. 5-ranked Mount St. Joseph scored at No. 6 Gilman last night was more than a win. It represented a message from the Gaels to the rest of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference."

Severn's girls lacrosse team can't buy a break.While most local sports programs have been in a holding pattern because of postponements due to inclement weather and sloppy field conditions, the Admirals have squeezed in two games in six days.One opponent was the No. 2 team in the metro area. Another was No. 13 and the two-time defending Association of Independent Schools B Division champions.Where's a timely cancellation when you need one?"Hopefully, we're not going to see any tougher teams," said Severn coach Cathy Carper after the Admirals lost to visiting John Carroll, 15-7, yesterday.

No words were needed last night when UMBC lacrosse coach Don Zimmerman entered the locker room to face his players after a 12-11 upset victory over ninth-ranked Georgetown at UMBC Stadium."

The C. Milton Wright boys soccer team played an inspired game against powerhouse Salesianum, of Delaware, taking a 1-1 tie to overtime before their nationally ranked guests scored for a 2-1, sudden-death victory. The game was scoreless at halftime.. Dan Kissner scored the Mustangs' lone goal off an assist from Brandon McFadden. Collin Miller had 11 saves in goal for CMW.

ANNAPOLIS -- Navy's water polo players will be able to tell their grandchildren about this one. Better still, they can tell their girlfriends about it next summer.If they're at a party and an American water polo match from the Olympics in Barcelona is on television, the Mids will be sure to point out Chris Humbert, a 6-foot-7 left-hander."If they want to impress some chicks," said Navy coach Mike Schofield, "they can say they guarded Humbert in the NCAAs."That's what they will do, or attempt to do, when they confront Humbert and top-seeded California-Berkeley today in the first round of the NCAA championships in Long Beach, Calif.

This weekend's Glen Burnie Shootout Soccer Tournament is appropriately named.With three of the Baltimore metro area's top nine girls teams joining host Glen Burnie, rarely do you find such a collection of talent in one place in the regular season.Top-ranked Catholic (6-0) is the headliner and will take on No. 9 Chesapeake-AA in tomorrow's opener at 5. Glen Burnie goes up against No. 6 Fallston at 7.The two losers will meet in the consolation game Saturday afternoon at 1 with the championship to follow at 3."