Ranked

When the calendar turns to April and May, the postseason becomes a pressing matter for those teams jockeying for a position in the NCAA tournament. For Stevenson, which is ranked No. 4 in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll, the road to the Division III NCAA tournament appears to be a one-lane thoroughfare as the Mustangs went 8-0 in the Middle Atlantic Conference and is poised to win the league tournament and the accompanying automatic qualifier. But where the team might land in the NCAA tournament is nearly as significant.

The milestones keep clicking off for the Maryland women's lacrosse team. Unbeaten regular season? Done. Fifth consecutive ACC tournament championship and 10th overall? Done. A run at an 11th NCAA championship? Stay tuned. The No. 1-ranked Terps (19-0) maintained their ACC supremacy Sunday night, dispatching homestanding North Carolina 12-8 in a steady rain at Fetzer Field. Brooke Griffin (South River), Taylor Cummings (McDonogh) and Beth Glaros (Wilde Lake) each had a hat trick, and Katie Schwarzmann (Century)

While the NCAA selection committee has Rating Percentage Index and strength-of-schedule rankings to review regarding the 16-team field of the NCAA Division I tournament, the committee in charge of the NCAA Division III version has another tool. The NCAA ranks contenders in the North and South regions, and the most recent list was released Wednesday. No. 4 Stevenson, No. 7 Salisbury and No. 10 Washington College are ranked in the top five of the South region. The Mustangs are ranked No. 3 with a 14-2 overall record and a 12-2 in-region mark.

Sean Paulsen, son of Ed and Theresa Paulsen, formally received his Eagle Scout rank and medal April 7 in an Eagle Scout Court of Honor held at Bel Air United Methodist Church. Sean has been a member of Troop 777 since 2008 and completed the requirements for rank of Eagle Scout on Dec. 17. Sean's Eagle Project benefited Anna's House, a non-profit organization that offers temporary and permanent housing to homeless women and their children. His project involved making improvements to the playground area and storage shed.

While No. 6 Maryland addresses recent troubles on its offense that cropped up during Saturday's 7-4 loss to No. 13 Johns Hopkins, the team can take some comfort in the play of its defense. The Terps (8-2) are ranked third in Division I in defense, allowing just an average of 7.30 goals and trailing only Hofstra (7.00) and No. 10 Penn State (7.25) in that department. The program is 117-26 in games in which opponents have scored less than 10 goals since 2002. The unit's performance should not be too much of a surprise considering that it was returning a three-year starting goalie in redshirt junior Niko Amato and a bevy of two-year starters, including senior long-stick midfielder Jesse Bernhardt, defensemen Michael Ehrhardt and Goran Murray and senior short-stick defensive midfielder Landon Carr.

No midfielder has made more starts for UMBC than Pat Young, and the freshman continues to reward the coaching staff for that decision. Young, who has started nine of 11 games for the Retrievers (5-6), ranks second on the team in both goals (22) and points (28). He has recorded eight goals and four assists in three contests against America East foes and was named the conference's Rookie of the Week after he scored two goals - including the game-winner - in UMBC's 13-12 decision over Stony Brook last Saturday.

Towson sophomore attackman Cory Dobyns sat out the Saturday's 10-8 loss to No. 12 Penn State, and a timetable for his return is unclear. Coach Shawn Nadelen said Dobyns, who ranks second on the Tigers (7-6 overall and 3-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association) in goals with 18 and third in points with 20, suffered an injury in a 9-5 victory over Massachusetts on April 6. Nadelen said he has not heard anything indicating that Dobyns sustained a season-ending injury, but he also said he is not certain whether Dobyns will play in Saturday's road contest against No. 20 Drexel (9-3, 4-1)

Reigning national champion Loyola's showdown with top-ranked Denver this Saturday at Ridley Athletic Complex will probably be the first of two meetings between these Eastern College Athletic Conference rivals and potentially the first of three contests. The No. 8 Greyhounds (9-2 overall and 5-0 in the league) and the Pioneers (9-2, 4-0) are vying for the top seed in the conference tournament, and a loss for either team will likely mean a No. 2 seed. But coach Charley Toomey said a victory would enhance Loyola's RPI, which is ranked 10th in the first list released by the NCAA.

The senior All-Metro shortstop led the Bruins to a 3-0 record last week - including upsets of then-No. 8 C. Milton Wright, 11-1, and No. 13 Severna Park, 8-7 - as they climbed to No. 9 in the latest poll with a 4-3 overall record. Dillard was 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base against C. Milton Wright, and she was 3-for-4 with two home runs - including the game-winning shot in the top of the seventh inning - and four RBIs in the win over Severna Park. In a 7-1 victory over Arundel, Dillard was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.

  Every Monday, Baltimore Sun blogger and reporter Matt Vensel will rank the most significant athletes and events in Baltimore sports that week based on accomplishments on and off the field. Because, well, why not? The return of the Orioles was the big story this week, overshadowing the release of Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, Maryland's loss in the NIT semifinals and a rift amongst the sons of a local legend. The Orioles went 3-3 in their first six games of 2013, but it was a fun first week thanks to one Orioles slugger.