Second Goal

After losing at home by three goals in its first regular-season meeting with Mount St. Joseph, Archbishop Spalding's boys soccer team used a late goal to tie the Gaels in a double-overtime rematch on the road. The teams met for a third time yesterday, again going into double overtime. But this time, in a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference tournament first-round match, the fourth-seeded Cavaliers rallied from a two-goal deficit to post a 3-2 victory. T.J. Nairn's game-winning second goal was assisted by Pat Cassilly with just under two minutes left in the second overtime period as the host Cavaliers (12-8-1)

The Blast has certainly corrected its early-season miseries at home. After losing three straight at 1st Mariner Arena , the Major Indoor Soccer League's Eastern Division leader has spurted to three consecutive victories on its own field, the latest an 8-5 victory over the Rochester Lancers on Saturday night. Overall, it was the fifth consecutive win for the Blast and third in a row against expansion Rochester (6-8), which entered the night as the highest-scoring team in the league but fell 41/2 games back in the division race after its first visit to Baltimore.

Sophomore soccer striker Brian Tully of C. Milton Wright can be hard on himself at times, so much so that, after being the Mustangs' top scorer last fall, he has struggled this season. Yesterday Tully scored only his second goal of the year, but it was enough to lift the eighth-ranked Mustangs to a 1-0 victory at unranked Harford County league rival Aberdeen. The goal, in the 44th minute, was also enough, Tully said, to "break the ice." "I've been getting the opportunities but not scoring for some reason.

Early in the second half against host Towson, Dulaney coach Kendra Zeller elected to move senior defender McKenna Bolonda to the frontline to help spark the offense. Bolonda only played about 10 minutes at forward, but she made her minutes count, scoring two goals less than seven minutes apart to lead Dulaney (5-2) to a 3-1 victory Thursday. "We dominated the whole time," Bolonda said of the first half in which Dulaney held a 7-0 advantage in shots. "We just had an issue with getting it in. Coach knew I wanted to go (upfront)

Katie Atkins, Roland Park's senior captain, spent 10 minutes of the second half yesterday on the sideline with a charley horse. Too bad for Notre Dame Prep that it couldn't have been a few more. With the score tied 2-2 and roughly four minutes remaining, Atkins re-entered the field hockey game. And with 2:03 left, she put in her second goal of the game, giving the sixth-ranked Reds the 3-2 victory in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference game in Towson. The game was big for both teams, both coming off losses, but even more so for Roland Park (3-1-1)

Both Notre Dame Prep and visiting Severn had ample opportunity to take control of yesterday's Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference game. For the No. 8 Blazers, it came early when they had plenty of time with the ball, but no comfortable lead to show for it. For the No. 5 Admirals, it was midway into the second half when a three-goal splurge provided a rare two-goal lead that didn't hold. In the end, Notre Dame Prep senior midfielder Alex Gangler helped in the final say, scoring her second goal of the afternoon with 27 seconds remaining to leave both teams settling on a 9-9 tie. Severn senior Schuyler Sutton finished with five goals and an assist to lead the Admirals (9-0-1, 5-0-1 IAAM A)

After being eliminated from playoff contention last week, the Baltimore Bays had the motivation of playing spoiler to the Richmond Kickers and trying to end their inaugural season with a victory.The Bays accomplished neither task, falling to Richmond, 3-2, in a U.S. Interregional Soccer League game before 1,754 -- the largest crowd of the season -- at UMBC Stadium.Baltimore, which has been involved in 12 one-goal games, allowed three goals or more in six of its last 10 games.The season finale for the Bays would be decided by a simple miscommunication on defense.

Last season, Poly's boys soccer team ended Patterson's run of four straight Baltimore city championships by defeating the Clippers twice. Yesterday afternoon, Patterson took the title back when junior forward Bobby Oxendine scored his second goal of the game in the 80th minute to lift the Clippers to a 3-2 home victory, its second one-goal win over Poly this season. Oxendine scored the game-winner after he received a 20-yard feed from sophomore midfielder Josh Robinson on a counterattack and broke in alone on Poly junior goalkeeper Brian Cothern.

Jeff MearsAnnapolisLacrosseMears scored two goals, including the go-ahead goal, and won 12 of 16 faceoffs in a victory over then No. 7 Arundel (8-6). In a overtime win over Southern-AA (8-7 OT), the senior scored the game-winner and added a second goal.

Northeast and Easton advanced to the title game of the eighth annual James A. Griffin Lacrosse Tournament at Northeast yesterday with first-round, 7-6 wins over Glen Burnie and Chesapeake, respectively.The day's first game went down to the wire, thanks to a surge by Chesapeake.The Cougars were down 5-1 with 5:09 left in the third quarter when Dave Wheeloch started the comeback.His goal was followed by one by teammate Manny Diaz with 3:47 remaining. Greg Fahraman got Easton's lead back to three with a goal, Chesapeake answered on a goal by Eric Daniels with 15 seconds to go in the third.

AIFA Cipra's last-second kick gives Mariners 39-37 win over Storm The Baltimore Mariners ran their record to 12-0 when J.R. Cipra kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to give Baltimore a 39-37 win over the host Erie Storm on Sunday. The kick was Cipra's third field goal of the day. Adam Goloboski also returned a fumble for a score. The Mariners, who already have clinched the Eastern Conference regular-season championship and a bye in the American Indoor Football Association playoffs, will next play when they host the New Jersey Revolution at 7 p.m. Saturday at 1st Mariner Arena.

No seed? No problem for the Notre Dame men's lacrosse team. David Earl scored as many goals as the entire Princeton team as the visiting Fighting Irish came away with an 8-5 victory over the sixth-seeded Tigers in the first round of the NCAA tournament Sunday. Notre Dame (8-6) scored the game's final four goals — Earl tallying three of his career-high five total goals during the run — rallying from a one-goal deficit in the third quarter to dominate the last 20-plus minutes of the contest.

CRESTVIEW HILLS, KY. -- Alex Lachman hit a 43-yard field goal with no time left on the clock to lift visiting Johns Hopkins over Thomas More, 31-29, in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs Saturday. "I could tell by the sound it was good," Hopkins freshman long snapper Reid Vanderlinden said. "I looked up as it went past the line and knew it was going through." The win marks Hopkins' second upset of a previously undefeated team. The Blue Jays (10-2) handed Hampden Sydney (10-1)

WASHINGTON - -For the better part of two weeks, the Washington Capitals had been eking out wins over opponents they should have beaten convincingly. On Friday night, it caught up to them on home ice against one of the NHL's worst clubs. The Capitals surrendered a one-goal lead late in the second period, then defenseman Mark Streit of the New York Islanders hammered a shot past goaltender Jos? Theodore 53 seconds into overtime to hand the Capitals a humbling, miscue-riddled 4-3 defeat. The victory was only the Islanders' third of the season and it halted Washington's six-game wining streak, stunning a capacity crowd at Verizon Center.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - - Facing an opponent saddled with the second-lowest payroll in the NHL and one win in its first eight games, there was every reason to believe Alex Ovechkin and the star-laden Washington Capitals would put Saturday night's game away early. Instead, they had to work overtime. The Capitals needed a goal from minor league call-up Keith Aucoin in the final minutes of regulation and another goal from Brooks Laich one minute into extra time to beat the New York Islanders, 3-2, and headed home from a two-game road trip with four points.

Senior midfielder Mitchell Rosensweig won 12 of 17 faceoffs and collected a game-high nine ground balls, but top-ranked Virginia (9-0) used a 7-0 run over the final 44 minutes to defeat Towson, 11-2, in a nonconference game at rainy Klockner Stadium yesterday. After the Tigers (1-4) narrowed its deficit to 4-2 early in the second quarter, the Cavaliers' defense held Towson without a goal for the rest of the game to secure the victory. Led by two goals from Steele Stanwick, the Cavaliers opened a 4-0 lead in the first 12 minutes.

Two teams with something to prove faced off at UMBC stadium in yesterday's Class 3A-4A state boys lacrosse championship.Nick Cowan, eighth-ranked Perry Hall's scoring leader with 64 goals and 38 assists, was out to show his team is among the elite.Sixth-ranked Broadneck (16-1) wanted to do the same by winning its second straight state crown -- and third overall -- under coach Clay White.As the boisterous crowd bore witness, each team accomplished its goal -- gaining the respect of the other in the process -- with the top-seed Bruins taking a 13-7 victory.

When a team plays in the toughest soccer region in the state, Class 3A, Region I, every advantage is a big advantage on the path to the state finals.Centennial (11-1-1 overall, 5-1-1 league) enjoyed one of those big advantages Tuesday afternoon by drawing Liberty (10-3) of Carroll County in the opening round.It was the second straight year Centennial opened with Liberty. The Eagles won easily again, 4-0, the same score as last year.By drawing Liberty, Centennial avoided Howard and Oakland Mills, the other kingpins of the region -- who were scheduled to play each other last night -- too late for The Howard County Sun's deadline.

Fallston and Bethesda-Chevy Chase went into last night's state field hockey semifinal with 23 titles between them, but only Fallston will have a chance to add to its coffers. Krissy Fusco and Caitlin Dempsey scored on penalty corners as the No. 2 Cougars dominated the Barons en route to a 2-0 victory in a Class 3A semifinal at Broadneck. The Cougars (18-1) go for their 11th state title and their second straight when they meet Atholton at 4 p.m. Saturday at Washington College in Chestertown.