Tigers

The 16 teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament are fully aware of the one-and-done nature of the postseason. One bad game - heck, one bad quarter - may be enough to send a contender home to begin the offseason. The single-elimination format of the NCAA tournament will have a familiar feel for Towson (10-7), which had to upset Drexel and Penn State in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament last week to capture the championship and the automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament.

Towson became the second team in Division I (after Lehigh) to seal its path to the NCAA tournament when it knocked off No. 9 Penn State, 11-10, for the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship last Friday. So unlike area neighbors like No. 5 Loyola, No. 11 Maryland and Johns Hopkins, the Tigers enjoyed last weekend. “It was actually pretty nice after being away for four days,” coach Shawn Nadelen said with a chuckle Sunday night. “It allowed our guys to catch up with some of their school work, and it gave us two days of a little extra rest.

When the United States Golf Association packed up its corporate tents after the 2002 Senior Open concluded, Caves Valley returned to its roots as a private club that was selective in the tournaments it hosted. Mandated to promote the amateur ranks, the Owings Mills club welcomed a handful of events in the intervening years - none involving professionals. That will change in the summer of 2014, when the Ladies Professional Golf Association's inaugural International Crown comes to Baltimore County for a four-day, match-play event featuring four-player teams from eight different countries.

The Towson men's lacrosse team (10-7) withstood a rally from No. 9 host Penn State (12-4) to win, 11-10, and claim its first Colonial Athletic Association title since 2005 on Friday. The victory gave the Tigers the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. The Nittany Lions (12-4) outscored Towson 4-3 in the fourth quarter as it tried to rally from an 8-6 deficit. The game was tightly contested until late in the second quarter and into the third, when the Tigers (10-7)

If it's the Colonial Athletic Association women's lacrosse tournament, it must be a one-goal win for Towson. For the third straight time, the Tigers nipped an opponent by one goal in a CAA postseason game, edging Drexel for an 8-7 comeback victory Friday afternoon at the Tiger Soccer Complex. Last season, Towson beat Drexel, 12-11, in the semifinal and went on to slip past James Madison, 8-7, for the championship. This time, the top-seeded Tigers (9-8) scored twice in the final three minutes and their defense did the rest to ensure the chance to defend their title Sunday at 1 p.m. against Hofstra.

The six-goal explosion by redshirt freshman midfielder Ben McCarty that powered Towson's 11-8 upset of No. 15 Drexel in Wednesday's Colonial Athletic Association tournament semifinal must have shocked the Dragons, who probably did not expect McCarty to match his season total in goals in one contest. Even McCarty's coach, Shawn Nadelen, said he did not envision that performance. “I can't say I anticipated that,” Nadelen said with a chuckle Thursday morning. “I'm excited for him to do that.

In just a few hours, No. 13 Johns Hopkins will take the field at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y., for its regular-season finale against Army. But the Blue Jays' bid for an appearance in its 42nd consecutive NCAA tournament  suffered a blow via the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. Towson upset No. 9 Penn State, 11-10, in Friday's conference tournament final at University Park, Pa. The win secured the Tigers' first CAA tournament championship since 2007, which was also the last time they appeared in the NCAA tournament.

Wednesday's 11-8 upset of No. 15 Drexel in a Colonial Athletic Association tournament semifinal put Towson one game away from achieving a pair of preseason objectives. If the Tigers (9-7) can knock off No. 9 Penn State (12-3) Friday in University Park, Pa., they will capture their first conference tournament title since 2005 and seize the automatic qualifier for their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2007. It is a scenario that has motivated the coaches and players this season.

Send recreation results to tworgo@tribune.com . Include teams, scores, highlights and players first and last names. . Greater Laurel United Soccer Club U-6 co-ed: Newkirk's Kickers 3 (Zachary Akyeampong, Reuben Guerrero) Lynch's Ladies 3 (Malina Simmons, Anya Lynch) Gans Gougers 1 (Jordan Dean, Ayden Robertson) Scott's Tots 1 (Dylan Cowdery, Dalton Dwyer) U-8 girls: Wild Lightning 6 (Hana Majid, Kaitlyn Gebhardt) Orange Tigers 1 (Nevea Jones, Danielle Harris)

Ben McCarty (South Carroll) scored a career-best six goals to lead Towson to an 11-8 victory over Drexel in a Colonial Athletic Association men's lacrosse semifinal Wednesday night at the Penn State Lacrosse Field. The Tigers (9-7) face the host, top-seeded and No. 9 Penn State, in Friday's championship at 3 p.m. McCarty's six goals led all scorers. Andrew Hodgson scored twice and Justin Mabus had three assists. Andrew Wascavage made 14 saves for Towson. Robert Church led Drexel (11-4)