A look ahead to the best matchups in men's and women's college lacrosse this week, the week ahead for Maryland men, plus key stats and upcoming TV schedule.
WEEK AHEAD FOR MEN'S TEAMS IN MARYLAND
No. 8 Johns Hopkins (3-2)
Coming up: Vs. No. 3 Syracuse, Saturday, 4 p.m., Homewood Field
Comment: The Blue Jays are clinging to a 28-25-1 edge against the Orange, who have won three of the past four meetings. Freshman defenseman Patrick Foley is tied for the team lead in caused turnovers (three) and is tied for third in ground balls (10).
No. 9 Towson (6-1)
Coming up: Vs. Furman, Saturday, noon, Johnny Unitas Stadium
Comment: The Tigers and Paladins will tangle for the first time in the histories of both programs. With seven caused turnovers in six games, junior short-stick midfielder Jack Adams (Hereford) has already passed the career high of six he set last season in 16 games.
No. 13 Loyola Maryland (4-2)
Coming up: At Navy, Saturday, 1p.m.; at Georgetown, Wednesday, 3 p.m.
Comment: The Greyhounds are 5-5 against the Midshipmen and 31-7 against the Hoyas. Sophomore Jared Mintzlaff's goal in Saturday's 15-6 loss to No. 11 Duke was the first by a short-stick defensive midfielder since Mike Kutzer scored in an 11-4 loss to Colgate on March 28.
Mount St. Mary's (4-2)
Coming up: Off this weekend (scheduled game vs. Bryant was moved to April 19)
Navy (3-2)
Coming up: Vs. No. 13 Loyola Maryland, Saturday, 1 p.m.; vs. Lafayette, Tuesday, 7p.m., Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Comment: The Midshipmen have lost their past five against the Greyhounds but have won six straight against the Leopards. With a season-high 12 saves in a 13-6 win at Patriot League rival Bucknell on March 5, senior goalkeeper John Connors became the 13th player in program history to reach the 300-save mark.
UMBC (1-3)
Coming up: At Binghamton, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Comment: The Retrievers have a 13-4 record against their America East rivals, but the Bearcats have won three of the past five. Midfielder Ryan Baker became the first freshman to score at least two goals in back-to-back games since attackman Max Maxwell scored two goals against Mount St. Mary's on March 22, 2014, and Stony Brook six days later.
— Edward Lee
GAMES OF THE WEEK
Men
NO. 3 SYRACUSE (5-0) AT NO. 8 JOHNS HOPKINS (3-2)
Saturday, 4 p.m.
Outlook: Fifteen of the past 26 games between these storied programs have been decided by two goals or fewer. In the last meeting at Homewood Field in Baltimore, on March 14, 2014, then-sophomore attackman Ryan Brown (Calvert Hall) scored a career-high eight goals and finished one shy of the program record, but the display wasn't enough as the Orange won, 12-10. Syracuse is led by redshirt senior attackman Dylan Donahue (10 goals and 15 assists).
— Edward Lee
Women
NO. 1 MARYLAND (5-0) AT NO. 2 FLORIDA (9-0)
Saturday, noon
Outlook: After defeating No. 3 Syracuse, 14-9, Saturday, the Terps take to the road once again to face their third top 5 opponent in four games. They will see a lot of familiar faces in Gainesville — Florida has 16 Baltimore-area players — but the teams are meeting for just the second time. Maryland won last year, 16-6. The game was tied at 5 with 12:27 left in the first half, but the Terps scored six straight and allowed the Gators just one free-position goal in the second half. The Gators have also beaten Syracuse and North Carolina, each by a goal. The Terps also beat Carolina by a goal.
— Katherine Dunn
BY THE NUMBERS
10 Saves Cornell men's lacrosse goalkeeper Brennan Donville made in the third quarter of Saturday's 14-10 upset of then-No. 17 Virginia en route to a career-high 16. The senior's previous career best was nine for an entire game.
11 Nonconference losses thus far by Atlantic Coast Conference men's teams. Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Virginia lost seven nonconference games in all of 2015.
21-0 Conference record for the Loyola Maryland women in their two years in the Patriot League.
ON TV
SATURDAY
Men
No. 13 Loyola Maryland@Navy, Comcast SportsNet, 1 p.m.
Ohio State@No. 1 Denver, FCS Atlantic, 3 p.m.
No. 3 Syracuse@No. 8 Johns Hopkins, ESPNU, 4 p.m.
Virginia@No. 2 Notre Dame, ESPNU, 6 p.m.
Women
Navy@Loyola Maryland, Comcast SportsNet, 3:30 p.m.
SUNDAY
Women
No. 4 North Carolina@No. 13 Northwestern, BIGTEN, 1 p.m.