MEN'S DIVISION III SEMIFINAL
Gettysburg (12-1) at Salisbury State (14-0)
Site: Sea Gull Stadium, Salisbury
Time: 1 p.m. today
Outlook: Salisbury State has traditionally had a tough time in the semifinals, where the Sea Gulls are 1-6. To get to their first championship game in three years, the top-ranked Sea Gulls will have to overcome a third-ranked Gettysburg team that is similarly explosive on offense, tenacious on defense and deep ,, overall. Gettysburg's lone defeat came against defending national champion Hobart six weeks ago. The Bullets, making their fifth playoff appearance, are in their first semifinal game, thanks largely to junior A Tim DeMore (43 goals, 46 assists), who has broken or tied four school records this season. Freshman A Dave Curry (37, 31) was a major reason that Gettysburg recovered so quickly from the graduation of six seniors. Defensively, the Bullets rely primarily on juniors Todd Hyer and Brian McGum and sophomore G Jake Kovalcik (12.5 saves per game, .592 save percentage). They will have their hands full against a Salisbury State offense that is the best in coach Jim Berkman's six years there. Sophomore A Jason Coffman (62 goals, 30 assists) is one of the top finishers in the nation, and he gets plenty of support from junior A Sean Radebaugh (39, 38) and sophomore A Paul Smith (33, 12). The heart of the Sea Gulls is a rotation of 10 midfielders -- led by Dod Poe and Dan Mergott -- that has worn opponents down all year. They have given crucial assistance to defensemen Chris McQueeney and Tom McAuliffe and G Erik Miller (.643 save percentage), who lead a defense that has allowed only 6.6 goals per game. Salisbury State, coming off a 24-6 pounding of rival Washington College in the quarterfinals, is averaging 20.1 goals. The Sea Gulls are in the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Seven-year Gettysburg coach Hank Janczyk spent three years at Salisbury State, where he went 43-11 in the mid-1980s.
WOMEN'S DIVISION III SEMIFINAL
William Smith (15-0) vs. Johns Hopkins (15-0)
Site: Byrd Stadium, College Park
Time: 12:30 p.m. today
Outlook: Second-ranked William Smith makes its seventh NCAA semifinal appearance. The Herons beat Franklin & Marshall, 16-14, last week, coming back from a 12-11, second-half deficit with a five-goal run to advance to today's game. Junior co-captain Jennifer Bertsch had a career- and team-high seven goals and two assists in the win over Franklin & Marshall, in which five William Smith players scored at least one point. Junior Amy Hoover leads the Herons in scoring with 57 goals and 39 assists, and needs 10 goals to set a school career record. Bertsch has 58 goals and 29 assists this season. G Sarah Daniels has at least 10 saves in each of her past six games, including 17 in last week's win over Franklin & Marshall. Johns Hopkins, which has beaten seven of the top 15 teams this year, beat Denison, 13-9, in last week's first-round game behind four-goal efforts from senior Rebecca Savage (Centennial) and sophomore Jennifer Ward. Both players scored twice in a six-goal barrage that blew the game open. Savage, the Centennial Conference Player of the Year, scored 73 goals this year and assisted on eight to lead Hopkins. Ward has 59 goals and 24 assists to lead Hopkins. The third-ranked Blue Jays, competing in their third semifinal, dropped a 20-9 decision to William Smith in last year's Final Four. In that game, the Herons used a speed advantage and parlayed 6-0 runs in each half to beat the Blue Jays in their only previous meeting. "Last year, they [Herons] taught Hopkins a nice lesson, and we're hoping to use that to our advantage," said first-year coach Janine Tucker, who hopes to take Hopkins to its first title game. Both teams outscored their opposition by more than 100 goals. The Blue Jays, William Smith and top-ranked Trenton State are the only undefeated Division III teams. The winner plays the Trenton State-Middlebury winner tomorrow for the championship.
MEN'S DIVISION I QUARTERFINALS
No. 7 Brown (12-4) at No. 2 Loyola (11-1)
Site: Curley Field
Time: 1 p.m. today
Outlook: Although Loyola beat Brown in Providence two months ago, the Bears have won 11 consecutive games. The Bears are riding behind senior All-America and Ivy League first team G Jay Stilfort. He leads all NCAA tournament keepers with a .675 save percentage, he allowed only 7.4 goals per game, and he is coming off a career-high 24-save effort in last week's first-round playoff victory over Navy. Soph A and Baltimore native David Evans (39 goals, 27 assists) leads Brown's offense, but the key to the Bears could be how much senior Gary Nelson controls the middle. Nelson has won 62.6 percent of his faceoffs, and he leads Brown with 106 ground balls. The Greyhounds have a stingy defense of their own. They have allowed only 8.8 goals per game, and their man-down unit has surrendered only 17 goals in 79 opportunities (21.5 percent). Junior D Matt Dwan and junior G Tim McGeeney lead the way. McGeeney has a save percentage rate of 61.4 and is averaging 17 saves over his past six games. Offensive balance has been the key to Loyola's 15.2-goal average, its best under 12-year coach Dave Cottle. The attack of Sean Heffernan, Derek Radebaugh and Kevin Lutz has combined for 65 goals and 52 assists. The Greyhounds are 8-0 at home this year and are 43-5 at Curley Field since 1988. Three of those losses have come at the hands of Brown, including a first-round playoff defeat in 1992. Brown leads the series, 6-2.
No. 6 Johns Hopkins (9-4) at No. 3 Princeton (11-1)
Site: Palmer Stadium, Princeton, N.J.
Time: 1 p.m. today
Radio: WOLB (1010 AM)
Outlook: It is a rematch of the season opener. Princeton contained the Hopkins offense for a 20-11 win. It is first time this season and the second time in 25 games that Princeton senior G Scott Bacigalupo allowed double-digit scoring. The St. Paul's graduate is 3-1 against the Blue Jays in his career, giving up an average of 11 goals. The Princeton defense this year has also shut down every opponent for at least a 14-minute span. The Tigers face an offense that scored on half of its shots for 22 goals against Towson State last Saturday. The Blue Jays' catalyst, Terry Riordan, has 16 goals in his past three games and is five shy of the single-season goals mark. The Blue Jays' second-leading scorer, Brian Piccola, was held to one assist in the previous meeting by Tigers defensive M Todd Higgins. Kevin Lowe leads the Tigers with 22 goals and 42 assists. Princeton has won 17 straight at home.
No. 5 Virginia (11-3) at No. 4 North Carolina (10-4)
Site: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Time: 1 p.m. today
Outlook: It's been six years since North Carolina didn't get to the Final Four and Virginia did. There was an 18-goal swing between the teams this season, as the Cavaliers took the regular-season game, 16-6, April 9, only to have the Tar Heels come back for a 15-7 win in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game 13 days later. Virginia routed Notre Dame, 23-4, in the first round, while North Carolina had a bye. Gregg Langhoff (18 goals, 22 assists) leads a balanced North Carolina attack. Sophomore Tim Whiteley (20, 37) and freshman Michael Watson (23, 18), both St. Paul's grads, are the Cavaliers' top point-getters.
No. 8 Duke (10-5) at No. 1 Syracuse (12-1)
Site: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Time: 1 p.m. today
Outlook: Duke is at its best in an up-tempo game and averages nearly 18 goals, but no one has outrun the speedy Orangemen. Syracuse is hitting its usual stride heading into postseason, scoring more than 20 goals in four of its past seven games. The Orangemen have won 22 straight and 50 of their past 52 games at the Carrier Dome. Duke beat Maryland by five goals to advance past the first round for the first time. Syracuse is 16-2 in the tournament since 1988 and has made it to the Final Four 11 straight years. M Roy Colsey leads the Orangemen with 40 goals and 11 assists. Scott Harrison heads the Blue Devils attack with 35 goals and 25 assists.
WOMEN'S NCAA DIVISION I SEMIFINAL
Loyola (16-2) vs. Maryland (11-0)
Site: Byrd Stadium, College Park
Time: 3 p.m. today
Outlook: The top-ranked Terps, who have won two national championships, appear to have all the cards, with home-field advantage, 13 days of rest after a first-round bye and, most notably, a 13-0 series lead against Loyola. "My husband said to me that we get no credit until we beat Maryland. If we're going to do it, we need to do it now," said Loyola coach Diane Aikens. The Terps, who make their fifth straight appearance in the national semifinals, and the 11th overall, have beaten the Final Four field, edging No. 2 Princeton, 12-10, two weeks ago and defeating fourth-ranked Virginia, 5-1, in March. Maryland averages 14.3 goals, the best in the nation, and allows 4.6 goals per game. Maryland senior All-American Betsy Elder, who had six goals in the Terps' 11-5 win over Loyola last month, needs five goals to pass Anysia Fedec as the all-time leading goal scorer in school history. G Jamie Brodsky was fifth in Division I in save percentage. Maryland seniors Laura Harmon and Maureen Scott, who were members of this year's national championship field hockey team as well as the 1992 championship lacrosse team, can capture their third title in two sports this weekend. The third-ranked Greyhounds, who beat Harvard, 9-4, with eight unanswered goals last Saturday, enter their fourth Final Four, but their first national semifinal appearance since 1990. Loyola, which did not play Princeton this season, dropped a 12-9 contest to Virginia on April 21, and have lost two of their past three, after winning their first 15 games. The Greyhounds will look to control the tempo against Maryland by running as much as possible. Seniors Michele Meyer and Gina Roberts combined for five goals and two assists, while goalie Linda Ohrin had 10 saves in the win over Harvard. The Terps broke a 3-3 tie at Curley Field last month with an 8-2 run while keeping the Greyhounds scoreless for nearly 39 minutes. "We're the favorite, and it's going to be exciting for us to see how we go against that kind of pressure," said Maryland coach Cindy Timchal. The Loyola-Maryland winner will face the Princeton-Virginia winner in tomorrow's championship game.