Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
Friday, March 11, 2005, Washington Post

No Lack of Great Lacrosse Action

If you love lacrosse, then Washington is a great place to live. It's also a great place to live if you don't know much about the fast and furious stick-wielding game. This year the area is packed with nationally ranked college lacrosse teams and top talent. Let's take a look at some of the best teams and players.

University of Maryland: The Maryland men's team hopes to recover from an early loss to Duke and bounce back from last year's overtime loss to Princeton in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. The Terps should be a high-scoring bunch. Their attack is led by all-American Joe Walters, who had 46 goals and 22 assists last year.

Be sure to circle April 15 on your sports calendar. That's when the Maryland men play top-ranked arch rival Johns Hopkins University for the 101st time, at Byrd Stadium. The Terps-Blue Jays game is always a battle.

Maryland's women's team might not quite match the men's success. They will miss three-time all-American Kelly Coppedge, who in her senior season scored 72 goals in 20 games. Still, the Terps have enough talent from last year's team to contend for the Atlantic Coast Conference title and a spot in the NCAA tournament .

Georgetown University: The Georgetown men lost to Maryland, 13-6, to start the season, but the Hoyas should win their share of games. Led by all-American defender Brodie Merrill and boasting a bunch of hotshot freshmen, Georgetown hosts top 10 teams Duke and Navy on consecutive Saturdays (March 26 and April 2).

The Hoyas women may fare better than the men. They have solid seniors in attacker Sarah Oliphant and midfielders Lauryn Bernier and Allison Chambers. The Hoyas were ranked fifth in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association preseason poll. They should win another Big East title.

Other Teams: Both the men's and women's teams at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore should continue the university's proud tradition as a lacrosse powerhouse. The men have made the NCAA's Final Four the last three years and have a good chance to go back again this season. Baltimore area schools Towson University and Loyola College also have quality teams.

In Annapolis, Navy has a terrific men's team featuring all-American goalkeeper Matt Russell. The Midshipmen don't have a women's lacrosse team. Washington's American University has a women's team but not a men's team. The Eagles usually are in the fight for the Patriot League title.

So if lacrosse is your game -- or if you just want to see what all the fuss is about -- check out some nearby games. You might just go "lax to the max."