Set offense has been hard to come by for No. 3-seed Maryland men’s lacrosse this season. The Terps have struggled to break down some of the nation’s elite defenses, leading to five single-digit scoring performances.
While that trend continued in Saturday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal clash against No. 6-seed Rutgers, Maryland found goals through other avenues.
Brian Ruppel and the Terps’ defensive unit searched for quick outlets after gaining possession, and it worked to perfection. Maryland thrived
in transition as the quick strike fueled it to a three-goal first-half lead.
While Rutgers’ offense found its groove in the second quarter, Maryland never relinquished its advantage. The Terps kept their season alive with a 13-10 victory at SECU Stadium; they will now face No. 2-seed Penn State in the conference tournament semifinals on Thursday.
“We get a stop and we can get it out. That’s a way we can spark transition and maybe get one that kind of sucks the life out of the other team,” defender Michael Alexander said. “That’s a goal, where you make a play, it swings the momentum in our favor.”
After enduring Maryland’s second scoreless quarter of the season in its last game, the Terps wasted no time getting on the scoresheet. The shot was created by the unlikelest of sources.
Henry Dodge corralled the opening faceoff and immediately tested Rutgers’ defense. The All-Big Ten first-teamer found an unmarked Leo Johnson on the right wing, who fired it into the far post just seven seconds into the game, giving Dodge his second point of the season.
“The faceoff guys do a great job, defense does a great job letting us settle into the game,” attacker Leo Johnson said. “It gives us a lot of confidence knowing that we’re going to keep getting the ball and keep getting opportunities.”
But the scoring quickly settled down after that.
Maryland’s offense sent waves of pressure at Scarlet Knights goalie Cardin Stoller, but the redshirt junior was up for the challenge. He managed five first-quarter stops and finished Saturday with 12 saves.
Even as the Terps secured the game’s first three faceoffs, they struggled to generate quality looks on frame. Maryland fired just 50% of its first-quarter looks on target, often sailing over the cage and never threatening Stoller.
Despite the Terps’ sluggish offensive performance, Brian Ruppel starred early on. He denied Rutgers’ first seven shots, aided by Maryland’s strong defensive performance — it only allowed long-range efforts.
“I thought [Brian] started super hot tonight. That was huge for us because he kind of bailed us out early,” head coach John Tillman said. “Offensively, we got 14 shots in the first. … We just didn’t can shots.”
Maryland’s near 15-minute scoring drought ended in the final moments of the first quarter. After a strong defensive stand, Trevor Owens heaved the ball across the field. Eric Spanos outmuscled his defender for the loose ball and buried a shot with three seconds remaining.
That goal propelled the Terps to a 2-0 lead at the conclusion of the first quarter.
After being held scoreless for 22 minutes, Rutgers’ offense awoke. The Scarlet Knights’ leading goalscorer, Colin Kurdyla, notched his first goal in three games, and Rutgers added a trio of second-quarter goals.
But Maryland’s supporting cast helped it keep pace. Jack Schultz recorded just his second goal of the season before AJ Larkin and Spencer Ford scored to keep the Terps’ two-goal advantage intact. Still, the 6-4 halftime lead was far from comfortable.
While the Terps rattled off three unanswered goals in the third quarter to open up a commanding lead, Rutgers didn’t waver.
Kurdyla and Scarlet Knights attacker David Carroll sparked the comeback with a trio of goals in a nine-minute span early in the fourth quarter. With just over four minutes remaining, Maryland’s lead was suddenly trimmed to two.
When the Terps needed an answer, Johnson stepped up, logging his ninth multi-score game of the season to halt Rutgers’ momentum.
Just 69 seconds later, Johnny Gardiner swung the ball to Braden Erksa behind the cage. Erksa wrapped around the crease and fired the close-range effort into the near post.
Those two goals stamped Maryland’s victory. Despite the Terps conceding double-digit goals for the first time since March 21, nine different goalscorers helped them survive Rutgers’ five-goal fourth-quarter.
“The fourth quarter [was] a little spotty there at times. Definitely some things you want to clean up, giving up five there,” Tillman said. “For the second quarter, some self-inflicted wounds that we just got to clean up.”
Three things to know
1. Extra possessions fuel Maryland. While the Terps’ offense has been far from efficient this season, it generated more looks through a dominant faceoff unit and extra effort. Maryland secured 20 of the game’s 27 faceoffs and added 29 ground balls to keep Rutgers pinned in its defensive half.
2. Spanos runs the show. During his time on the field this season, Spanos has typically operated as the team’s premier attacker. But on Saturday, the Tewaaraton Award nominee facilitated Maryland’s offense, dishing out a season-high three assists alongside two goals to guide the Terps to victory.
3. Redemption opportunity. Maryland suffered just two losses during conference play, and its first came in convincing fashion. The Terps’ four-goal loss to Penn State was its worst defeat of the regular season, despite a late-game comeback effort. Maryland gets its shot to avenge that loss on Thursday in the semifinals.
