John Tillman was quick to address the areas he wanted cleaned up after No. 3-seed Maryland men’s lacrosse’s game against No. 6-seed Rutgers on Saturday.
While they held on for a 13-10 victory in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal, the Terps nearly blew a five-goal lead after allowing Rutgers to net five fourth-quarter goals. Maryland failed to hold the Scarlet Knights under double-digit goals for the first time in five games.
Defensive lapses notwithstanding, the Terps’ attack put together one of
their most complete performances of the season. Nine different goalscorers, highlighted by a five-point outing from Eric Spanos, culminated in the team’s second-highest scoring output against Big Ten opposition.
That success was largely due to Maryland’s faceoff unit. Henry Dodge lost just two of his 14 bouts at the X and Jonah Carrier logged a 61.5% faceoff win rate. The Terps now boast the nation’s second-best unit, losing the faceoff battle in only one game this season.
Still, Saturday’s 17 misfired shots and seven third-quarter turnovers leave some cause for concern. In Thursday’s semifinal matchup against No. 2-seed Penn State, every offensive opportunity could prove vital.
Maryland will look to avenge its regular season loss to the Nittany Lions. The conference tournament meeting takes place in Piscataway, New Jersey at 6 p.m. and will air on Big Ten Network.
What happened last time
After their triple-overtime win over Virginia, the Terps came out flat in their Big Ten opener. Penn State scored the game’s first two goals in an 80-second span before Maryland could gain a meaningful possession.
While Leo Johnson contributed to two first-quarter scores for the Terps, the deadlock didn’t last long. The Nittany Lions rattled off five unanswered goals to take a commanding lead early in the second quarter.
Maryland’s defense simply didn’t have any answers, and the attacking unit didn’t have enough of the ball to find a rhythm.
But an in-game adjustment halted Penn State’s momentum. After the Nittany Lions produced 16 shots in the first quarter, they had just 19 across the second and third quarters. Only seven of those were directed on cage — a byproduct of the Terps’ compact defense.
Penn State’s long-range efforts coupled with Maryland winning four of the ensuing five faceoffs allowed it to slowly claw back into the game. The offensive production came from the Terps’ midfield unit. AJ Larkin netted a brace, while Chris Lyons and Zach Whittier each scored once.
After trailing by five goals at one point, Maryland’s deficit stood at one with seven minutes remaining. The Terps didn’t get the chance to fire the game-tying look, though. Penn State corralled the faceoff and immediately snapped their 35-minute scoring drought.
The Nittany Lions added a pair of insurance goals to effectively seal the game, handing Maryland its largest defeat of the regular season. The Terps’ lone loss in the faceoff battle didn’t help either.
While 20 of Maryland’s 28 shots were on goal, Penn State goalie Preston Hawkins was up for the challenge. The freshman recorded a career-high 14 saves, including five stops in the fourth quarter. Brian Ruppel came up with 11 saves to limit the damage.
What’s happened since
The Terps have been playing their best lacrosse of the season since that game. Maryland’s defense has allowed just 7.2 goals per contest, fueling it to win four of their next five games.
Spanos’ return has also jolted the attack. Behind his eight-goal outing, the Terps dismantled Michigan to begin their three-game winning streak. Spanos added a pair of five-point performances against Rutgers.
But Maryland’s loss to then-No. 12 Johns Hopkins eliminated its chances of earning a Big Ten Tournament first-round bye.
Penn State produced dominant victories over Ohio State and Rutgers — it scored a combined 29 goals across those games. With the Nittany Lions’ top attacker Hunter Aquino back from injury, the offense was unstoppable in their last contest — a 16-8 win over the Scarlet Knights.
That high overshadowed one-goal losses to Johns Hopkins and Michigan. The Nittany Lions blew a five-goal lead against the Blue Jays and tied their season-low with eight goals in a demoralizing home loss to the Wolverines.
Three things to watch
1. What defense does Maryland play? Tillman switched to a zone defense midway through the first meeting, and found success. Penn State was held scoreless for 35 minutes across the second, third and fourth quarters. While the Terps’ man-to-man defense has been stout in recent weeks, it will be interesting to see if Tillman leans on that defensive system on Thursday.
2. Short rest. Maryland is one of just five Division I programs that didn’t schedule a midweek game this season. The Terps’ coaching staff has opted to maximize its practice time instead of simulating the short rest that comes with postseason play. Heavy legs could affect the Terps on Thursday.
3. Offensive firepower. Maryland has been forced to grind out multiple wins this season, relying on its defense to keep games low-scoring. While that’s worked against most of the Big Ten teams, Penn State holds the conference’s most potent attack — it scores nearly two more goals per game than the Terps. Maryland will need to click offensively to keep up with the Nittany Lions’ dangerous attack.
