Before the Maryland men’s lacrosse team faced No. 1 Penn State in its biggest home test since 2014, the program’s decorated senior class sprinted through a tunnel of teammates before hugging coaches and family members on the field.
Once the game started, the Terps’ celebration continued as they their goal tally mounted. Led by senior attackmen, they poured in 15 scores against the Nittany Lions, equaling the most the top-ranked team has given up this campaign.
Using its offensive firepower, No. 8 Maryland defeated Penn State, 15-11, to capture its third consecutive victory.
“I’m really proud,” Tillman said after the win. “The effort was outstanding knowing how successful Penn State has been.”
The Terps (7-2, 2-0 Big Ten) received 12 points from their seniors in the victory, including six points from attackman Matt Rambo and four points from attackman Colin Heacock.
Maryland also limited star freshman Mac O’Keefe, who came into the game averaging 3.5 goals per game. The first-year attackman registered three goals for the Nittany Lions (10-1, 1-1 Big Ten) and didn’t take a shot until late in the second quarter.
Even Penn State coach Jeff Tambroni noticed the strong veteran presence from a Terps group he called “clearly one of the best teams in the country.”
“Their senior leaders did a wonderful job of playing with great composure on a day which I’m sure had a lot of emotion,” Tambroni said.
During the pregame Senior Day festivities, coach John Tillman walked over to Rambo as he was hugging family members and gave the attackman an extra pat on the shoulder. The Glenside, Pennsylvania, native started the day with the program’s fifth-most points and fourth-most goals.
Rambo said he was “excited” to compete at Senior Day, and he provided an immediate offensive spark. He scored three goals in the first seven minutes, securing his quickest hat trick of the campaign. When the third finish hit the back of the net, he ran 10 yards before performing an emphatic fist pump.
“I was just in the right time at the right place,” Rambo said. “I’ve got to give credit to my teammates for getting out of my way. … They were the ones helping me out.”
Meanwhile, Heacock and senior attackman Dylan Maltz combined for three more first-half goals, helping Maryland enter the intermission with a 10-6 advantage. In the Terps’ dominant display over the first 30 minutes, they outshot Penn State, 27-7, won 13 of 18 faceoffs and committed four turnovers. Goalkeeper Dan Morris failed to make a first-half save, but his squad reached the break in control.
Maryland has scored at least nine first-half goals in three consecutive contests, something Tillman lauded after the team’s Saturday victory.
“We knew were going to have to … really start [well] because [Penn State is] a team that usually gets off the bus going fast,” Tillman said. “I think we did a good job of that.”
After Maryland started the second half with goals from Rambo and midfielder Ben Chisolm, the Nittany Lions threatened to stage a comeback, recording three unanswered scores.
With just under three minutes remaining in the third period, however, Rambo found midfielder Connor Kelly cutting in front of the net for a score to stem the run. The Terps added a pair of fourth-quarter goals from Heacock and Kelly to secure the victory.
As Maryland pushed the ball up the field as time expired, the crowd roared. Behind the play, senior defender Tim Muller raised his hands in the air to recognize the noise before hugging Morris in the crease.
In his postgame press conference, Tillman fought back tears as he conveyed what it meant for his senior class to defeat the top-ranked Nittany Lions.
“We really want the families and these guys to enjoy today,” Tillman said. “They deserve it. They’ve done so much for this program. I can’t put it into words without getting emotional.”
