The Maryland men’s lacrosse team entered Wednesday’s game against No. 5 Albany one win away from No. 800, a milestone only Syracuse and Johns Hopkins had reached before.
Over the first 13 minutes and eight seconds, however, the Terps failed to score. The Great Danes, meanwhile, racked up three early goals.
But No. 3 Maryland recovered to defeat Albany, 12-11, becoming the third program in NCAA Division 1 history to earn 800 victories.
“Albany has been so consistently strong for so long, so you knew you were going to get a great game out of it,” coach John Tillman said. “Road games are hard. Midweek road games are really hard. … I’m proud of our guys. It wasn’t a work of art, but our kids really hung in there and fought.”
Midfielder Tim Rotanz led the Terps (8-2) with three goals, equaling his career high. Attackman Matt Rambo, the team’s points leader this season, produced two goals and an assist.
But Albany faceoff specialist TD Irelan and attackman Connor Fields helped the Great Danes (9-2) take a quick lead.
Irelan entered play with the second-best faceoff percentage in the nation (.728), while Fields came in as the country’s leader in goals per game (3.8). During Albany’s first-quarter run, Irelan won three draws and Fields registered three points, including a flashy behind-the-back dish.
“Connor Fields showed today he’s as good as any attackman we’ve seen,” Tillman said. “[Irelan] was great on film, and he was as advertised.”
Fields caused problems throughout the contest, registering a game-high eight points. But the Terps limited Irelan to his early dominance and won 11 of the final 24 draws.
After Rotanz trimmed the Terps’ deficit to one with 17 seconds left in the first frame, faceoff specialist Jon Garino beat Irelan in the X. On the ensuing possession, midfielder Connor Kelly tied the game.
A second-quarter burst gave Maryland its first lead.
Defender Tim Muller gained possession in his own half and spotted Great Danes goalkeeper JD Colarusso out of the crease. So, he unleashed a 60-yard effort that arced into the empty net and tied the game at four. Tillman said the Terps rehearsed that play through fun full-field shooting competitions in fall training.
“If you watched our semifinal game last year against Brown, [former defender] Matt Dunn scored the same goal,” Tillman said. “We have a call for it, so when the kids hear it, they know [a shot] could be an option.”
Following another faceoff win from Garino, Rotanz put the Terps up, 5-4, with his second score. While Maryland and Albany traded goals in the second half, the Terps never trailed after the redshirt junior’s finish.
Down, 12-11, with 14 seconds remaining, Albany had an opportunity to even the score at the end of regulation. Goalkeeper Dan Morris described the last sequence as “a blur” and said his objective in front of the net was to help position his teammates.
Tillman considered using a zone against the Great Danes, but instead listened to his players, who urged him to call for man-to-man defense.
With four ticks left and Albany still pushing for a goal, Muller forced a difficult pass from Fields to attackman Justin Reh just outside the crease. Then, defender Curtis Corley checked Reh as he prepared to shoot, breaking up the final effort as time expired.
“We were just trying to get everyone organized and in the spots they needed to be,” Morris said. “When Fields had the ball, we just trusted [Muller] in that matchup. [He’s] a great player and he did his job to perfection.”
