In the Charlotte Hounds’ game against the Atlanta Blaze this past weekend, former Maryland men’s lacrosse midfielder Pat Young carried the ball up the zone, tripping as he tried to dodge a defender.
Two months ago in a Terps uniform, Young would have stood up, perhaps after absorbing a slight knock from a defender, and continued to play. If his opponent slashed him while he recovered his footing, the referees would have immediately called a foul.
Major League Lacrosse officials, however, allow more physicality. When Young stumbled Friday, a group of three defenders swarmed him, “whacking at me, like, with no regard of the ball,” for what he estimated was five to 10 seconds before an official blew the whistle.
Young is one of the Terps’ six players drafted into the MLL this season. And as they’ve started their professional careers, the rookies have worked on adjusting to the changes in speed, aggression and preparation at the next level.
“It’s a grown men’s league,” Young said. “We’re not in college anymore. They’re not going to baby us. But it’s definitely been really, really exciting.”
Former defender Greg Danseglio was the first Terp to debut in the MLL this season. He joined the Blaze, which selected him in the third round of the draft in January, on June 4.
He has suited up for the Blaze in consecutive weekends against the Hounds, meaning Danseglio and Young, teammates about six weeks ago as the Terps made a run to the national championship game, have battled against each other.
While they admit it has been fun to catch up and take pictures in their new uniforms after games, Young noticed the Blaze relied on insight from Danseglio when guarding him.
When Young tried to move to his left in the first meeting, his defenders stayed toward his dominant right hand. Danseglio said he helped his teammates understand Young’s preferences.
“And vice versa,” said Young, who’s tallied two goals in five games this season. “I know Greg’s tendencies pretty well, so when dodging against him or when I see something out on the field, I can kind of call out what he’s doing.”
Their acclimation of the style of the professional level, though, hasn’t been as familiar.
The 60-second shot clock forces teams to at a play faster tempo than in college, where referees implement a 30-second stall warning at their discretion. The chance for a two-point goal, awarded if a player shoots from behind the 16-yard arc, keeps outcomes closer.
“You can be down a goal and all of the sudden take the lead late in the game,” Danseglio said. “No team is really out of the game.”
Former defender Matt Dunn, the No. 7 overall pick who has played four games for the Rochester Rattlers, said the league also emphasizes transitions as a way to increase the pace of the game.
In the Terps’ system, Dunn almost never left the defensive zone. But when the Rattlers played the Chesapeake Bayhawks in Dunn’s debut June 11, Dunn was part of a trio of defenders who relayed the ball forward for a score.
“I was used to defending these three-minute possessions with a very methodical offense,” Dunn said. “There’s a shorter possessions, so it’s more fun, and you always have to be ready.”
The time commitment has also been a change from the college schedule. Each team plays most on Saturdays, holding a practice the day before a game and a walk-through that morning.
Young has coached at lacrosse clinics and Danseglio has traveled for finance job interviews during the week, but the players are expected to carve out individual practice time. Dunn has also been traveling and coaching before he starts a full-time position Monday with an Annapolis consulting service.
“They’re going to be lenient with me … as long as I’m proactive with letting them know my schedule,” Dunn said of balancing work with using vacation days to travel with the Rattlers.
Former midfielder Bryan Cole and goalkeeper Kyle Bernlohr, meanwhile, suited up for their first game with the Ohio Machine last week. Former midfielder Henry West rounds out the group of professional Terps but has yet to play for the Florida Launch.
The program’s six selections in the 2016 draft set an MLL record. In total, coach John Tillman has had 26 players earn spots on professional teams since joining the Terps in 2010.
Though Dunn is the lone Terp in Rochester, Young and Danseglio each have former Maryland players on their squads. The duo said they’ve relied on the veterans in adjusting to their new surroundings.
“Being a Terp is just something you feel,” Young said. “You just know that guy’s got your back regardless of what happens, whether it’s off the field or on the field. You know that guy, although he’s already your teammate and he’s got your back, he’s going to have it a little bit extra.”
