Jaclyn Borowski
In the last six meetings against Navy, the Terrapin men’s lacrosse team’s attack had taken a backseat in defensive battles headlined by the Midshipmen’s backline.
But in the Terps’ 11-9 victory Saturday, attackmen Grant Catalino and Travis Reed made sure to etch out a starring role for themselves.
Staring down the possibility of a three-game losing streak, the duo combined for seven goals to take down the Midshipmen for the first time since 2007. After near-invisible outings from the two in their first cracks against their in-state rivals — Reed was shut out from the scoresheet the last two years, while Catalino scored just once in his freshman campaign — the tandem led the No. 5 Terps (7-2) to their first double-digit goal total against Navy in 12 years.
“I knew that coming into this week at practice, and I took it personal and played extra hard this week,” Catalino said. “Going into the game when you haven’t scored against the team in two years, I wanted to make a statement.”
After top-ranked Virginia blanked both Catalino and Reed on April 3, the pair found a way to reverse recent history. Catalino scored three straight goals in the second quarter to give the Terps the lead, and Reed scored four goals in the second half to seal the victory against the unranked Midshipmen (5-6) at Byrd Stadium.
The attackmen powered a Terps’ offense lacking its biggest weapon — 6-foot-6, 250-pound Will Yeatman, who scored a team-high four goals in their 11-10 loss against the No. 1 Cavaliers. The midfielder/attackman broke his thumb during practice Monday, and the injury required seven screws and a surgically inserted plate.
But in his absence, Reed stepped up. Despite diminished playing time last week to make room for Yeatman on attack, Reed came back and notched 4 goals and 5 points, tying his career highs.
“Will told me to play my best and that I need to score enough goals for him and me,” Reed said. “So I tried to do that to the best of my ability.”
Though the game started like many recent matches between the two rivals — the two teams amassed just three goals in the first 15 minutes — the scoring soon opened up after Navy left Catalino open on the offensive end late in the second quarter.
Catalino took a pass from midfielder Drew Snider on the left wing, then, in one fluid motion, turned and whipped the ball into the cage.
On the Terps’ next possession, Catalino received the ball behind the cage and ran around the left post. He faked to draw out Navy goalie RJ Wickham before putting the shot over him and into the open cage. Just 15 seconds later, the Terps’ scoring leader this season scored his third goal in a 2:28 span to give the Terps a 4-3 lead heading into halftime.
“When he started to score, I thought they really relaxed,” coach Dave Cottle said. “It was important to score to get the lead at half to allow the kids to relax and play a little bit.”
Though Navy scored to start the second half and tied the game, the Terps responded immediately.
The Midshipmen picked up the ensuing face-off, but long pole Jesse Bernhardt caused the turnover and picked up the ground ball. Thirty seconds later, Reed scored his first goal from the right wing on an assist from fellow attackman Ryan Young to retake the lead.
The opening tallies sparked a seven-minute scoring spree in which both teams doubled their first-half goal totals. With defenders focused on containing Catalino, Reed contributed two more goals, both coming from the right wing off assists from Young.
“I was surprised after the first couple that they didn’t step out on it,” Reed said. “The rest of our offense did an incredible job of getting me the ball at that spot, so I had to finish it.”
Reed and Young each pitched in a final goal to withstand a Navy rally in the fourth quarter, and the Terps stayed in the driver’s seat long enough to hold on for their first win in three weeks.
yanchulis@umdbk.com
