Joe Cummings always seems focused on the task at hand. When one final whistle sounds, the Terrapins men’s lacrosse attackman is thinking about the next matchup, the next test.

But as he and the No. 10 Terps prepare for tomorrow night’s annual meeting with rival Johns Hopkins, Cummings can’t help but think back to the past.

“I think about that pipe I hit,” Cummings said Wednesday. “I’ve thought about that all year.”

The ping from that April night in Byrd Stadium still reverberates as one of the most painful memories of his Terps career. It certainly fell on one of the biggest stages. In a game against the Blue Jays last year, Cummings received a feed from attackman Ryan Young in sudden-death overtime and beat Johns Hopkins goalkeeper Pierce Bassett to the top-left side of the cage. Only he never saw the ball sail into the net’s meshing. It clanged off the left post.

There would be no chance of redemption.

Three minutes later, Blue Jays attackman Kyle Wharton ended the game when he rifled an elevator shot over the shoulder of goalkeeper Niko Amato. As Johns Hopkins’ bench rushed the field in jubilation, the scoreboard above said it all: Blue Jays, 12. Terps, 11.

Even today, 360 days since his shot met metal, Cummings still feels the sting of that defeat. After all, this was Johns Hopkins – the most important game of the year, the one every Terp circles on his calendar.

“This is probably the biggest game on our schedule,” midfielder Mike Chanenchuk said. “We always need this win.”

This year is no different.

After losing 17 seniors from a team that reached the national title game last May, the Terps have experienced their fair share of growing pains this season. It’s seemed that with each passing milestone, disappointment isn’t too far behind.

Just three days after notching an impressive 10-7 win over then-No. 8 Duke on March 3, the Terps surrendered five straight fourth-quarter goals in a crushing upset at UMBC. And after playing like a national championship contender during an 11-5 rout of then-No. 10 Villanova on March 17, they dropped two consecutive conference games by a combined five goals.

The Terps got back on track with a dominating performance against Navy last Friday. They scored five unanswered goals in the third quarter to secure a 13-6 blowout win. Now with momentum back on the Terps’ side, the question remains: Will the contest at Johns Hopkins yield yet another letdown or provide a season-defining victory entering the ACC Tournament?

Coach John Tillman isn’t sure. All he knows is his team is in for a dogfight. In the Terps’ (6-3) past 14 meetings with the Blue Jays (9-1), they’ve played to four overtime games and eight one-goal finishes.

“It’s two programs that pride themselves on having really strong lacrosse programs. It’s two programs that have great traditions,” Tillman said. “So they’re two teams that aren’t going to go quietly. You’re going to fight to the end.”

Last year’s overtime thriller provided the ultimate example of that never-give-up mentality. Playing on a rain-drenched field in front of 8,072 at Byrd Stadium, the Terps jumped to a 7-2 halftime lead. Then Johns Hopkins went on a 10-4 run after intermission, leaving the Terps pining for a rematch.

“That’s one we certainly would like to have back,” Tillman said.

As for Cummings? He’s ready to finally put that pipe where it belongs: in the past.

“I’ve definitely been excited to move forward,” he said, “to get another chance to bring a victory home for Maryland.”

letourneau@umdbk.com