Maryland men’s lacrosse midfielder Lucas Gradinger stepped away from the program Wednesday and will not compete this season, according to a report from The Baltimore Sun.
Coach John Tillman told The Baltimore Sun he hopes the redshirt junior, who notched six goals and three assists last year, will return to the Terps in the fall. For now, though, he must replace a player who appeared in every contest last campaign.
Tillman said an attackman could fill the midfield void. He named sophomores Louis Dubick and Timothy Monahan along with freshman Steven Shollenberger as outside-the-box options to man the center of the field.
“Anybody else that is an offensive player is going to be an option in the midfield,” Tillman said to The Baltimore Sun. “Anybody else can be in play. At times last year, we ran Lou Dubick in the midfield and certainly any other attackman on our roster could be a guy who plays up there.”
Gradinger’s absence presents an unexpected setback for Maryland, but Tillman believes his squad, which is ranked No. 2 in the country, can move forward without missing a beat.
Less than two weeks away from the Terps’ Feb. 11 season opener against Navy, he’s confident other players will take advantage of their opportunity to play more midfield minutes.
“Like any team in any sport, you’re going to go through some challenges and injuries, and in college, you’re going to graduate players,” Tillman said to The Baltimore Sun. “Anytime there’s a guy not with you, other guys have to step up, and that’s the way we look at it.”
