Terrapins men’s lacrosse defender Curtis Corley entered Saturday’s game at Michigan with four appearances on his freshman resume. In those outings, he combined to take four faceoffs without a victory.
But that didn’t stop the Terps coaches from inserting Corley at the X late in the game against the Wolverines. The Terps needed a spark at the start of the fourth quarter, and after the staff watched the rookie’s preparation entering the match, they thought Corley could be the solution.
The 6-foot-1 Medford Lakes, New Jersey, native didn’t let his squad down.
He collected the first four faceoffs of his college career on five attempts to help the No. 5 Terps emerge with an 8-7 victory on a day the Wolverines dominated the stat sheet.
“He’s a nice weapon for us on days like [Saturday]. where maybe a short stick facing off isn’t having as much success,” coach John Tillman said. “Curtis was a really critical part of our win today, and I’m really happy for him.”
Entering the season, Tillman highlighted the team’s depth at the X as a luxury the Terps were missing in 2015, with former standout faceoff specialist Charlie Raffa battling injuries.
Through the team’s first eight games of 2016, though, another rookie had dominated possession. Faceoff specialist Austin Henningsen ranks 12th in the country with a .629 winning percentage, the highest mark for any freshman in Division I.
But Saturday, Henningsen went 4-for-9 at the X against Wolverines faceoff specialist Brad Lott, and midfielder Will Bonaparte failed to secure his three chances during the second and third quarters.
While scouting the Wolverines on film, Tillman noticed some of Michigan’s opponents had success using a defensive player with a long stick against Lott. So Tillman and volunteer assistant coach Chris Mattes worked with Corley to serve as the “backup quarterback” in case the short-stick players struggled.
“Will and Austin — they weren’t really having the success we wanted them to have, and that sometimes happens,” Tillman said. “A lot of times [with] the faceoffs, it’s the hot hand. Sometimes, it’s matchups.”
So with 15 minutes left in the Terps’ second road game in five days, Corley entered the X. And he won the ensuing four faceoffs to help the Terps keep possession away from the methodical Wolverines’ attack.
After the game, Tillman lamented his team’s inability to find an offensive rhythm throughout the game. The sixth-year coach has been vocal about wanting his unit to play with more speed, but Michigan’s game plan, combined with the snowy, windy weather conditions, didn’t allow for it.
The majority of Michigan’s possessions lasted longer than a minute. In one instance midway through the third frame, the Wolverines held possession for almost three minutes, peppering goalkeeper Kyle Bernlohr with five shots during that span.
“They really could shorten the game, limit our possessions, and it kind of took us out of rhythm,” Tillman said. “That’s a hard thing to deal with at times.”
That only added to the Terps’ fatigue with the group playing its third game in an eight-day span. The Terps returned to College Park on Tuesday night after a win in Philadelphia only to board a plane for Michigan on Friday.
The schedule left little time to implement a game plan. Coach John Paul’s team, meanwhile, entered the matchup off a 10-day break. The Wolverines took advantage, besting the Terps in shots (41-20), ground balls (32-20) and caused turnovers (11-3).
The lopsided statistics proved to Tillman the value of preparation. So did his freshman reserve’s late contributions in the X.
“There’s always going to be a few games like this every year where you’re going to be sloppy. You’re just going to be out of rhythm,” Tillman said. “I give credit to Michigan, but I also give our guys a lot of credit for finding a way when maybe they didn’t have their best stuff.”
