Maryland men’s lacrosse midfielder Bryan Cole hesitated while trying to think of the most memorable moment of his five-year Terps career.
He watched his team lose the national championship while redshirting in 2012. He played and scored in the Terps’ national title appearance in 2015. Between the two moments came another Final Four run and a move from the ACC to the Big Ten.
But standing in the lobby of the Varsity Team House on Wednesday afternoon, Cole reflected on something else.
“I would have to say Senior Day last year,” Cole said. “Those were guys that were graduating that I came in with, so [I loved] being able to share that moment with them, their families that I’ve known for four years now and grown really close with.”
Cole and goalkeeper Kyle Bernlohr are the only two remaining players from that recruiting class. But before Saturday afternoon’s game with No. 18 Rutgers in Maryland Stadium, the duo, along with rest of the No. 5 Terps’ senior class, will have their Senior Day moment.
“You think back, and you just say, ‘Wow, what an opportunity I’ve had, the people I’ve met, the places we’ve gone as a team,'” Cole said. “It’s a really special day.”
Five years ago, Cole arrived in College Park from Oakville, Ontario, hoping to make an impact on a Terps program fresh off an ACC Championship and a national title berth.
But a pain in his left wrist, one that had nagged him since his senior season at Hill Academy, turned out to be a broken bone. He needed season-ending surgery after appearing in two collegiate contests.
He spent most of his time in the training room with team trainer Amelia Sesma, who drove him to hospital, X-ray and ultrasound appointments. Coaches encouraged him to focus on the end goal. His teammates always asked how he was doing, both physically and mentally.
But Cole broke the same wrist again that summer while playing with the Canadian U19 national team, forcing him to undergo another surgery and miss the fall leading up to the 2013 season. He healed in time to see action in six games as a redshirt freshman, but admitted that his minutes came in games in which the Terps “were up by probably a bunch of goals on the other team.”
He felt like a 16-year-old getting behind the wheel of a car for the first time.
“You’re slow and cautious,” Cole said. “Just trying to get healthier.”
Cole expanded his role in 2014, as he scored five goals and tallied seven assists in 17 appearances as a redshirt sophomore. Plus, he was still learning to adjust to the American game.
After playing after indoor lacrosse in Canada for the majority of his spring and summer seasons, Cole was used to a 30-second shot clock that kept teams racing up and down the field. It took time getting used to coach John Tillman’s approach, which focused on controlling time of possession and executing set plays.
So Cole tried to be more patient. He worked on his shot, too, sometimes hoisting 100 attempts against the wall or on an empty net at the end of practice.
And by the time he finished his redshirt junior season, Cole felt as if he had hit his stride. He recorded 17 goals and 22 assists in 19 starts. He was comfortable and in control, like a 22-year-old who had been driving for years.
“It doesn’t surprise us that in spots where we need a big play or there’s a big decision to be made that he’s somewhere in the fray,” Tillman said.
Cole’s final campaign in red and black has reflected such.
He’s tied with attackman Matt Rambo for a team-high 27 points. The Terps are 7-0 in one-goal games since 2015, with Cole punctuating the latest two contests, netting the game-winner in the final minute against Michigan and in overtime against Penn State.
When the Terps trailed the Nittany Lions by four goals in the second quarter Sunday, Cole relayed his observations on the Penn State defense to Tillman and offensive coordinator J.L. Reppert to help adjust the attack. The senior spent each huddle telling his teammates to stick together.
“Bryan, he’s very calm,” said Bernlohr, who lived with Cole two of their years in College Park. “Just being positive.”
Cole, though, doesn’t know if he’ll be able to keep his emotions in check this weekend as his parents and grandparents take the field with him to honor his contributions to the Terps.
He’s watched his classmates soak in their moment. A year later, Cole will have his.
“[I’ll] talk to them, and they’ll say, ‘Just cherish every moment because you’ll never experience it again,'” Cole said. “I’ve really tried to take that experience to heart and cherish every day with the team that we have.”
