ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Midfielder Logan Wisnauskas hesitated, then found attackman Louis Dubick wide open in front of the net for a goal with just seconds remaining in the first quarter to bring Maryland men’s lacrosse within one of Navy.
The combination of Wisnauskas to Dubick resulted in four goals for No. 3 Maryland on Saturday as part of an offensive outburst from the first attack line, which also includes Jared Bernhardt.
Only three of Maryland’s 14 goals on the day weren’t scored or assisted by one of those three players. And with four goals from the trio in the final 15 minutes, the Terps put the game away and took down in-state rival Navy, 14-9, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
“Those guys have good chemistry, they’re all really skilled, they’re very unselfish,” coach John Tillman said. “[Dubick’s] an excellent cutter, Logan’s a great feeder and shooter and Jared’s a really good feeder as well, so we had guys in pretty good spots.”
Dubick began the scoring for the Terps as he cut to the net, received a pass from attackman Kyle Long and buried the shot on the interior. Dubick’s sixth goal of the season surpassed his season-highs in his first three years at Maryland (5-0).
The Midshipmen (2-1) responded to Dubick’s strike with three consecutive goals to take a 3-1 lead with just over 30 seconds left in the opening quarter.
Justin Shockey, who assumed the face-off duties late in the first period, won the subsequent draw, leading to in Dubick’s goal at the end of the period as the Terps looked to kick-start their offense.
Shockey, who did not appear in Maryland’s game against Colgate Tuesday, made the most of his opportunities against the Midshipmen. He went on to win 16-of-23 faceoffs and repeatedly got the ball back to Maryland’s high-octane attack.
“We will ride the hot hand,” Tillman said. “I’m just really proud of him because he had been frustrated. It’s not easy. He really didn’t get much of a chance on Tuesday because Austin [Henningsen] was doing so well. But [he] just kept working, and when his name was called, he was ready.”
Dubick’s tally with five seconds remaining in the first quarter helped Maryland carry momentum over to the second frame, where they took the lead and quickly built upon it. Maryland outscored Navy 5-1 in the second quarter to pull in front 7-4 at halftime.
The senior constantly found soft spots in the middle of Navy’s defense to free himself to receive passes. That was the case once again on Dubick’s third-quarter goal, his fourth of the game and a new career high that he would build upon, with 17 seconds left in the period.
“Just finding seams inside, I know these guys will find me,” Dubick said. “[I] just stay out of their way and let them make plays.”
The third quarter was even at three goals apiece until Navy attackman Christian Daniel received a pass and took a powerful rip as the clock expired to bring the Midshipmen within two goals at 10-8.
But a familiar combination helped Maryland deter any hint of a Navy comeback with Daniel’s last-second strike. Wisnauskas once again found Dubick open for his fifth goal of the game, and the fourth time the duo had connected for a goal.
A goal from Wisnauskas, who recorded a career-high eight points, and two from Bernhardt gave both players hat tricks to go along with Dubick’s output, and positioned Maryland in a commanding 14-8 lead with nine minutes remaining.
The four-goal production Maryland enjoyed in the fourth quarter was a decided difference from the late performances in the prior three games. In the fourth periods against Richmond, Penn and Colgate, Maryland was outscored by a combined 13-4 margin.
“We put an emphasis on closing out games. Past couple of games, quite frankly, we haven’t been closing out games at all,” Wisnauskas said. “Shockey was huge again, getting us the ball, getting us in momentum, getting us in a flow, and then the goals kept coming.”
Navy scored an extra-man goal to put a dent in the advantage, but behind the production of its first attack line early and often, Maryland carried the lead to the finish and won the 94th installment of its in-state rivalry with Navy.
“These guys put on a shooting clinic towards the end of the game,” Dubick said. “Once we got a lead and got a flow, things started to come and pile on.”
