ANNAPOLIS, Md.- The Terrapin men’s lacrosse team scored the first three goals in its NCAA quarterfinal against Virginia on Saturday.
The Terps also held a two-goal advantage at the half and maintained the lead for much of the second half.
Even after the Cavaliers fought back to tie the game in the fourth quarter, the Terps had possessions and opportunities to make a final push and propel them into next weekend’s final four.
But for all that went right for the No. 7-seed Terps at Navy-Marine Corps. Stadium, the game’s ending was not one of them.
Cavalier attackman Ben Rubeor scored with 31 seconds left in the first overtime to give No. 2-seed Virginia an 8-7 win and end the Terps’ season.
“This hurts a little bit because we were in position to win this game,” Terp coach Dave Cottle said. “We played our tails off.”
The Terps were not able to generate the big offensive play necessary to win the game, going scoreless over the final 29:09. Virginia used that time to erase a three-goal disadvantage, tying the game at seven when Rubeor, who had three goals in the game, nailed a shot with 8:43 remaining.
Each team had opportunities to take the lead in regulation but failed to capitalize. The Terps’ best chance came with 5:24 remaining when freshman attackman Grant Catalino found freshman attackman Travis Reed alone in front of the Cavalier goal, but Reed’s shot glanced off the crossbar.
Reed also had a goal negated early in the fourth quarter when the referees called a loose ball push that forced a Terp player into the goal crease seconds before Reed picked up the ball and scored.
The game went to overtime, where Rubeor made up for losing the ball on the opening possession of extra time. On the Cavaliers’ next possession, Rubeor made a move on the right side of the cage and flipped a quick shot past Terp goalie Jason Carter to end the game and improve Virginia to 4-0 in overtime games this season.
“Defensively, we had a good game plan,” Cottle said. “We did what we wanted to do. The kid just made a good play at the end.”
The ending rendered the Terps’ great start meaningless. Freshman long pole Brett Schmidt’s first career goal, scored on a shot from 25 yards out into an empty net after a Cavalier turnover, put the Terps up 3-0.
“I thought they came out of the locker room at the beginning of the game and carried the play to us in every way,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. “I haven’t been that angry with my team in a long time.”
But Virginia set to work coming back and tied the game late in the first quarter. Statistically, the Terps continued to dominate the first half, finishing with a 19-2 advantage in ground balls, winning 9-of-12 faceoffs and outshooting the Cavaliers 26-11. But it only amounted to a two-goal halftime lead.
Cottle blamed the Terps inability to parlay quality scoring chances into goals on poor shooting. The Terps only put 21 of 40 shots on net in the game, and Virginia goalie Bud Petit made 14 saves in the game, including eight in the first half.
“If we could have had a change at half time, that’s would’ve been what we would’ve done differently – shoot a little smarter, harder or more accurately,” Cottle said. “We didn’t shoot especially well in the first half when we were dominating play.”
Sophomore long pole Brian Farrell notched his second goal of the game early in the third quarter, but the Terps did not score again. Virginia showed a lot of zone defense, unlike in the teams’ previous two meetings, and the Terps did not adjust well.
“Uncharacteristically, we were a little tentative,” Cottle said. “That was the most disappointing thing. We were a little tentative on the offensive end of the field, but it was young kids and they’ll be better because of that.”
