Terps men’s lacrosse
Jake Bernhardt wasn’t overly concerned with results last night.
The Terrapins men’s lacrosse midfielder was content simply being on the field at Byrd Stadium yesterday after spending all of last season watching from the sidelines with a shoulder injury. He was elated just to suit up for the Terps, to finally have another chance to compete with his teammates.
Still, the redshirt senior said he’ll take the results he produced.
And why wouldn’t he? Bernhardt recorded his first career hat trick before halftime of the Terps’ 23-6 win over Mount St. Mary’s. He finished with a game-high four goals, led the Terps’ offense to the program’s highest goal total since a 26-3 victory over Radford in 1995 and helped secure the team’s 20th consecutive season-opening victory.
“It was just awesome to be out here again and to put the jersey on,” Bernhardt said. “I wasn’t out here to prove anything, I was just out there enjoying playing.”
With Bernhardt leading the charge, the No. 2 Terps jumped to a fast start and notched eight goals in the game’s first 15 minutes. While much of that success can be credited to goal scorers like Bernhardt, the team’s faceoff specialists also played a key role. Sophomore Charlie Raffa and senior Curtis Holmes combined to win the game’s first eight faceoffs, giving the offense plenty of chances.
Bernhardt already boasted two goals and the Terps (1-0) held a 7-0 lead before the Mountaineers (0-1) had even secured their second possession of the game.
“For us to get off to that fast start and to really get after it was really important,” coach John Tillman said. “We didn’t give them many chances.”
And the offensive production continued. Senior Kevin Cooper — who started at attack after playing the majority of last season at midfield — tallied a hat trick of his own, while midfielder John Haus recorded two goals and three assists.
Cooper’s position switch came with little adjustment period and the offense cruised all night.
“I have good chemistry with all those guys,” Cooper said. “I have played two years with [attackman] Billy [Gribbin] and four years with [attackman] Owen [Blye]. It just comes natural.”
The Terps’ defense wasn’t tested much, but held its own when it was. All-ACC goalkeeper Niko Amato lived up to his billing as one of the nation’s top net minders, saving eight of 13 shot attempts.
Even with the Terps’ talent and high expectations, though, the 17-goal margin of victory was somewhat unexpected.
“I’m shocked,” Tillman said. “I thought this was going to be a pretty tight game.”
The Terps outperformed the Mountaineers in every aspect of the game last night. The offense scored the most goals for a Terps team in nearly 18 years, the defense allowed just six scores and the Terps won the faceoff battle, 25-7.
The dominance is a positive sign for the Terps, who will play much more difficult opponents during their quest to reach a third straight national title game.
Still, for one player, yesterday’s victory meant a bit more.
“Jake is a guy that brings so much passion and intensity to the game,” Tillman said. “He is such a great guy. To see him score four goals today was just awesome.”
sportsdbk@gmail.com