The Maryland men’s lacrosse team wasn’t anxious during a pair of weather delays, which forced an almost two-hour fourth quarter wait, against No. 8 Yale on Saturday.
Rather than worry about how the Bulldogs had trimmed the Terps’ 11-5 lead to one, the team blasted upbeat music from rappers such as Kodak Black, which coach John Tillman jokingly referred to as “the bad music they listen to.”
The relaxed locker room atmosphere, along with Tillman’s detailed game-planning, helped No. 1 Maryland manage a series of defensive stops to defeat Yale, 12-11.
“Playing at [home], you want to come out and … leave it all out there,” defender Tim Muller said. “So getting this win feels good.”
Maryland breezed through the first 35 minutes to gain an 11-5 advantage early in the third quarter.
After finishing the opening frame on a 3-0 run, even Tillman, who is often reserved on the sideline, jumped onto the field and fist pumped as the players trotted off. Throughout the contest, the Terps reacted to goals with enthusiastic chest bumps, handshakes and hugs.
But Yale’s defense tightened down the stretch, transforming Maryland’s jubilation into concern as a 6-1 run brought the Bulldogs to within a goal with about nine minutes remaining.
So, when officials called for the first weather stoppage with four minutes and 17 seconds left and Maryland still clinging to a one-score gap, Tillman cherished the opportunity to regroup and strategize.
“[The officials] basically said, ‘Get off the field,'” Tillman recalled. “They’re like, ‘You guys, there’s a lighting delay. Get your ass inside.’ We were like, ‘OK!'”
Though attackman Colin Heacock thought it was initially “tough” to handle a delay in the close game, he remained calm by chatting with teammates Matt Rambo and Dylan Maltz and listening to songs with the rest of the squad.
Still, Yale almost scored right after play resumed.
Bulldogs midfielder Douglas Pula’s close-range shot clipped the post, and Terps goalkeeper Dan Morris won the ensuing race to the endline to regain possession. It was one of many important fourth-period plays for the netminder, who made three saves in the frame and had 11 total stops.
“[Morris] made some really good saves in the fourth quarter. Some key ones for us,” Tillman said. “Sometimes it’s not always how many saves. It’s the timing and the ones you do get.”
Officials stopped the contest due to additional weather concerns with 37 seconds left and the Terps in possession. Again, Tillman appreciated the chance to talk with his team about handling the ball, this time with the shot clock winding down.
“We just looked at … the scenarios,” Tillman said. “Were they going to double-team the ball and pull the goalie? Were going to put one guy on it and try to basically push us behind?”
Freshman Jared Bernhardt, who scored twice, received the ball at the restart. Yale double-teamed him, but he evaded two defenders down the sideline before feeding Heacock in the corner.
However, Heacock turned the ball over at midfield as he tried to make a play at the end of the shot clock, giving the Bulldogs a final opportunity to equalize.
“It didn’t work out great,” Tillman said. “Give Yale credit. They put some pressure on us, and we couldn’t get the ball where we wanted … So [we needed] to get a stop.”
Muller, the Terps’ most experienced defender, lined up guarding the ball on the last possession and forced Yale midfielder Eric Scott to shoot wide by pushing him into a difficult angle.
Then, with two seconds to go, Muller broke up a desperation pass to the front of the net. The Terps on the sideline rushed onto the field in celebration of the game-saving play.
But while Maryland enjoyed the final moments of its victory, the Terps’ lasting memory was staying loose for almost two hours in the locker room by blaring music and relishing each other’s company.
“It was a good time,” Heacock said. “Everyone was just enjoying it.”
