Seven teams had already clinched spots in the quarterfinals of the NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament when the Terrapins took the field to play University of Maryland, Baltimore County in the final game of the first round last season.
After making the tournament’s final four the previous two seasons, the then-No. 7-seed Terps liked their chances.
“I’ll never forget last year when we came out onto the field, and we had just found out that [No. 2-seed] Virginia had lost to Delaware, so we were already looking past UMBC saying we basically had a free trip to the final four,” senior defender Joe Cinosky said.
Then the Retrievers proceeded to upset the Terps 13-9 at Byrd Stadium. Cinosky is determined not to let the Terps’ season end with a home loss again this season, when the No. 7-seed Terps host Denver in the first game of the tournament Saturday at noon.
“The one thing that keeps coming up is the whole entire bracket, and you say, ‘Oh, we’ve got Denver and then blah-blah-blah.’ And it’s like, ‘Yeah, but we’ve got to beat Denver before we can do
anything else,'” Cinosky said. “This game’s definitely important to us.”
Coach Dave Cottle said he hasn’t addressed last season’s early tournament exit as the Terps prepare for the Pioneers. He said he wants the senior class to draw on the experiences from its two final four appearances rather than the first-round loss.
But the early exit has definitely taught the Terps a lesson as the team gets ready for its sixth-straight tournament appearance.
“You don’t do anything different, but it’s also in the back of your head knowing that you gave up a great opportunity last year,” senior midfielder Max Ritz said. “No matter what seed you are, you can’t take for granted what your matchup is.”
Last season the Terps jumped to an early 3-0 against the Retrievers, who they had already beaten earlier in the season, but then allowed UMBC to score 11 of the next 13 goals.
Cottle said as the Retrievers raised their level of play, the Terps failed to match it. Demonstrating that ability Saturday will be key for the Terps to advance, especially for the 18 freshmen who have no tournament experience.
“They weren’t part of the losing, so the UMBC game means nothing to them,” Cottle said. “The question is will that group of guys, when it gets tough, be able to make a play.”
But most of the Terps are a year older and a season wiser. They do know what it feels like to be upset on their home field, and it’s not something they are interested in experiencing again.
“This year I think our preparation and our mentality has been focused to get the job done and to really focus on Denver to make sure that we do the right things to beat them pretty handily,” junior midfielder Jeff Reynolds said.
Once again, a possible second-round match-up with Virginia looms, or a win could mean a rematch with UMBC.
At this point, the Terps would take either, especially the seniors, who saw last year’s senior class have their Terp careers ended abruptly. This year’s seniors are content to take the rest of the season one game at a time.
“It’s a countdown,” senior midfielder Drew Evans said. “I can’t lose any more games in my career if I want it to keep going. You’ve just got to prepare for each game extra hard.”
TERP NOTE: Junior Jason Carter will start in goal Saturday for the Terps, Cottle said Thursday. Sophomore Brian Phipps started last Saturday against Yale, making it Carter’s turn in the regular rotation that has been employed throughout the season.
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