Ground balls aren’t the prettiest part of a lacrosse game. Sticks clash and players fly in pursuit as the ball bounces unpredictably through the grass. They are, by nature, which is why Terrapin men’s lacrosse coach Dave Cottle says they’re more about will than about skill.
But that’s why he’s made them a priority this season. It’s not because his team isn’t skilled. Rather, it’s because he wanted their grit and determination without the ball to match their finesse and abilities with the ball.
Recently, they’ve responded. The No. 3 Terps (9-3) have averaged 11 more ground balls than their opponents through their last four games, and currently are fourth in the NCAA in ground balls per game.
“I think we’ve all kind of bought into the concept of putting it all on the line,” attackman Travis Reed said. “And that’s what we’re playing for right now.”
Cottle felt that with the Terps’ speed and athletic prowess, his team could excel on ground ball plays. But though the defenders were strong last season, he felt the attackmen let loose ball chances slip by them.
“I think sometimes our guys hadn’t seen going after the ball as important as their scoring,” Cottle said. “But right now, Ryan Young’s as good a ground ball player as you’re going to find, and Travis Reed has really improved.”
Attackman Grant Catalino, too, has gotten in on the action. In Sunday’s ACC title game, the junior snatched up a turnover by Virginia’s Steele Stanwick in the midfield and took it all the way up the left wing for a goal, tying the score at 5-5 in the Terps’ eventual 10-6 loss.
Young currently has the third-most ground balls on the team with 32, and Catalino and Reed are just three spots behind with 26 each. Young and Reed have already eclipsed their totals from last season, and Catalino is one away from tying last year’s mark.
“We’ve really been sticking to it,” Reed said, “And we’ve all been really trying our best to live up to that expectation.”
The defense has held up its own end of the bargain as well. Short stick defensive midfielder Bryn Holmes and long pole Brian Farrell lead the team with 54 and 40 ground balls, respectively. In the Terps’ 13-5 victory against then-No. 3 North Carolina on Friday, Farrell swiped a Tar Heel’s stick to knock the ball free and Holmes scooped it up and fed it to Farrell, who dashed upfield to set up the offense.
The ground ball success has been contagious. After an early spell of mediocrity, the team’s faceoff play has improved, and the hard work on 50-50 chances has been a big reason why. Long pole Jesse Bernhardt scored both of his goals this season after taking two faceoff ground balls all the way to net.
“You don’t have to be the greatest lacrosse player to be able to get ground balls, but if you get ground balls, you’ll be able to play,” Bernhardt said. “It’s really not the hardest thing to do, but you’ve got to be willing to throw your body in there.”
kyanchulis@umdbk.com
