Throughout the start of the Terrapins men’s lacrosse team’s 2016 campaign, coach John Tillman has said his offense is a work in progress.
Midfielder Joe LoCascio and attackman Jay Carlson, the team’s second and third leading scorers from last season, have graduated. Now the Terps are trying to fill their spots.
But the team’s lack of production has led to the program’s first back-to-back losses since 2012, only the second two-game slide in Tillman’s six years in College Park.
The No. 11 Terps enter their match with Drexel in Philadelphia on Tuesday night with the 55th-ranked scoring offense, averaging eight goals per game. They’re determined to improve their consistency.
“If we’re going to be a team that’s successful, when things don’t go your way — when you don’t play as well as you’d like in certain areas — you’ve got to bounce back or you’re really not worthy of being a great team,” Tillman said.
In the past two outings, the Terps (1-2) have battled the nation’s top two scoring defenses in No. 4 Yale and No. 1 Notre Dame, respectively.
The offensive results have mirrored the stiff tests. Tillman’s squad combined for nine goals against the Bulldogs and Fighting Irish after notching 15 against High Point, which ranks 59th in scoring defense, in the season opener.
Early in Saturday’s Pacific Coast Shootout against the Fighting Irish, though, the Terps offense responded to Notre Dame’s pressure.
They entered the break tied at two, but the Irish, who finished with a 37-28 shooting advantage, outscored the Terps 7-2 over the final 30 minutes. After the game, Tillman credited his team’s shortcoming to squandered opportunities late in the game.
Seven of the team’s 21 turnovers came in the fourth quarter, and the Terps had difficulty transitioning their possessions against Notre Dame’s rides. They endured multiple failures to advance penalties and finished the contest 13-for-19 in clears.
“The nature of the season is there are going to be moments where the defense is going to carry us a little bit more,” Tillman said.
Still, the Terps are confident their roster can meet expectations.
It’s just taking time for the newcomers to settle into their roles. Freshmen like attackman Louis Dubick, who scored against High Point, faceoff specialist Austin Henningsen and midfielder Wes Janeck have appeared in all three games but have taken just four total shots.
The Terps also have a host of reserves adjusting to larger roles, like midfielder Lucas Gradinger, who’s had an injury-riddled three years in College Park and attackman Tim Rotanz, who’s returning from a season-long bout with vertigo.
So the Terps offense has been working in practice to increase their tempo to “mimic the game speed.”
“Everything we do at game speed and try to get them out of their comfort zone,” Tillman said. “The better teams and the better players are always pushing themselves, challenging themselves to kind of get to that next level, and that means you can’t always be comfortable.”
Some of the Terps’ returning players with experience have also had a slower start than they’re accustomed to.
Attackman Matt Rambo’s four goals on 26 shots through the first three games this season lag behind his 6-for-20 shooting in the opening three contests of 2015, when he led the Terps with the program’s first 40-goal campaign since 2004.
Plus, midfielder Henry West (one assist) has yet to score a goal this season after tallying 20 goals and seven assists as a junior.
But Tillman is optimistic his squad will find its stride. They faced the country’s best in recent outings but will likely have a chance to experiment with their looks and lineups Tuesday against the Dragons (1-3), who surrender an average of 14.25 goals per game.
“I don’t know if I’d use the word frustrated,” Tillman said. “But I know we can play better.”
