Maryland men’s lacrosse goalkeeper Kyle Bernlohr had been in a similar situation eight days earlier. Against Michigan last weekend, the redshirt senior netminder made two point-blank saves to set up midfielder Bryan Cole for the game-winner in the final minute of regulation.
Sunday evening in State College, Pennsylvania, Bernlohr came up big in overtime when Penn State attempted three shots on their only possession of the extra period. The first hit the post. The second sailed wide. Then Bernlohr blocked the third to help change possession.
As the final seconds ticked away from the first overtime period with the score locked at 10, Cole streaked along the left side of the attacking third before hurling a shot into the back of the net.
The Terps on the sideline sprinted to celebrate the 11-10 overtime win, which came on the heels of a four-goal comeback. Bernlohr, fresh off a 14-save performance, bolted from his net to join them.
Coach John Tillman’s team has now won seven games in a row.
“It’s unbelievable when you see that net move, and you know it’s the goal, and you know it’s the game,” Bernlohr said. “My heart was able to take a breath there, and I was able to just celebrate with the team.”
At the end of regulation, however, the Akron, Ohio, native likely couldn’t fathom feeling such elation.
With about five minutes to play, Penn State attackman Nick Spillane’s shot sailed wide, and Bernlohr picked up the ground ball. He cradled it as he moved out of the crease and behind the net, looking for an outlet on the clear. As a Penn State defender closed in, though, Bernlohr heaved a pass toward midfield with no Maryland player in the area.
Penn State retained possession and looked to increase its pressure out of the team’s timeout. But Bernlohr instead recorded his 13th save, the ball ricocheting out of his grasp and into an ensuing scrum. Defender Matt Dunn emerged from the heap, lifting his pole above the hacking Nittany Lions to ensure the Terps had the final shot.
“Kyle made some timely saves,” Tillman said. “Fourteen saves is always great, but I thought his saves were all big ones. He didn’t really have any easy ones.”
A similar scenario led to Cole’s deciding goal with 43 seconds left against the Wolverines on a broken play. This time, the Terps passed the ball around the attacking third before calling a timeout with less than a minute to play.
Out of the break, attackman Colin Heacock, who recorded a first-half hat trick, held the ball to the right of the cage. The junior appeared poised to break toward the cage, but as he moved forward, he lost control and scrambled for the ground ball.
He managed to dump a pass to midfielder Henry West, who also scored three goals in the contest, but Nittany Lions defenders smothered the senior. West’s last-ditch attempt bounced left of the net.
The Maryland players on the sideline bounced, too, letting out a collective huff as they watched the ball roll beyond the cage and the clock strike zero. The Terps missed the opportunity to complete the comeback in regulation after enduring a 6-1 Penn State run in the first half.
But that disappointment soon gave way to a group embrace when Cole cut across the attacking third and hurled another game-winner into the netting.
“We just kept battling and battling,” Tillman said. “Fighting and fighting.”
