Attackman Jay Carlson (left), midfielder Joe LoCascio (center) and attackman Matt Rambo (right) celebrate a goal in the Terps’ 12-6 win over Navy on May 3, 2014.
Before the Terrapins men’s lacrosse team took to the Byrd Stadium field for its Senior Day contest against Navy on Saturday, goalkeeper Niko Amato sat in the locker room. The ACC Defensive Player of the Year said he was bombarded with an array of emotions: sadness, anxiety and excitement.
But by the time the 5-foot-8 Amato was honored along with the team’s eight other seniors in a pregame ceremony, he was focused on one thing.
“I probably should have been a little more talkative to my mom and my granddad and whoever,” Amato said, chuckling. “All I really wanted to do was get back in the crease and get another good warm-up.”
And in his final regular-season contest at Byrd Stadium, Amato didn’t disappoint. He saved 10 shots to help the No. 7 Terps defeat the Midshipmen, 12-6, before an announced 4,538 in their regular-season finale.
The Terps learned yesterday they’d be the No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament and will face Cornell in the first round for the second straight season.
Amato didn’t record the bulk of his saves until the second half Saturday because the Terps (11-3) held the Midshipmen (4-10) to three shots in the first period.
The suffocating defense led to easy opportunities on offense. The Terps wasted little time applying the pressure, barraging Navy goalkeeper John Connors with 12 shots in the opening period, five of which slipped past him for scores.
And the Terps did most of their damage without midfielder Mike Chanenchuk, their leading scorer, who was announced as a starter but wasn’t on the field to begin the game. Chanenchuk played limited minutes after he injured his ankle in an ACC tournament semifinal loss to Notre Dame on April 25.
“It was an opportunity for other guys to create that leadership role,” coach John Tillman said.
After the two teams traded goals early in the first quarter, Terps attackman Connor Cannizzaro lost his defender with a quick jab step to his left and sprinted toward the crease, where he netted his 20th goal of the season.
The score marked the beginning of a 5-0 Terps run that bled into the beginning of the second period. Navy cobbled together a short run in the frame by amassing three goals on 11 shots to cut the deficit to 7-4 at the half.
To start the second half, midfielder Charlie Raffa recovered his own faceoff and sped down the field, weaving through the Navy defense for a quick score.
Raffa won 16 of 21 faceoffs, but
even with the Terps’ extra possessions, Navy’s grueling style began to wear on Tillman’s team in the second half.
“Coming out in the third, I felt like they had the ball forever,” Tillman said. “And that makes it hard on the offense, because you know you have to be aggressive, but you also realize our defense needs a little bit of a break.”
The Navy offense exploded for 18 shots in the third period. Amato didn’t wither under pressure, though, and he stopped five shots to ensure the Terps remained ahead by at least three goals the whole game.
With the Terps nursing a 9-6 lead with less than four minutes left in the game, midfielder Joe Locascio found his way into the crease and faked a high shot before sneaking a shot into the bottom half of the net.
The goal was LoCascio’s second of the game and put the contest out of reach for good. Attackmen Matt Rambo and Jay Carlson added two scores each as well.
After the contest, Tillman sat in a small press room with Amato, Carlson and midfielder Brian Cooper. As Tillman lauded Amato for his achievements and durability, the senior kept his head down, picking at a loose piece of plastic from the table.
Eventually, though, Tillman spoke of how much Amato has valued and cherished his teammates over the past few years. Finally, a slight grin spread across Amato’s face.
“I think the guys play very hard for Niko,” Tillman said. “Because of the type of guy he is.”
