For most Terrapin sports teams, the ACC Tournament feeds right into the NCAA Tournament, setting up a simple postseason transition.
But because the conference’s men’s lacrosse championship always falls two or three weeks before the national tournament, coach Dave Cottle and the Terps inevitably face a choice for the empty weekends in between: play or stay idle?
“I think you schedule these games because what’s the option?” Cottle said. “The alternative isn’t a very good one.”
So tomorrow, six days after the end of the ACC Tournament, the No. 3 Terps (9-3) will face Fairfield (8-4) at Byrd Stadium. A week later, they’ll play Colgate in Manhasset, N.Y., hoping to stay prepared for the restart of postseason play May 15.
Since the ACC Tournament began in 1989, the Terps have scheduled at least one game following the annual conference championship every year. Though the weeks before the NCAA Tournament offer a chance for time off — especially for a Terps team that has played at least once every weekend since early March — Cottle chooses to play on.
“We just haven’t had a break,” Cottle said. “We haven’t had a breather. That’s been a tough thing. But when you play good teams, you have to play well each week or you lose, so it prepares you for that next level.”
The Terps’ ACC foes also usually schedule games during the postseason lull. But with a rare two-week break this year rather than the usual one, they’ve decided on a mini-vacation of sorts. North Carolina and Duke are taking this weekend off before playing next weekend, while Virginia is doing the opposite, playing this weekend and recuperating the next.
For the Terps, the non-stop schedule affords them a breakup in the monotony of practice on the same field against the same players.
“I think it helps us focus in on an opponent and keeps us fresh, rather than playing each other every day, which kind of gets old after a while,” attackman Travis Reed said.
Cottle also appreciates the extra game action for their value in helping him help the team. The Terps struggled with their cuts in Sunday’s 10-6 loss to Virginia in the ACC title game, and the live action Cottle will see tomorrow will allow him to measure just how far they’ve come in the week since.
“We want to win these games,” defenseman Jesse Bernhardt said. “But it’s also a good practice for us to get ready for the tournament because we can help fix our mistakes from the past week and stay in shape before we get to the tournament.”
Usually, the games in the postseason gap provide relatively easy pickings for the Terps — especially compared to the stiff competition in their powerhouse conference — making them ideal candidates for any pre-tournament conditioning. But Cottle said he is not convinced this one will be a cakewalk.
The Stags, coached by former Terps assistant coach Andy Copelan, ranked as high as No. 16 in the media poll earlier this season but dropped out three weeks ago. Still, in Joseph Marra, they have statistically the top goalie in the country. Marra leads the nation with a .616 save percentage and a 7.09 goals-against average.
With wins against Fairfield and Colgate, the team could essentially wrap up the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but a hot netminder could cause trouble. The Terps lost both games this season in which they scored fewer than 10 goals.
There will be more than seeding on the line, though, especially for the team’s upperclassmen. Seven Terps will be honored in tomorrow’s Senior Day ceremonies, making their final game in Byrd Stadium just a little more important than the schedule filler it appears to be.
“I get emotional thinking about kids we’ve worked with for four years getting close to the end,” Cottle said. “Right now, we have a synergy as a team that we don’t want to end. And so we have to be able to channel that emotion into composure. Every man on this team wants their seniors to leave their Senior Day with a victory.”
kyanchulis@umdbk.com
