The Terps defeated Robert Morris, 19-6, on April 2, 2014.
The top-ranked Loyola men’s lacrosse team traveled to unranked Georgetown on March 19 for what appeared to be a routine midweek game. But the Greyhounds nearly lost the contest, relying on a goal in the game’s final minute to escape with a slim one-goal victory.
Coach John Tillman pointed to that near-upset to motivate his Terrapins men’s lacrosse team entering its matchup with Robert Morris last night. He told his players they couldn’t look past any opponent, or they could face a similar situation as the Greyhounds did a few weeks ago.
“The danger of midweek games is always tough,” Tillman said. “It’s just a different feel.”
The team took Tillman’s message to heart. The No. 4 Terps (9-1) jumped out to nine-goal lead at halftime and coasted to a 19-6 victory over the Colonials (4-6) before an announced 1,182 at Byrd Stadium.
“The person who is next on the schedule is the most important game of the year,” midfielder Joe LoCascio said. “You need to come out, play hard, prepare, practice and get ready for every game like it’s your last.”
Still, Tillman was displeased with what he referred to as a “sluggish start” to the game. The Terps scored five first-quarter goals — including two from LoCascio, two from attackman Matt Rambo and one from midfielder Mike Chanenchuk — but a number of defensive breakdowns helped the Colonials remain in the contest.
After a Matt Dunn pushing penalty 31 seconds into the second quarter, Robert Morris midfielder Taylor Graves cut the Terps’ lead to 5-3, finding the bottom right corner during the extra-man opportunity. That was the closest the Colonials would come for the remainder of the contest, though, and the Terps were able to play their way out of a shaky opening stretch.
Midfielder Henry West, defender Mike Ehrhardt, Chanenchuk, midfielder Jon Garino Jr. and attackman Jay Carlson — who finished with a game-high four goals — combined to score seven straight times in the final 13 minutes of the half, building a 12-3 lead entering the break.
“Today was a great day,” said Rambo, who finished with three goals on five shots. “Our dodging was great today all around.”
With the Terps’ huge lead entering the second half, Tillman put every available player into the game.
Tillman reminded the team in the locker room to spread the wealth and get everyone involved, which resulted in two players — attackman Quinn Haley and midfielder Zack Wholley — finding the back of the net for the first time this season in the fourth quarter.
“That meant a lot to me,” Tillman said. “Guys have made a lot of sacrifices, so I was psyched to see everybody get in.”
Tillman also used the midweek contest to rest faceoff specialist Charlie Raffa, who is battling a knee injury, and defender Goran Murray, who took a big hit in Sunday’s win over Virginia. Garino took the faceoff responsibilities for the second time this season — Raffa also sat out the Michigan game — and won 17-of-20 faceoffs while scoring his first goal of the season in that seven-goal spurt in the second quarter.
The Terps now have nine days before an in-state rivalry game at Johns Hopkins on April 12. Tillman said the team will start preparing for the Blue Jays tomorrow but will get Saturday and Sunday off to rest both mentally and physically.
When they return to practice Monday, Tillman said there will be plenty of work to do. The team continues to produce victories, and it avoided a letdown yesterday in its final midweek game of the season, but the fourth-year coach still hopes to see improvements as the team moves toward the postseason.
“We’ve really, with this group, looked to try and get more of a killer instinct,” Tillman said. “I don’t think we’re quite there yet, but we want to make sure we come out and get after it.”
