The Maryland men’s lacrosse team hasn’t dropped a regular season contest since March 5, 2016. Still, coach John Tillman said he’s worried about a developing trend in his top-ranked squad.
During the first three quarters of games this year, the Terps average 4.3 goals per frame. In fourth quarters, however, that number dips to 2.5.
In the practices leading up to Saturday’s showdown at No. 4 Notre Dame, Tillman stressed the importance of finishing games with focus. After losing to the Fighting Irish last year, 9-4, Maryland hopes to produce its most complete effort this season.
“[Fourth-quarter play] has been one of the bigger points of emphasis,” long pole Nick Brozowski said. “We’ve just got to dial it in for the full 60 minutes, and we can’t take any quarters off.”
In Maryland’s season-opener at then-No. 11 Navy, the Midshipmen scored four of the last five goals. The Terps still won, 15-12, but were disappointed with the ending, Brozowski said.
Against then-No. 8 Yale last weekend, Tillman’s squad didn’t score in the fourth quarter, the first time it’s been blanked in any frame since April against Ohio State. The stretch allowed the Bulldogs to storm back from a six-goal deficit before losing, 12-11.
The Terps have displayed offensive explosiveness in spells, leading to an undefeated start to the season, but their inability to perform at a consistent level has hindered them. In four games, opponents have outshot Maryland, 33-28, in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve played some really good quarters, but we’ve also played some really bad quarters,” Brozowski said. “We came out of Navy and we came out of Yale just thinking, ‘Man, we can play so much better.'”
In particular, the struggles against Yale concerned Tillman. He said the Terps played “a pretty solid game” until the near collapse, so it was disheartening for him to watch players make fundamental stick handling errors “we just can’t make.”
Brozowski, who notched his third goal of the campaign against the Bulldogs, thought the Terps became antsy in the fourth quarter, carelessly giving away possession due to a lack of patience. If they avoid rushing with the ball this weekend, he said, they can find success.
“[Our carelessness] allowed Yale to make their comeback,” Brozowski said. “So, against Notre Dame, if we play like we did in the first two quarters against Yale, and then in the fourth quarter play sound, just waiting for our opportunities, waiting for our shots … it will really help.”
Even with a clean performance against Notre Dame (2-0), Tillman acknowledged Maryland would face a difficult test Saturday. The veteran coach called the Fighting Irish (2-0) “terrific” and said he couldn’t find any clear weaknesses in their squad.
Last year, Notre Dame held the Terps (4-0) to a season-low four goals, a result standout attackman Colin Heacock, who scored 42 times last season, has not forgotten. After all, the Cantonsville native did not record a point in the defeat.
When asked about being shut down by the Fighting Irish, Heacock chuckled before delivering a measured response.
“It’s exciting going out there and playing some of the best teams,” Heacock said. “It’s something to look forward to. [Last year’s loss] just motivates us to work harder and improve.”
