The Maryland men’s lacrosse team dropped to No. 5 in the latest national poll after losing in overtime at Ohio State on Saturday.
With the defeat, which broke a five-game winning streak, the Terps (9-3, 3-1 Big Ten) fell from the No. 2 spot. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, rose from No. 7 to No. 4 in the country.
[Read more: Without Colin Heacock, Maryland men’s lacrosse struggled to score late vs. Ohio State]
Coach John Tillman’s squad could have clinched a share of a third-straight Big Ten regular season title with a victory. Now, it’ll need a win over No. 8 Johns Hopkins in its final game of the year to earn a portion of the conference championship.
After taking a 6-1 lead against Ohio State (12-2, 3-1), Maryland’s offense faltered. Playing without injured attackman Colin Heacock, who ranks third on the team in points (31), the team failed to score for a 20-minute stretch from the second to fourth quarter, allowing the Buckeyes to come back.
While midfielder Tim Rotanz notched his third consecutive hat trick, he didn’t score a second-half goal. Overall, the Terps converted just three times after intermission.
The Terps will face Johns Hopkins at Maryland Stadium on Saturday night, continuing their longstanding in-state rivalry with the Blue Jays. Though they’re 42-62-1 all-time against Johns Hopkins, they’ve won the past two meetings.
