When the Maryland men’s lacrosse team beat Albany, 12-11, on April 12, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Matt Rambo was overshadowed by Great Danes attackman Connor Fields.
While Fields exploded for eight points, Rambo managed just three.
But in the Terps’ NCAA tournament quarterfinals matchup against Albany, Rambo scored three goals in the first 10 minutes. Fields, meanwhile, converted once in that span.
Rambo’s eight-point performance, which tied him for the program goals record, guided No. 1 seed Maryland to an 18-9 win over No. 8 seed Albany, advancing the Terps to their fourth consecutive Final Four.
“We’ve played Albany once before and know how good they are,” coach John Tillman said. “Defensively, Tim [Muller] and those guys did an awesome job, then offensively coach [J.L.] Reppert put together a really good game plan, and I thought Matt [Rambo] and Colin [Heacock] and [Muller] played a very unselfish game and were very patient.”
In addition to Rambo’s contributions, midfielder Connor Kelly delivered five goals to help Maryland (14-3) reach its second-highest goal total this season.
The Terps’ defense limited Fields to four points and held Albany (15-3) to nine goals, tied for its lowest tally of the campaign.
Rambo opened the scoring with a leaping left-handed effort fewer than two minutes into the contest. Around seven minutes later, he lost his defender with a fake to the right before converting on the run. He capped his first-quarter outburst with five minutes and 15 seconds remaining in the frame, finishing to the bottom-right corner of the net.
After Fields scored early in the first quarter to level the contest at two, he struggled to make an impact. Following his initial finish, the Terps went on an 8-0 burst to take a 10-2 advantage.
Maryland, which focused on stopping Fields after his dominant display in the previous meeting, forced the attackman out of rhythm with consistent defensive pressure. The Terps believed their prior experience against him aided their play in the rematch.
“It gave us a chance to see how they played the first time,” Muller said. “They are a great team, so having any advantage to see first-hand what they’re like and how they play is a huge advantage for us.
With three and a half minutes left in the first quarter, Muller knocked Fields’ stick out of his hands, causing a turnover. Just over a minute after the defensive stop, midfielder Tim Rotanz scored the first of his two goals to put the Terps up by four.
In the second half, Maryland continued to rally behind Rambo’s play. The attackman tied Joe Walters’ program goals record, set in 2006, with a third-quarter strike.
Midway through the fourth quarter, with the Terps ahead by double digits, Rambo watched from the sideline. His work in the first three periods allowed the starters to rest for much of the final frame.
At the final whistle, the starters stayed near the bench, opting not to celebrate their trip to the Final Four, where they’ll meet No. 5 seed Denver next Saturday. And Tillman, still searching for his first national title in College Park despite four title game appearances, motioned for the players on the field to trot off.
“It’s one and done,” Rambo said. “We don’t want this to be our last game. We want to spend as much time as possible with this team together, so there is some hunger.”
