In the third quarter of the Maryland men’s lacrosse team’s game against No. 1 Albany on Saturday, John Tillman repeatedly threw his arms into the air, urging the players on his bench and the fans at Maryland Stadium to get louder.
It was an uncharacteristic gesture for the typically reserved coach, who felt the Terps were “super slow” and out of rhythm in their 11-10 loss to the Great Danes.
Maryland scored twice to open the third quarter and boasted an 8-3 lead at the time of Tillman’s gesticulation. But the Terps collapsed after his attempt to provide a jolt of energy, appearing lethargic at both ends as they coughed up their commanding advantage.
“We’ll look back and see if it was something we did during the week or early today,” Tillman said. “At our best, we have the ball zinging around. We struggled to get into a flow.”
Albany entered the contest averaging close to 16 goals per game. But early on, the Great Danes were frustrated by the slow pace of the game, struggling to manufacture their typical offensive production. Attackmen Connor Fields and Tehoka Nanticoke, the Great Danes’ leading scorers, combined to score once in the first half.
“[The Terps] play a lot slower than we do, and sometimes we can get lulled into that mode,” Albany coach Scott Marr said. “We got lulled into not walking around fast. We said, ‘Pick up the pace.'”
Albany responded to its coach’s push while Maryland withered down the stretch.
Fields scored about a minute into the fourth quarter to start the comeback, and attackman Jakob Patterson found the net twice in a 37-second span.
Maryland goalkeeper Dan Morris said the defense had a number of breakdowns and failed to communicate effectively late in the game.
The lack of energy extended to Maryland’s attack. Faceoff specialist Justin Shockey lost all six matchups with TD Ierlan in the final quarter after winning seven of 11 in the first half. Albany committed four turnovers in the fourth, but the Terps couldn’t capitalize, missing on all four of their shots in the period.
The shortcomings amounted to a frustrating defeat against a program the Terps beat twice last year en route to a national championship. Tillman hopes his players can respond in a positive manner.
“There are so many things you can learn,” Tillman said. “One’s just to manage the fourth quarter a little better. We had some young guys in tough spots. We were undisciplined with some follows.”
