Maryland men’s lacrosse faced a three-goal deficit heading into the fourth quarter against Loyola on Saturday, largely due to its offense failing to create open looks.
Then the Terps increased their pace, peppering the ball all over the field. No. 4 Maryland started to get open shots around the cage as the Greyhounds’ defense, which dominated the first three quarters, began to lack on-ball pressure.
The Terps’ revitalized attack led to an 8-7 comeback victory, which included five scores in the fourth and another a little more than a minute into overtime.
“Coach [John] Tillman definitely wanted to bump the tempo in the second half and not let them get set in their defense,” senior attacker Matthew Keegan said. “That definitely helped us a lot. Getting the ball moving side to side just really opened the field for us and let us make more plays.”
Maryland scored midway through the second quarter when senior attacker and midfielder Eric Spanos got the ball at the X. He evaded multiple defenders to find a clearing in front of the net.
But the Terps’ next score didn’t come until the onset of the fourth quarter. Loyola’s mix of zone and man-to-man defense caused careless errors and an arrhythmic attack.
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During the nearly two-quarter long drought, the Terps patiently swung the ball close to the perimeter, forced to reset the offense around midfield as strikers rarely came free near the cage.
With the approach failing and time dwindling, Maryland made a concerted effort to increase tempo in the fourth quarter.
Players began to move and pass more toward the middle of the circle and behind the cage. Multiple players stepped in at the X and made smart decisions to pass or look for their own shot. The rally started when Spanos took a pass there and aggressively pushed toward the net for his second score.
A few minutes later, the Terps capitalized on a player-up advantage with a 20-pass possession that culminated in a point-blank look for Spanos. Maryland’s attackers held the ball less as the fourth progressed — they broke down a Greyhounds’ defense constantly on the run.
The quick movement fatigued Loyola and created more room to operate for Maryland, which Spanos took advantage of by juking sophomore defender Jake Wilson for an easy goal near the net. The Greyhounds’ entire defense was under duress in the fourth quarter, leading to them losing a step.
“At times we were kind of falling into their traps,” Spanos said. “That second half, really proud of the coaches for making great adjustments and us being able to hone in on those adjustments and execute them.”
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The Terps’ offensive urgency also helped put their stars in position to make plays.
After a flurry of passes around the cage left Loyola scrambling, junior attacker and midfielder Braden Erksa got the ball on the left side in a one-on-one. With the rest of Maryland cleared out of that area, he spun past a defender and drilled a strike from close to tie the game.
Fifth year attacker Daniel Kelly came uncovered for his second score of the game. More than a minute into overtime, Keegan swiftly maneuvered around the X and left a defender lagging behind, leading to his game-winning shot.
The Terps’ offense looked lethargic for most of Saturday. But with a mid-game strategy switch, they proved an ability to adjust to the game at hand.
“I’m proud of the guys for sticking together, we try to stay as positive as possible,” coach John Tillman said. “They know they’re not playing well, so just trying to make adjustments, trying to get them settled down … making sure we don’t make the same mistakes twice.”
