CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — No. 1 Maryland men’s lacrosse saw a five-goal lead trimmed to one early in the fourth quarter against No. 18 Virginia. Then, coach John Tillman’s team ended how they started — hot.
The Terps rattled off five straight scores en route to a 12-6 win at Klöckner Stadium on Saturday, remaining undefeated ahead of conference play. They dominated outside of a second quarter in which they were outscored by three.
Maryland (7-0) entered the game averaging the fewest turnovers per game in the nation but struggled with a season-high 20. Miscommunications and errand passes frequently led to scoring opportunities for the Cavaliers (3-4).
“They doubled a little bit and sent guys to our backside and trail checked us,” Tillman said. “… We didn’t anticipate some of it, so we would turn our back, and they would continue to double and so we weren’t quite aware of it.”
Goalkeeper Logan McNaney helped the Terps overcome a six-shot disadvantage, frequently saving attempts near the crease. The graduate student saved 68.4 percent of shots in another dominant effort.
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It was Maryland’s offense that shined early, though. The unit came out aggressively, using quick passes and persistent movement to get open looks all over the field.
Graduate student midfielder Bryce Ford found an opening to the side of the cage on Maryland’s first possession. A few minutes later, attacker Matthew Keegan dashed from the X and beat his defender for a goal just outside the crease — one of two opening-quarter goals for the senior.
Sophomore midfielder Elijah Stobaugh notched two first quarter scores after entering with three on the season. Senior goalkeeper Matthew Nunes had little chance on many of the Terps’ five goals in the frame with a flailing defense unable to keep the ball on the perimeter.
McNaney, who entered the day with the third-best save percentage in the nation, anticipated excellently again early with six first quarter saves. But Virginia put immense pressure on the All-American in the second frame. The Cavaliers scored three times against a defense that had little chance to recuperate.
Junior attacker Eliot Dubick passed into traffic shortly before halftime, looking to get the ball into the interior of Virginia’s defense.
“The first half, 12 turnovers, that is not a recipe for success,” Tillman said. “The fact that we were still ahead at halftime was a bit of a saving grace, just because we were so sloppy. The hope was … let’s just settle down and play cleaner and play smarter.”
The Cavaliers rapidly pushed off the miscue despite being a man-down, scoring as senior attacker Thomas Mencke came uncovered near the crease against a scrambling defense for the last strike of the frame to trim the deficit to one at halftime.
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The Terps’ midfielders helped them snap the quarter-plus long scoring drought.
Junior Aidan Aitken came open in the middle of the field and crushed a shot before Ford added his second score a few possessions later. Maryland, similarly to the opening quarter, kept Virginia’s defense constantly on the run.
The Cavaliers’ offense responded this time around, though, as junior attacker Truitt Sunderland barely stayed outside the circle as he dove and fired a strike to trim the deficit to one.
Maryland never let the score get closer.
Senior attacker Eric Spanos, the team’s leading scorer, crushed a shot from the outside as he came open with the Terps having a two-man advantage via penalty. Sophomore Sean Creter won the ensuing faceoff and dashed down the middle to extend the lead to 9-6.
Maryland added three more scores to win handily on the road. The Terps overcame a disastrous second quarter in which they had just three shots, again proving an ability to adjust and overcome difficulties on any given day.
