Maryland men’s lacrosse’s offense has provided spurts of excellence, but inconsistencies have largely plagued the unit. The Terps rank in the bottom half of the Big Ten in goals per game.
Recently, No. 2 Maryland’s extended scoreless runs have been especially costly.
The Terps went scoreless for nearly two quarters against Virginia, allowing a five-goal lead to almost entirely dissipate. The next week, they failed to score over the final 20 minutes of a triple-overtime loss to Michigan.
Turnovers and pacing issues have been prevalent amid the scoring slumps.
“It’s just getting back to doing the little things … taking good shots, taking care of the ball, not turning the ball over, executing what’s asked of us,” fifth-year attacker Daniel Kelly said. “We’ve gotten away from that a little bit here for about two games and it showed on Saturday.”
Maryland entered the matchup with the Cavaliers averaging the fewest turnovers per game nationally but recorded 20 each of the past two weeks.
The Terps’ attackers frequently passed to players on the interior who didn’t have their hands free, leaving them unable to corral passes. Other times, Maryland’s players held the ball too long when facing on-ball pressure, leading them to eventually losing control.
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Coach John Tillman and his staff have implemented a three-on-three drill to emulate the situations.
It begins with attackers who start near their own cage and have to make three passes in a confined space with defenders in pursuit. If the unit succeeds, it moves up on the field, continuing toward the opposing circle. If it loses the ball, the other team looks to score in an unsettled situation.
“You play in a lacrosse game where the kids have more space, and so when you play in that confined space … it’s a lot harder to navigate the pressure,” Tillman said. “Those guys riding or chasing you, they’re not spread out so it’s a lot harder [during the drill].”
The defending team pushing the pace off miscues matches Tillman’s philosophy. He wants to constantly play at a quick tempo, and believes that only looking to score against set defenses — especially Ivy League, ACC and Big Ten units — puts immense pressure on the half-field offense.
The Terps’ increased tempo fueled a comeback win against Loyola earlier this season. But the increased pace led to errors against the Wolverines.
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Midfielders frequently led fastbreaks that culminated in turnovers or rushed shots, leaving few second-chance opportunities and giving Maryland’s defense little time to rest. The Terps like to have a variety of players push the cage, but recognize that attackers need to balance being aggressive with resting.
“There are times [to slow it down] and that falls on mainly myself … to quarterback that group and let them know … we can work for a better one,” Kelly said. “Not just me. [Eric] Spanos knows, Braden [Erksa] knows. We’ve played together for a while now and it’s our job as attackmen to dictate the flow and tempo of the game.”
As a veteran and de facto offensive point guard, Kelly said he regrets not dictating the game more against Michigan as things went awry.
Maryland’s leading goal scorer said the attacking unit is practicing ways to better control the pace of the game, especially this week. Whether that can help the Terps avoid game-altering scoreless runs remains to be seen.
