Maryland men’s lacrosse faced early deficits of more than five goals in both of its matchups with Penn State last season. On Saturday, the Nittany Lions scored an uncovered goal on their first possession — the Terps looked to be in danger of falling behind again.
But Maryland’s stars led a dominant response against its rival.
The Terps scored seven of the next eight goals, building a first-half lead that held against one of the Big Ten’s top scoring offenses.
Maryland’s starting attackers thrived in one-on-one play with quick passes and on fastbreaks, keeping Penn State’s defense guessing. It scored 13 goals, the second-highest mark for coach John Tillman’s team this season.
“When the guys got opportunities, I thought they shot well. It’s a credit to those guys and coach [Michael] Phipps just setting each other up,” Tillman said. “Our guys did a good job of looking for each other, a lot of assisted goals. The transition ones make it a lot easier because your hands are free.”
[No. 2 Maryland men’s lacrosse rebounds from loss, defeats No. 7 Penn State, 13-8]
Fifth-year Daniel Kelly said the attacking unit emphasized controlling the tempo in practice. The Terps’ primary attackers — Kelly, Eric Spanos and Braden Erksa — scored eight times against an alternating zone and man defense.
Maryland’s Tewaaraton Watch List honorees used a mix of agility and strength to individually create separation against on-ball pressure in the opening quarter.
Erksa, who notched his first game of his junior campaign with zero turnovers, received the ball at the X and sprinted to the side of the cage before abruptly turning and firing a strike to open the scoring for the Terps. Later in the frame, Spanos bulldozed a defender to create space in the middle of the field and extend the lead.
The Terps’ attackers pushed the cage while still moving the ball around.
“There’s a fine balance between winning matchups and moving the ball quick,” Erksa said. “I think moving the ball quickly and effectively and swinging the fields from side-to-side really helps you win those matchups and gain leverage.”
[Maryland men’s lacrosse’s scoring droughts have left it vulnerable in recent weeks]
The Nittany Lions’ defenders struggled to balance their spots on the field as attackers passed and screened. Maryland’s second goal came when senior midfielder Matthew Keegan got an uncontested look from the outside with Penn State clogging the middle.
The Terps also improved at spreading the ball in transition after turnovers and wild shots plagued them in that area against Michigan.
Tillman felt his players had to be more selective to not leave the defense under constant strain. Maryland’s attackers found space off-ball, giving midfielders options as they led breakaways.
“We want to give our defense the best chance to get stops, and when you’re taking poor shots and it goes the other way, you’re not setting your team up for success,” Kelly said. “For us, we’re going to take the best shot, not the first one. If it’s a good one, we’re going to wait for a great one.”
Maryland’s dynamic attacking trio is the most experienced group in a largely new offense. If they dictate games like they did against the Nittany Lions, it’ll alleviate pressure from one of the top defenses in the nation.
