Logan McNaney led Maryland men’s lacrosse to a six-goal halftime lead against Ohio State in the teams’ first matchup less than a month ago. On Saturday, the goalkeeper gave up nine first-half scores, the most he’s allowed this season.
The Terps were also outscored, 6-1, in the first period. They bested the Buckeyes after the opening quarter, but it didn’t matter. The disastrous start proved fatal in No. 3 Maryland’s 14-10 loss to No. 5 Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament championship at U-M Lacrosse Stadium.
Maryland, who owns the nation’s third-best defense, was uncharacteristically sloppy on that end.
Ohio State midfielder Shane O’Leary dashed to the front of the cage for an easy goal when two of Maryland’s defenders covered the same player off a pick. Graduate student midfielder Griffin Turner came open in the middle when long-stick midfielder Jack McDonald left him, anticipating help defense.
“They just seemed to have just a little better pace and tempo [in the beginning],” coach John Tillman said. “They came out in the first few possessions and attacked super early.”
But even Maryland’s one-on-one defense was poor. Three of the Buckeyes’ goals in the first five minutes came when defenders were beaten on-ball.
McNaney struggled to bail out his defense like he’s done much of the season. The Tewaaraton Watch List honoree allowed the most goals of his campaign as Ohio State varied shot placements.
[No. 3 Maryland men’s lacrosse advances to Big Ten title, defeats No. 7 Penn State 10-8]
The Terps were often late to rotate when attackers cut towards the crease. Maryland briefly switched to a zone in the first half, but instantly gave up an uncovered look in the middle to Turner.
“There were some cracks [in the defense] and they just did a really good job of throwing it inside,” Tillman said. “We were almost there, but it wasn’t quite good enough coverage.”
The Terps’ offense didn’t generate many open looks early, but scored four times in the second quarter. Senior Eric Spanos, off back-to-back scoreless games for the first time this season, notched goals on consecutive possessions — first with a low and short-angled shot, and another with the opposite.
The Terps began shooting low against 297-pound goalkeeper Caleb Fyock, but switched their angles more in the second half. Over half of Maryland’s goals came on shots below the knee in the team’s first clash.
“He was kind of cheating low.” Tillman said. “If you watch some of the goals we got, guys would kind of look low, shoot high and that was effective at times.”
Fyock had his worst save percentage of the season in that game, but saved 66 percent of shots on goal in the rematch. The Terps had 13 more shots than the Buckeyes, though, keeping pressure on the sophomore.
[Maryland softball musters just 1 hit in 6-0 loss to Nebraska]
Sophomore midfielder Elijah Stobaugh scored twice, the latter coming when he dashed from the alley toward the front of the cage. Spanos and fellow attacker Braden Erksa also notched a pair of scores to keep the game relatively in reach.
But Maryland’s starting midfielders, who combined for seven goals in the team’s first matchup, had only three.
With the trio not forcing slides to assist short-stick defenders, the Buckeyes’ defense stayed in position. That left few opportunities near the cage — where the Terps have thrived this season.
Fifth-year Daniel Kelly typically excels with off-ball cuts towards the crease, but had only one score after a career-high five-goal performance in Maryland’s semifinal win. Ohio State defender Cullen Brown guarded the attacker, largely taking away the Terps’ leading goal-scorer.
Maryland’s defense has been the team’s unwavering strength this season. If the unit falters like it did on Saturday, a deep NCAA tournament run becomes much more unlikely.
