ANNAPOLIS, Md — There was little doubt about the excitement for Maryland men’s lacrosse and Georgetown’s first meeting since 2012. 17,721 spectators filed into Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to set an NCAA tournament quarterfinals record.
The local Terps fans saw their team succeed in a way they have for much of this season — with dominant defense and a balanced attack.
Goalkeeper Logan McNaney saved 64 percent of shots on goal against the Hoyas, who averaged 17.8 goals per game over their past five matches. Six different players scored to support the graduate student as Maryland beat Georgetown, 9-6, on Sunday.
“We knew what was going to come with Georgetown, it was going to be a slower game, it was kind of going to be a rock fight,” graduate student long-stick midfielder Jack McDonald said. “We were prepared.”
McNaney saved 11 shots, the majority coming in the second half, when he allowed only two scores. The Terps’ attackers were unusually quiet for most of the game, but backed his performance in the fourth quarter.
Less than four minutes in, Braden Erksa started the run when he fought through being held and found an opening in front of the cage. The junior attacker added another goal from just outside the crease minutes later.
“There are flashes, like today, where he [Erksa] can just do things that you’re like, ‘Holy crap, like you just can’t coach that,’” coach John Tillman said. “He is so fast that if you don’t support the matchup, he can run by you.”
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Fifth-year Daniel Kelly came open from the outside, where he normally thrives, to extend the Terps’ lead to three. The Hoyas never scored after that — similar to their early struggles.
Georgetown had seven turnovers in the first quarter, with Maryland forcing the ball to the perimeter and winning one-on-one matchups. The stifling defense led to fastbreak chances.
Senior defender Colin Burlace chopped the ball away in the middle of the field, leading to senior midfielder Geordy Holmes scoring his first-career goal. Kelly opened the scoring for the second straight week when he rushed the cage against an unset defense.
But Georgetown — who entered with three players inside the top 10 of the Big East in goals per game — found openings in the second quarter. The Hoyas charged earlier in the shot clock.
Attacker Aidan Carroll, who ranks tenth nationally in goals a game and scored six times in the tournament’s opening round, led with two scores. Both came against Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Will Schaller, who primarily traveled with the graduate student and kept him in check.
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“They did a great job the entire game of plugging gaps, making sure that we weren’t getting our normal looks,” Carroll said. “They were being really decisive in making sure when they slid, that we weren’t comfortable where we were throwing the ball.”
The Terps won four of seven faceoffs in the second half, giving their defense chances to recuperate. Maryland won half of the clashes at the X overall, going primarily against freshman Ross Prince, who entered sixth nationally in faceoff percentage.
Senior Shea Keethler went winless at the X, off his best performance of the season against Air Force. But freshman Jonah Carrier bounced back from a poor game and won nine of 12 faceoffs.
“When he [Carrier] started winning faceoffs, I felt like the flow of the game changed,” Tillman said. “Early on, they were kicking our teeth in on ground balls.”
With a strong fourth quarter all around to support a steadfast defense, Maryland secured a second-straight Final Four appearance. The Terps and their elite defense next face Syracuse, who matched a season low with only seven goals in a February loss to Maryland.
