Midfielder Jon Garino Jr. scoops up a loose ball during the Terps’ 11-7 victory over UPenn at Byrd Stadium on Feb. 24, 2015.
When the Terrapins men’s lacrosse team fell to Yale, 10-6, Saturday, it marked the first time since 2005 that the Terps failed to start the season 2-0.
So in the days before the team’s Tuesday night home opener against Penn, coach John Tillman issued his team a challenge.
“’We basically told the guys, ‘We’ll find out a lot about who we are on Tuesday,’” Tillman recalled saying. “We’re either going to step forward, or we’re going to step back.’”
And the No. 10 Terps responded by jumping out to an early three-goal advantage at the beginning of the first period and overpowering the No. 11 Quakers in nearly every facet of the game. Attackman Matt Rambo recorded the team’s first hat trick of the season, and the Terps captured an 11-7 win.
Midfielder Joe LoCascio and attackmen Dylan Maltz and Jay Carlson added two goals each for the Terps, who outshot Penn (2-1), 42-26. The Terps (2-1) also won the ground ball battle 36-22, and faceoff specialist Jon Garino Jr. went 14-22 at the faceoff X in place of senior Charlie Raffa.
“Being a Maryland team, there is no stepping back,” Tillman said.
With Raffa nursing an injury, Garino made his first start of the season. He recovered the opening faceoff, and midfielder Bryan Cole put the Terps on the board first within two minutes. It marked the third straight game the Terps have both scored first and on their first offensive possession.
After taking a 4-3 lead into the second period, the Terps’ offense fell stagnant. The teams traded goals before heading to the locker room at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Terps’ offense finally came alive.
Carlson got the scoring started less than two minutes into the half, when he received a pass from Rambo just outside the crease, faked high and fired a low bounce shot past goalkeeper John Lopes.
Rambo wasn’t finished making an impact, though. Four minutes later, he assisted on midfielder Henry West’s fifth goal of the year, before finishing a bullet of his own 58 seconds later to give the Terps an 8-4 lead.
“Joe LoCascio did great with drawing one [defender] and moving it,” Maltz said. “The chemistry within our offense is becoming really strong. We’re looking good.”
The Terps registered a combined six assists during their first two games. They had seven Tuesday.
“Everybody [was] getting involved and not letting the ball die and everybody stand around and watch one guy dodge, which was what happened on Saturday,” Tillman said. “There was a lot of guys watching and one guy trying to do it all.
“We’re kind of a new team in a lot of ways. Mike Chanenchuk’s not here. A lot of times, you’re going to have to have other leaders step up. Jay Carlson’s done a good job helping us get organized, calling out sets.”
While the Terps offense hummed, the defense delivered perhaps its most aggressive performance of the season. The unit’s determination was evident from the first period, during which they won the ground ball battle 13-1.
And they didn’t get complacent later in the game, either. After the Quakers launched 14 shots at goalkeeper Kyle Bernlohr (eight saves) in the first half, the Terps defense only allowed Penn 12 attempts in the second half, several of them coming with the game out of reach.
For all of the defense’s success, though, they had trouble controlling midfielder Joe McCallion, who posted a game-high four goals.
“He shoots it pretty hard,” Bernlohr said. “He’s an accurate shooter. He’s tough to read. Going against the same guys in practice, it’s kind of different when you get out there. Their shots never really look as they do on film. You can study all you want, but that kid can bring it.”
After the loss to Yale, Tillman said he encouraged some players to take on more of a leadership role, including Bernlohr. On a team of new faces, the Terps turned to a senior on his third career start to lift them to a victory they desperately wanted.
“We had a really bad taste in our mouths after Yale,” Bernlohr said. “We were all pretty excited to have this game on Tuesday. There were a few weather problems, and it could’ve gotten moved. But we wanted to play, we wanted to get a “W,” and we wanted to get on a roll here.”
