The Terps once again meet the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten semifinals.
Maryland men’s lacrosse head coach John Tillman has seen this one before.
Last season, the Terps earned the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament after finishing 3-2 in regular season play and had a week of rest to prepare for the semifinal. But they were destroyed by No. 3-seed Penn State in that game, 19-9, with the Nittany Lions stomping all over a defense that had not allowed more than 14 goals on the season.
Echoes of last season reverberate now for the Terps. Maryland finished 3-2 in Big Ten play to wrap up the No. 2-seed. But coming off 12 days of rest to play the Nittany Lions, Tillman isn’t too worried about history repeating itself.
“Getting some momentum isn’t the worst thing in a world, in obviously a great environment for the guys that kind of mimics the NCAA playoffs,” Tillman said. “It would be great for this team to try to pursue a championship and bring it home to the school, just because I know it does mean a lot to the people around here.”
The Terps and the Nittany Lions play at U-M Lacrosse Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Thursday night. The game will begin at approximately 7:30 p.m. and will air on Big Ten Network.
No. 3 Penn State (10-3, 3-2 Big Ten)
When the two teams faced off on March 28th, a massive first half propelled Maryland to a relatively comfortable 13-8 victory. It was a perfect rebound for Tillman and the Terps, coming off their first loss of the season at the hands of Michigan.
Penn State head coach Jeff Tambroni will have been frustrated with the result, though. His team outshot the Terps 33-28 and squandered several promising looks. What the Nittany Lions did get on net, Logan McNaney swallowed up. Penn State produced a season-low eight goals against Maryland — but those numbers are perfectly in line for a Terps defense allowing 7.67 goals per game, the second-lowest mark in the country.
It was Maryland’s efficiency — 13 goals on 19 shots on target — that set them apart, as Maryland hit Penn State particularly hard in transition. Terps defensive midfielders contributed two goals and three assists against the Nittany Lions, a large outlier on Maryland’s season.
How they got here
With their win against Johns Hopkins on April 18, Maryland wrapped up the No. 2-seed in the conference off of multiple tiebreakers — including help from Penn State, which trounced Rutgers earlier that day. That gave the Terps a much-needed bye, where Tillman focused on resting and reinvigorating his team before what he hopes will be a long postseason.
After losing to the Terps, Penn State entered the month of April 0-2 in Big Ten play. Questions about whether the Nittany Lions could recover their season mounted; they did so in emphatic fashion, allowing just 16 combined goals while winning their final three regular-season games en route to the conference No. 3 seed.
Penn State played No. 6-seed Johns Hopkins, who went winless in conference play, in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals Saturday. What looked a straightforward game on paper became an intense dogfight — after only scoring four goals against the Nittany Lions on April 12, the Blue Jays scored four in the first quarter alone.
Penn State took a lead going into the second half but needed to fend off a frantic Johns Hopkins run over the final six minutes to hang onto a 13-12 victory. The Nittany Lions have likely locked up their spot in the NCAA tournament, but a win against Maryland would all but guarantee their presence.
Three things to know
1. Faceoffs must be fixed. In the teams’ last meeting, Maryland’s victory came in spite of winning just eight of 24 faceoffs. Senior specialist Shea Keethler had the worst game of his season, winning just three of his 11 duels at the X. Freshman Jonah Carrier had the second-worst game of his season — only his 0-for-1 effort against Delaware ranks below his 5-for-13 game against Penn State in win percentage.
“I give [Penn State specialist Colby] Baldwin a lot of credit,” Tillman said. “As improved as any guy in the country, in my opinion, and he’s done an awesome job. So certainly… we’ve got to do our best to try to minimize them.”
2. Penn State phenom may not play? Big Ten Freshman of the Year Hunter Aquino was suited up against Johns Hopkins on Saturday, but did not see the field. It was the first time Aquino has missed a game, and it gives Tillman more food for thought in preparation for Thursday.
3. Championship appearance on the line. Despite being in Ann Arbor this weekend, the Terps won’t see Michigan in the final, after the Wolverines slumped to an 11-8 defeat against Rutgers in the other quarterfinal game. The Scarlet Knights play Ohio State at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, meaning Maryland will know its potential next opponent before they play Penn State.