No. 3 Maryland men’s lacrosse ends regular season with 11-8 win over Johns Hopkins

Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Miles/Maryland Terrapins

Maryland locals flocked to SECU Stadium for a Big Ten primetime showdown between No. 3 Maryland men’s lacrosse and Johns Hopkins Friday night. And the battle known as “The Rivalry” certainly lived up to the billing, producing fireworks straight from the opening faceoff.

With 10 minutes remaining and the score tied at eight, it was anyone’s game for the taking. The Terps, who had lost the last two series meetings, seized the opportunity, imposing their will in the latter stages.

Daniel Kelly charged past his defender and laced his shot into the top corner. Just two possessions later, Will Schaller gathered the heavily-contested loose ball, and the Terps hit in transition. Following a great outlet pass, Maryland made a series of quick and decisive passes before Braden Erksa finished off the possession with his signature acrobatic one-legged shot.

Behind these two goals and a 14-minute Johns Hopkins scoring drought, the Terps secured an 11-8 victory. 

“These are the games you come here for,” Erksa said. “The last two years didn’t sit right with a lot of guys on our team. It’s awesome to make those kinds of plays in games like that and put your teammates in a position. 

Following Penn State’s win earlier, Maryland knew what was at stake. A Terps’ victory would mean it clinches second place in the Big Ten. A defeat drops Maryland all the way down to fifth in the Big Ten Tournament. 

The Terps certainly played with that extra motivation.

Maryland’s offense had its worst showing two weeks prior, managing a season-low six goals against Rutgers. Since then, the attacking unit has returned to form and then some. Those improvements flashed throughout the opening quarter.

None was more evident of this than the Terps’ second goal of the game.

Faceoff specialist Jonah Carrier corralled the draw control and took matters into his own hands. The freshman went coast-to-coast and rifled the shot past goalie Oran Gelinas for his first career goal, tying the game at two just five seconds after Johns Hopkins’.

It was Maryland’s usual offensive weapons that helped it take the largest lead of the game, though. With the game knotted at three, Erksa — the team’s third-highest scorer — generated two quality looks, both of which he finished. He secured his third hat trick of the season, with a game-high four goals.

“It’s kind of trying to pick my spots and let the game come to me,” Erksa said. “I think I saw an opening and took it.”

Just two minutes later, Zach Whittier received the feed from Matthew Keegan at the top of the attacking zone. The senior midfielder shuffled his feet towards the goal and uncorked a laser, bouncing right in front of the goal and into the back of the net.

But the Blue Jays’ offense showed glimpses of its potency, particularly early on. 

Without attacker Russell Melendez, who produced 22 points in the first five games of the season, Johns Hopkins’ attack has looked like a shell of itself. You couldn’t tell that from the first six minutes of Friday’s contest, though.

Sophomore midfielder Chuck Rawson entered the game with just nine goals. The Ontario native broke out of that slump, scoring two crucial goals to help keep the Blue Jays within striking distance.

His first score was part of a flurry of quick goals early in the opening quarter, as both teams combined for four goals in a two-minute span. The score was tied at three just over six minutes in.

“I think both teams were pretty amped up,” head coach John Tillman said. “You go out there and see that crowd. I think both teams were trying to feel each other out.”

However, Johns Hopkins’ offense went quiet after its third goal of the game. The Blue Jays embarked on a near 19-minute scoring drought, allowing the Terps to score four unanswered goals.

While Johns Hopkins’ attacking firepower quickly vanished, its goaltending play kept the team in the game.

Gelinas — the Blue Jays’ starting goalie for the past five games following the injury to Luke Staudt — has had an up-and-down campaign. There was no doubt about his elite shot-blocking abilities in this game, though. The junior had his best game in a Johns Hopkins uniform, gathering 20 saves and a 64.5% save percentage.

On the other side, goalie Logan McNaney struggled early on, producing just three saves on the eight shots on frame in the first half. However, his presence was felt in the latter two periods of play, as he gathered five saves and conceded three goals.

Blue Jays’ attacker Charlie Iler knotted the game at eight on their first possession of the fourth quarter. That would be the team’s last goal, as three consecutive Maryland scores sealed Johns Hopkins’ fate.

While Eric Spanos was held scoreless for the third time this season, it didn’t matter. The trio of Erksa, Kelly and Whittier accounted for eight goals to shoulder the load.

The Terps will have an extended break with a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament, returning to action on May 1 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.