No. 8 Maryland men’s lacrosse falls in Big Ten Tournament Semifinals to No. 11 Penn State, 8-6

Photo courtesy of Norah Copenhaver/Maryland Athletics.

No. 8 Maryland men’s lacrosse (7-6, 3-2 B1G) has had a roller coaster season, and the same problems that have haunted the Terps all year appeared on Thursday afternoon. 

Maryland met No. 11 Penn State (8-5, 3-2 B1G) in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal – the regular season meeting between the two ended in pure dominance by the Nittany Lions. The Terps were coming off their grittiest game all season, but struggles in the mid field and offensively ended them in an 8-6 loss to Penn State. 

One of Tillman’s keys to this game was being able to start out hot – Penn State outshot Maryland by 10 in the regular season matchup. 

The Terps did just that, as Eric Spanos struck first to give Maryland the early lead. The Terps defense looked dominant early, and the offense was moving the ball efficiently even though shots weren’t falling. 

This only lasted for so long. Maryland would go nearly 20 minutes without scoring another goal – one of its longest stretches without points all season. 

The defense did everything they could, especially at the start of the game. They held the Nittany Lions scoreless until the 4:57 mark of the first quarter – the longest stretch to start a game without a goal during Penn State’s season so far. 

The Terps dug themselves into a hole that they once again couldn’t get out of. In a defensive slugfest type of game, Maryland was still able to get 32 shots off – only 14 of those shots were actually on goal. This has been a constant struggle for the Terps all season long. 

Maryland has also struggled in transition. As a team that doesn’t really ride that strongly compared to others, their clearances have been sub-par. 

The Terps performed well against a Rutgers team that has been known for the 10 man ride all season, but the Nittany Lions’ ride was too much for Maryland to handle. The Terps’ offense had 12 turnovers throughout the game, and failed four clears. Every clear felt like it came on a long defensive possession, and those extra possessions gave Penn State the extra goals that they needed to win. 

Leo Johnson and Eric Spanos were the only players on the Maryland offense that were able to generate consistent offense. Spanos had three points with two goals throughout the game, and Johnson was able to add two more. 

The lack of offense was a trend for the Terps against Penn State – their two lowest scoring games of the season came against the Nittany Lions, with six goals in each. 

Face offs – a bright spot all season– were a problem throughout the game. Maryland only won 7-of-18 on the dot, and Henry Dodge – who’s led the Terps in face-offs all season – only went 4-of-10. 

Maryland was stuck in a two goal deficit for most of the game, but the Terps were able to bring the game back to within one in the fourth. In every one of those situations, Maryland wasn’t able to win the face-off to get an opportunity to tie the game. 

Brian Ruppel and the Terps defense kept the game close. They were able to force 19 Penn State turnovers, as well as an on-goal shooting percentage of .481 (13-of-27). Maryland actually has more shots on goal than the Nittany Lions did despite the loss.

Maryland and Penn State were considered to be two of the last teams that would make the NCAA tournament, according to Inside Lacrosse. After the loss, the status of whether or not The Terps season continues is up in the air. All Maryland fans can do is wait and find out.