Riley Reese’s first collegiate goal lifts No. 10 Maryland men’s lacrosse over No. 9 Ohio State in 8-7 overtime thriller

Photo courtesy of Austin DeSisto/Maryland Athletics.

With the game tied at seven in overtime, senior defenseman Riley Reese found himself on the opposite side of the field with the ball in his stick and no one between him and the Buckeyes goalie on the Terps’ senior night. 

Reese buried the ball in the back of the net, earning No. 10 Maryland (5-4, 2-1 B1G) an 8-7 victory over No. 9 Ohio State (8-3, 1-2 B1G) and sending the crowd at SECU Stadium into hysterics.

After dealing with injuries his entire career – taking over captain Will Schaller’s spot after he went down with an injury – Reese scored his first career goal in front of the Maryland fans and his family in a storybook moment. 

The Terps got off to a hot start, finding the back of the net five times in the first quarter – four came unanswered to start the game. The Buckeyes weren’t able to take a lead at any point, but were able to rally in the later quarters to hang around.

In a state of the season where Maryland is in “must win” mode, a home win against a top-10 opponent was an excellent place to start.

Both teams came into the matchup with defensive identities – although they come from different places. 

John Tillman’s defenses have historically been a force to be reckoned with. It was a staple throughout college lacrosse that the Terps win when they hold opponents under 10 goals. 

This didn’t happen until week five for Maryland this season, and along with an injury to captain Will Schaller – who was out again today – the Terps have worked to find their groove back on the defensive end. 

Ohio State has dominated on the defensive side of the ball all season. They’ve had multiple wins this season where six goals were enough to secure a victory. 

“You look at what they’ve done all year, they’ve been rock solid. Caleb’s excellent, they got a better defense, and Travis does a really good job with that defense so hats off to them,” Tillman said. “They were as advertised, I mean Rutgers gets five and Denver gets four, they’ve won some games that way, so they are tough.” 

After making adjustments on the defensive end from Maryland’s early run, the Buckeye defense locked down, starting with Ohio State goalie Caleb Fyock, who had 14 total saves.

The Buckeyes switched between zone and man looks all game, and it gave the Terps problems after the first quarter. 

Maryland’s electric start to the game helped their defense to find its form in back-to-back weeks after having an impressive performance last week against Michigan. 

A lot of the Terps’ hot start can be credited towards Leo Johnson. Throughout the game he had one goal and four assists – three of those points came in the first quarter. 

And after a career-high eight goal game for Eric Spanos, tonight was the opposite – he entered overtime with zero points to his name. He did contribute to the game-winning goal, finding Reese on the doorstep for the win. 

Maryland looked efficient offensively, whether goals were being scored or not. The Terps averaged over 14 turnovers per game coming into the game – they had 10 total, and only three in the first half. 

The Terps also never failed in transition – a factor of this team that has struggled all season long. 

Maryland also came into the game with the eighth ranked face-off unit in college lacrosse. That unit dominated throughout the game, tallying a .667 win-percentage. 

Face-off specialist Henry Dodge led the charge, winning eight of his 10 attempts and further proving how much of an impact he’s made on the dot.

“I know the next couple days we’ll put a lot of time in. We just got to help these guys be better,” Tillman said. 

The Terps have now won two in a row. They’ll look to tack onto their win streak next week, taking on Rutgers back at home on April 11.