COLLEGE PARK — Being the defending national champions and the No. 1 team in the country according to both major polls doesn’t make you impervious.
The Maryland men’s lacrosse team hosted Ohio State on Sunday at Capital One Field, looking for its sixth straight win in a rematch of last year’s national title game. Instead, Ohio State avenged its loss by upsetting the Terrapins, 12-10.
Maryland (10-2, 3-1 Big Ten) had beaten Ohio State in the NCAA Championship Game last May and the Big Ten Championship Game a few weeks before that.
It is not a major blemish on the resume of an NCAA Tournament favorite, but Maryland likely will fall out of the No. 1 ranking in the new week’s polls.
Maryland star Connor Kelly finished with four goals and an assist, upping his season totals to 36 goals and 29 assists in 12 games. Colin Chell posted four goals and an assist for Ohio State and Jack Jasinski had two goals and five assists.
The Buckeyes (7-6, 2-2 Big Ten) controlled the game by scoring early goals in both halves and outstripping Maryland 17-9 in faceoffs, including all six faceoffs in the second quarter.
“(We) kind of came back, caught ourselves and kept battling. Just couldn’t seem to get ahead,” Terrapins coach John Tillman said. “They do a great job of having a long possession, kind of bleeding it down and capitalizing and getting some inside shots, and they did a really good job of attacking the interior of our defense.”
The Terrapins’ only other loss this year came by one goal to Albany when the Great Danes were the No. 1 team in the country.
Though the Buckeyes were dangerous and finished as NCAA runners-up last season, they suffered a five-game losing slide in March and April and fell out of the national top 20.
Ohio State raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first four minutes, before Maryland even brought the ball to the Buckeyes’ side of the field. Logan Wisnauskas, Kelly and Tim Rotanz soon scored for Maryland to tie it, and Kelly’s second goal in the mid-second quarter gave the Terrapins their first lead of the game, 5-4.
The Buckeyes kept it tight and brought the game to a 6-6 tie at halftime. But they pulled off another hot start in the second half, nearly identical to the first half — three goals in four minutes.
Maryland redshirt freshman Anthony DeMaio tied the game at nine in the fourth quarter with a slick shot over his shoulder while stepping away from the net. But Ohio State came back immediately when Chell picked up a ground ball to create a 2-on-1 breakaway, resulting in one of Jackson Reid’s three goals. Hank Bethke added the Buckeyes’ 11th goal before the team effectively ran out the clock.
Revenge for last year’s title game was not of great concern to the Buckeyes, Chell said.
“I think this year we just had a new mindset,” he said. “Last year was last year and this was a new season.
The Terrapins’ final regular season date is a visit to Johns Hopkins, ranked No. 7 in last week’s polls, Saturday in Baltimore. After that, the Big Ten Tournament will take place May 3 and May 5 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the NCAA Tournament begins on May 12 at campus sites.
Tillman did not sound worried as he discussed the Terrapins’ resilience in attempting a comeback against the Buckeyes, a message that could apply equally to the upcoming postseason.
“You don’t let your environment dictate your attitude,” Tillman said. “We’re gonna have moments where we’re gonna be down. We don’t focus on the scoreboard. It’s about making the next play, it’s about sticking together and believing in each other.”
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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