The No. 2 Virginia men's lacrosse team scored two goals in 16 seconds to cut a three-goal deficit to one with 1:23 remaining in the game, but No. 7 Maryland's defense proved too tough for the Cavaliers in the final seconds and the Terrapins held on for an 8-7 victory Saturday afternoon at Klockner Stadium.
The loss was the second in a row for the Cavaliers (5-2, 0-1 ACC), who had held the nation's top ranking before falling to then-No. 4 Johns Hopkins on the road last week by the same score.
The Terrapins (6-1, 2-1) fell behind 2-0 early but scored seven unanswered goals and kept Virginia scoreless for over 34 minutes to take control of the game.
"I thought Maryland played a very smart lacrosse game, and we didn't play smart at all," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "I thought they had a plan coming in and they set a deliberate pace on offense that was very different. They had a disciplined approach to what they were able to do and they stuck to it throughout."
Virginia outperformed the Terrapins in most statistical categories Saturday, including face-offs (15-4) and ground balls (38-35) but suffered from sloppy play and poor shot selection.
"We made a lot of mistakes that they capitalized on," senior midfielder Chris Rotelli said. "I felt like we handed them the game. We just weren't ready to play."
Last-second offensive heroics almost saved the game for the struggling Cavaliers. With less than two minutes left and Maryland holding a commanding 8-5 lead, Virginia fought back, however, and a crowd-pleasing behind-the-back shot from sophomore attackman John Christmas found the back of the Maryland net with 1:39 remaining to narrow the Terrapin advantage to two.
Virginia won the ensuing face-off and -- a mere 16 seconds later -- sophomore attackman Joe Yevolli scored on a low bounce shot to the left side to make the score, 8-7. Sophomore Jack deVilliers, who was victorious on a career-high 79 percent of face-offs, won the ensuing draw to give the Cavaliers a chance to even the score.
But Virginia's offensive surge ended there, as Maryland goalie Dan McCormick stoned Christmas to give Maryland the ball back with 40 seconds remaining.
Virginia regained possession after Maryland was called for illegal procedure with 29 seconds left, but McCormick intercepted a Virginia pass across the middle to seal the victory for the Terrapins. In the end, it was too little, too late for the Cavaliers.
"It almost seemed like we were saving something for the end and I don't know why," Rotelli said. "If we play with that kind of intensity throughout the whole game I like our chances against anybody, but we just didn't have that today."
Virginia looked sharp out of the gate yesterday, as senior midfielder Billy Glading's flick to the upper right hand corner of the goal put the Cavaliers up 2-0 with 7:20 left in the first quarter.
Soon thereafter things turned Maryland's way, and the Terrapins grabbed the lead on a low, rolling shot from freshman attackman Joe Walters with 8:43 remaining in the half. Maryland scored three more goals in the last four minutes of the second quarter to gain a 6-2 halftime advantage. The Terrapins have outscored opponents 24-9 in the second quarter this season.
The Cavaliers doubled their goal output in the third quarter on goals from freshman attackman Matt Ward and senior midfielder A.J. Shannon, but the Terrapins regained a four-goal advantage early in the fourth on a low underhand bounce shot from Walters. Maryland would hold onto the lead for the rest of the game.
Rotelli dished out two assists on Virginia's last two goals and led the Cavaliers with four helpers. With two goals, Christmas was the only Cavalier to find the back of Maryland's net more than once.
Walters led the Terrapins with three goals and an assist, registering his third hat trick of the season.
Next Saturday, Virginia will host a No. 8 North Carolina squad that handed Maryland its sole loss of the season, a 10-6 decision at Maryland's Byrd Stadium March 22.
Read More
ISTVAN: Tony Bennett left Virginia in a hole
By Ben Istvan | 5 hours agoHis decision to retire doomed this men's basketball season.
Football lands three additional transfers
By Peter Kriebel | 2 days agoOne common trait that stands out with this most recent batch of transfers is size.
