By Christopher Cox
Maryland’s defense faltered in the fourth period for the second game in a row, allowing the Ohio State Buckeyes to score five goals in the final 15 minutes and beat the Terrapins 9-6 Thursday night at Byrd Stadium in a semifinal matchup of the inaugural Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse Tournament.
Maryland was unable to find the back of the net on two man-up advantages in the third period. Ohio State’s Jesse King committed an illegal body check that landed him a 2-minute penalty, but Maryland took a quick shot with the extra-man opportunity and couldn’t bring the ball back into the offensive zone for the rest of the penalty.
“We had two minutes so we had plenty of time, and for having two minutes we really settled for, in my opinion, from my vantage point, we had a really below-average shot … and when you have two minutes … take your time, make sure you get a great one,” coach John Tillman said.
The late surge from the Buckeyes started when David Planning scored his 16th goal of the season with one second remaining in the third period, giving Maryland just a 5-4 lead heading into the final period. Two minutes earlier, the Terps could not score after Ohio State was called for a 30-second holding penalty.
Planning added his second goal roughly three minutes into the fourth period, making the score 6-5 and giving the Buckeyes their first lead of the game. Colin Chell then scored two straight goals, both assisted by Jesse King, to put the Terps down 8-5 and ensure a victory for the Buckeyes with three and a half minutes left in the game.
Maryland’s Jay Carlson tallied his 100th career point when he scored his 27th goal of the season in the third period on an assist from Bryan Cole. Matt Rambo and Joe LoCascio scored 2 goals each for the Terps, giving Rambo 32 and LoCascio 25 for the season.
The Maryland Terrapins will learn who and where they will play in the NCAA Tournament during the 2015 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship Selection Show on Sunday, May 3 at 9 p.m.
