By Noah Gross
The no. 2 Maryland Men’s Lacrosse team took the game to overtime, but lost to the no.7 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon in Columbus by a score of 11-10.
The game looked like it was going to be a snoozer early on with Maryland up 7-2 at halftime, but the Buckeyes would not go down quietly.
Ohio State, who coming into the game ranked second in the nation at goals allowed per game, struggled defensively against Maryland early. The Terps jumped out to a 6-1 lead under 20 minutes into the showdown.
The Buckeyes settled down after that rough start, showing why they are regarded as one of the best defensive units in the country. Maryland scored once more before the first half ended, but was held without a goal the entire third period.
Ohio State had only three shots on goal and four shots total with eight minutes left in the second quarter. They finished with 17 shots on goal though, just three less than the 20 by Maryland.
The final period saw Ohio State jump out to a two-goal lead with six minutes remaining. Maryland fought back to force overtime, but they would suffer their third loss of the season.
Johnny Pearson scored the Buckeyes’ final goal in regulation, and the final goal of the game to clinch an Ohio State victory.
Dan Morris entered the day with a .545 save percentage, but that average is now not quite as high after losing to Ohio State. Morris saved just six shots and finished with a .353 save percentage on the day.
Tim Rotanz, who came into the game tied for fifth on Maryland in goals at 15, had it going on early. He scored three of those six early goals for the Terps.
If coach John Tillman had to pin the struggles Saturday on one thing, it may be the lack of faceoffs won. Maryland lost the faceoff battle 18-7, really hurting them in the time of possession battle.
Matt Rambo, the team leader in points, stepped up his game when it mattered most. He scored two of his three goals in the final period, including finding the back of the net with around five minutes left to bring Maryland back within one after it looked like the game was slipping away from them. Rambo added two assists to lead Maryland with five points on the day.
There is now a three-way tie at the top of the Big Ten leaderboard. Maryland is tied with Ohio State and its opponent for next week, Johns Hopkins.
The Terps will finish their season next Saturday against No. 8 Johns Hopkins. The game will take place back in College Park at 8 p.m. as two of the top teams in the country battle for conference supremacy.
