Lax Film Review: Maryland/Cornell

Maryland’s talented freshmen class was a big reason that the Terrapins were able to climb back into Saturday’s game. (Mandatory Credit: Bosley Jarrett/InsideLacrosse)

• Connor Cannizzaro: Aggressive while remaining patient: Cannizzaro continues to look like a grizzled veteran, especially behind the cage. It’s hard to believe that he is a just a freshman. Many young players will try to force things from anywhere on the field and take any shot that may or may not be available to them. The New York native is very selective and waits to take his shot or dish a pass off to a teammate. With 13:41 remaining in the second quarter, Cannizzaro received a pass from midfielder Mike Chanenchuk and took his time making a move. He was able to dart towards the front of the cage, draw a defender, and feed the ball back to Chanenchuk, who got off a really strong shot that drew iron. Obviously, the end result wasn’t what Maryland was hoping for, but it showed the patience of Cannizzaro and how much poise this sensational freshman has.
• A healthy Mike Chanenchuk sparks the Terps: Coming into the 2014 season, most of the talk surrounding Maryland was centered around the stellar incoming recruiting class. Guys like Matt Rambo and Cannizzaro were all the rage and for good reason. The Terps aren’t in the NCAA quarterfinal round without them. However, Chanenchuk remains as the most important piece. It is abundantly clear how much better of a team Maryland is when the senior midfielder is at 100 percent. It has been a few games since it has seemed that way for Chanenchuk. He suffered an ankle injury against Notre Dame in the ACC tournament semifinal. While he finished that game, he hasn’t been the same. That was until last Saturday against Cornell. When Chanenchuk was hampered by the injury, it seemed as though he had trouble planting his foot. Maryland’s leading scorer had no problem abusing the Big Red on a few occasions. When Chanenchuk is healthy, he makes it look effortless. With the Terps trailing 4-0 in the second quarter of their first round contest, they badly needed something to turn the momentum and the senior obliged. With 6:01 remaining in the quarter, Chanenchuk emerged from behind the cage with just a single defender on his hip and got off what looked to be an easy shot to put Maryland on the board. The New York native is more than just a scorer. He’s a playmaker that is unselfish and always is aware of the situation. Early in the third quarter, Chanenchuk set up Rambo in front of the cage and the play ultimately resulted in a rebound goal for Jay Carlson. It’s not always about what makes it onto the stat sheet when it comes to Chanenchuk. Every trip down the field, the offense runs through the senior midfielder. When Maryland has only a few seconds to spare in a tie game, whose number did they dial up? You guessed it: Chanenchuk.
• Maryland trailing early not for lack of offensive effort: If you didn’t know any different, you likely wouldn’t have thought that the Terps trailed by a lopsided margin at the half. Maryland had an 18-17 shots advantage and also was even in the ground ball category (10-10). They were peppering Cornell goalie Christian Knight, but it seemed like one of those games where Knight was going to stand on his head. Knight ended up looking far more human in the second half, but s made 13 saves. Cornell’s defense did give Maryland fits at times and forced the Terps to do a ton of dodging before they were even close enough for a shot. A sense of fatigue may have set in, but Maryland’s execution and determination were certainly there.