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Maryland Lacrosse: Terps look to stay hot as Big Ten play begins

By Chris Bengel

May 17, 2015; Annapolis, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins midfielder Bryan Cole (45) shoots during the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Maryland Terrapins defeated North Carolina Tar Heels 14-7. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2015; Annapolis, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins midfielder Bryan Cole (45) shoots during the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Maryland Terrapins defeated North Carolina Tar Heels 14-7. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Maryland lacrosse team is currently riding a five-game winning streak.

The Terrapins will look to remain hot as Big Ten play begins on Saturday.

Maryland is coming off a 13-8 victory over Penn on Tuesday in which they played superb second half defense. The Quakers came into the game averaging 11.25 goals-per-game, which is currently 19th in the nation.

To put that into perspective, the lethal offense of Maryland averages just 10.88 goals per contest despite a recent surge.

The Terps forced four second half turnovers and received seven key second half saves from goalie Kyle Bernlohr to preserve the win. Bernlohr reached his season-high in saves (10).

Special teams play was also very important for the Terps against the Quakers. Freshman Austin Henningsen won 15-of-20 face-offs while Maryland won 18-of-25 as a team.

The offense continued to click after a tremendous performance last Saturday against North Carolina.

Maryland outshot Penn 47-27 and had four players with three or more points. Attackmen Colin Heacock and Matt Rambo each had three goals and an assist.

Midfielder Bryan Cole and attackman Dylan Maltz added two goals and an assist apiece for the Terps.

Maltz is quietly becoming one of the top offensive options for Maryland as of late. Over the last three games, Maltz has four goals and two assists to help take some of the scoring load off Heacock and Rambo.

Cole continues to be a great facilitator as he leads the team in assists (11). The Canadian star has an assist in each of his last three games.

Keys to victory for Maryland

  • Slow down Ryan Jackson – Michigan star attackman Ryan Jackson is the program’s all-time leader in goals and points. In 2016, Jackson has a team-high 23 goals and six assists (second on the team). This is a player that Maryland will have to key on and try to slow down. It’s definitely a doable task for a Terps defensive unit that only allows 7.88 goals-per-game this season. Tim Muller is coming off another Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor, so his play will certainly be key in trying to stifle Jackson.

    • Keep offense clicking on all cylinders

    – The Maryland offense has been absolutely sensational during the current winning streak. Over the last five games, the Terps are averaging 12.6 goals-per-game and playing their best lacrosse of the season. During coach John Tillman’s tenure in College Park, Maryland is 56-4 when they score 10 or more goals. As we

    wrote

    earlier this week, this may be the most talented offensive attack that Tillman has had during his time at Maryland. With Cole, Heacock, and Rambo playing at such a high level, there’s few teams that can slow the Terps down.

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  • Henningsen at the “X” – In recent years, Maryland had a luxury that not many teams have had on the gridiron. Charlie Raffa was an absolute stud at the “X,” and was as tough as nails. With Raffa graduating, it was unclear who would step in and fill the void left by Raffa. However, freshman Austin Henningsen hasn’t left the team missing their former star too much as he was won 63.8 percent (90-of-141) of his face-offs in 2016. As was mentioned above, Henningsen won 15 of his 20 face-offs against Penn on Tuesday. The name of the game in lacrosse is to score and win the next face-off, so it’s basically a game of make-it-take-it. If Henningsen can continue his outstanding play, it makes the Terps that much more dangerous of a team.