Maryland Elated, UNC Doomed by Fluky Goal
by Nelson Coffin | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
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| Maryland's Dean Hart shuts off UNC's Sean Delaney
during the Terps 8-7 win on Saturday. © John Strohsacker/LaxPhotos.com |
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- A couple of mistakes and a huge bad break conspired to deny North Carolina its first victory over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent in almost five years -- a span of 20 games -- in a gut-wrenching 8-7 loss Saturday to Maryland at Ludwig Field in College Park.
Conversely, the Terps (6-2) claimed their second straight conference victim while bracing for a noon date with top-ranked Virginia on March 28 in Charlottesville.
Maryland senior goalie Jason Carter summed up the fluke goal that put the resorceful Terps (6-2) over the top.
"I feel bad for Grant," Carter said referring to UNC senior netminder Grant Zimmerman. "But I'll take it."
The gift came with 7:47 remaining and the score deadlocked, 7-7.
Maryland midfielder Dan Groot fired a left-handed shot that glanced off a defender's stick, hopped above helmet level and was either knocked into the goal by a defender or bounced into the net on its own, depending upon the angle at which it was viewed.
Groot was credited with his third goal of the game on the play, which gave him a game-high four points -- one of the few statistical advantages for the Terps.
Carolina (7-3) easily won the battle for ground balls (47-30), shots (36-21) and faceoffs (19-2), although it also turned the ball over more often (22-17), garnered less saves (10-8) and failed to convert its sole extra-man opportunity.
Senior faceoff specialist Shane Walterhoefer destroyed Maryland's trio at the faceoff X, grabbing possession after possession from Jeff Reynolds, Dan Burns and Jake Bernhardt, who played in lieu of injured starter Bryn Holmes.
"We told the kids that if we win 65 percent of our clears, and get 65 perecnt of the faceoffs, we'd be OK. The only thing we, as coaches, could fix were the clears," said Terps head coach Dave Cottle.
Holmes wasn't the only Terp who failed to answer the opening bell. Sophomore Brett Schmidt joined fellow longstick Brian Farrell -- who missed his sixth straight game with a severe rib and chest injury -- on the sideline.
When fill-in Ryder Bohlander went out early in the contest, senior Anthony Costanzo was the next man up for Maryland's defense.
"I was ready," Bohlander said. "We were well prepared for them."
UNC was also hampered by injuries, including starting close defender Jack Ryan. His replacement, junior Michael Jarvis, did a nice job on Maryland's leading scorer Grant Catalino, who still managed a pair of scores.
Catalino's first goal began a back-and-forth tussle that was leaning toward the visitors after senior middie Ben Hunt found Delaney for a 7-5 Tar Heel advantage early in the final period.
Reynolds and Notre Dame transfer Will Yeatman then struck back for the Terps, creating their own time and room to solve Zimmerman.
Then came Groot's miracle and Carolina's demise.
"There's not much to say," first-year UNC coach Joe Breschi said. "We played hard and we were relentless. We had two mental lapses on allowing Yeatman to get to the top side and on a pick play for Reynolds. It's a devaststing loss, but we have improved."
