March 29, 2008

by Andy Krauss, Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Six seconds. Seven seconds. Ten seconds.

That's how long it took Maryland's offense to convert victorious faceoffs into goals against Virginia on Saturday afternoon.

In all, the fourth-ranked Terps scored four goals within 10 seconds of faceoffs. Seven of their 13 goals came in the first possession after winning a faceoff in a convincing, 13-7 victory over the top-ranked and previously unbeaten Cavaliers at Byrd Stadium.

Maryland not only jumped on Virginia quickly on faceoffs, but also on the scoreboard, grabbing a 3-0 lead 4:20 into the game and a 5-1 lead after the first quarter. By halftime, the lead had stretched to 9-3.

Winning 10 of 14 first-half faceoffs certainly helped.

Maryland split faceoff duties during this game as it has all year, and senior Will Dalton (8-of-14) and sophomore Bryn Holmes (7-of-9) responded. Dalton matched up against Virginia's Brian McDermott and Holmes against Garrett Ince.

"We felt going into this game that Will would match up better with one guy and Bryn with another," said Terps head coach Dave Cottle. "It worked out."

Holmes agreed. "We stuck with our match-ups and stuck with them," said Holmes. "Our styles just matched up well."

Not to be overlooked was the performance of Maryland junior goalkeeper Jason Carter, who made 15 saves, a career high. Prior to Saturday, Carter and sophomore Brian Phipps had split time nearly down the middle, with neither seizing control of the position.

"Our goalie played his tail off today," said Cottle. "He was outstanding. As much as I respect Brian Phipps, I thought it was Jason Carter's day."

The loss was Virginia's first of the season, as the Cavs, who have won two games in overtime and another two by just two goals, fell to 9-1. Head coach Dom Starsia put the loss into perspective. Maryland improved to 7-2, 2-1 in the ACC.

"Maryland played a great game today," he said. "We didn't match them in terms in of enthusiasm, effort and performance overall. I thought we were ready, but Maryland just made more plays and was up for the task than we were."

The win over Virginia was Maryland's first in its last five tries. The teams could potentially face each other again at the ACC tournament, which will be held in Charlottesville, four weeks from now. Maryland's 13 goals were the most that the Terps had scored against Virginia since 1998.

The game was a historic one of sorts. It was the first regular season game to be nationally televised by ESPN2, with 4,239 fans opting to pass on watching the game at home to enjoy the sun-drenched afternoon and root on these local rivals.

Those fans were relegated to sitting on the north side of Byrd Stadium, however, as the Tyser Tower side is undergoing renovations. Maryland did debut a state-of-the-art LED videoboard, which fans could use to follow the action in high definition.