May 10, 2008
by Andy Krauss, Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
COLLEGE PARK, Md.- Coming into its first round NCAA Division I men's lacrosse tournament game against Maryland, Denver averaged 11.3 goals scored. Certainly, there weren't too many stretches during the season that the Pioneers would go more than 30 minutes without scoring a goal.
But that's exactly what foiled Denver in its 10-7 loss Saturday to the Terps at Byrd Stadium.
Down 5-2 with 7:38 left in the second quarter, Maryland held Denver scoreless for the next 30 minutes and eight seconds. In that time, the seventh-seeded Terps scored seven consecutive goals, turning the three-goal deficit into a four-goal lead.
Maryland's defense, anchored by senior Joe Cinosky, allowed Denver just eight shots in that time to help turn the game around. "I thought that Joe was phenomenal," said Maryland head coach Dave Cottle. "Anybody who he was guarding was in trouble. At 5-2, I thought our senior on defense took control of the game. They knocked the ball to the ground and cleared it, giving us some opportunities."
"Nothing changed," Cinosky said of Maryland's defensive game plan. "We just put our heads down and worked through it. This (Maryland's defensive success) wasn't just me. (Defensemen) Ryne Adolph and Jay Baxter allowed me to make plays. Our goalies (Jason Carter and Brian Phipps) played out of their minds today." Carter made three first half saves, while Phipps saved six shots in the second half.
Denver built its first-half lead with smart shot selection and tremendous play by junior goalkeeper Austin Konkel, who made 11 first-half saves. Despite being tied at halftime, the Pioneers were outshot by the Terps, 29-12 in the first half.
Maryland's changing fortunes were also aided in the second quarter by a litany of Denver penalties (four in just over six minutes) that resulted in all three Maryland second quarter goals and a 5-5 tie at halftime.
Denver head coach Jamie Munro expressed the concerns he had during the second half. "We've been a team this year that's been incredibly explosive and, sometimes, that leads to guys trying to do maybe a little too much. The biggest problem came in the third quarter, when we turned it over in transition. Our guys had made big plays all year," Munro said. "Unfortunately, we were taking shots that were out of our range. I was just wishing that our guys would come out in the second half that we came out with in the first half."
The Pioneers turned the ball over 29 times during the game, 16 in the second half.
Denver did give the Terps a bit of a scare late in the game closing Maryland's four-goal lead to two (9-7) with 4:22 left, but Maryland's defense once again clamped down and sealed the game with a Drew Evans goal with just 1:01 left.
Both teams spread out the scoring, as there were only three multiple-goal scorers in the game. Grant Catalino and Max Ritz both scored two goals for the Terps. Ilija Gajic did so for the Pioneers, including the most acrobatic goal of the game in the second quarter.
The Terps now head to the quarterfinals next Saturday in Annapolis, where they await the winner of Sunday's contest between Virginia and UMBC. Maryland split with the second-seeded Cavaliers during the season, defeating them, 13-7, at College Park in the regular season and losing, 11-8, in the ACC tournament at Charlottesville. UMBC beat Maryland, 9-8, in triple overtime in Catonsville earlier this season and in last year's tournament at College Park, 13-9.
