Terps find solutions at goalie, faceoff spot
With eight returning starters, including five who had been in the lineup since their freshman year, the Maryland men’s lacrosse team entered this season counting on one of its most talented and experienced senior classes in program history.
But to make a run at a national championship, the Terps needed players to take care of two of the most specialized jobs in the sport.
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Enter sophomore faceoff man Curtis Holmes and freshman goalie Niko Amato. When Maryland (12-4) faces defending national champion Duke (14-5) in the NCAA semifinals Saturday, it will be with the two most statistically proficient players at their tasks in the Final Four.
| UP NEXT |
| Maryland vs. Duke |
| When » Saturday, 6:30 p.m. |
| Where » M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore |
| TV » ESPN2 |
While Holmes has won 62.8 percent of his draws to rank seventh in Division I, Amato has stopped 57.8 percent of the shots he has faced, ranking eighth.
“Coming into the year, our main concern was our goalie and our faceoff guy,” senior defender Max Schmidt said. “Now it’s the thing we go into games most comfortable with.”
Any concerns that the first-year starters would feel pressure in the NCAA tournament have been dispelled as well. In wins over North Carolina and Syracuse, Holmes won 26 of 36 faceoffs, while Amato has saved 22 of 33 shots.
“I don’t think there’s anyone doubting them now,” said Grant Catalino, who scored the winning goal in overtime Sunday against Syracuse.
Amato has been strong from the start. In the third game of his career, he made 19 saves in a 9-8 loss to Duke. The 5-foot-8, 185-pound Amato was heavily recruited out of LaSalle College High in Philadelphia. According to coach John Tillman, a redshirt season last year paid dividends. He apprenticed under 2010 starter Brian Phipps, now a first-year assistant.
“Brian was very professional, very mature and a tremendous leader,” Tillman said. “How he went about his business was great for Niko.”
Holmes, from McDonogh School in Baltimore, had a different kind of indoctrination as a faceoff man. He had to scrap against older brothers and former Maryland players Travis (2004-07) and Bryn (2007-10).
“Because he’s a younger brother, he’s been beat up a lot, so he’s tough,” Tillman said. “He’s not afraid to get out there over and over again, regardless of how many butt-kickings he’s taken. He has a little of everything. He’s low to the ground. He’s quick. He’s also smart. He’ll make adjustments on the fly.”
Holmes needed to adjust after a disastrous preseason scrimmage against Loyola. Afterward, one of the Greyhounds’ coaches told Tillman, “You guys stink at faceoffs.”
“Coaches really put a lot of pressure on him in the fall,” senior midfielder Dan Burns said. “They said, ‘Hey, you’re gonna be our guy.’ He’s really become a force.”
On Saturday, Amato and Holmes will play on the biggest stage of their respective careers. To this point, they’ve handled everything without a hitch.
“I’m a pretty confident guy,” Amato said. “In high school, I came from a great program with a great coaching staff. We won a couple championships. Obviously a high school championship can’t compare to a Final Four. I just take each step one at a time.”
