Hidden-ball goal helps in rout of North Carolina
Maryland was having so much fun Sunday in its NCAA tournament opener at North Carolina that the Terrapins ran a hidden-ball play, which produced the most memorably goofy goal of a 13-6 victory at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Predictably, it was their comedic ringleader, Brian Farrell, who initiated the trick, flipping an apparent pass underhanded to senior Grant Catalino. But while Catalino made a dodge and took what looked like a shot, Farrell had the ball in his stick. The senior defender passed to wide-open midfielder Drew Snider, who scored the easiest of his four goals past the backside of befuddled Tar Heels goalie Steve Rastivo.
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Who would have guessed it would have been so easy? In his first postseason game as a coach, Maryland’s John Tillman didn’t have to worry about how to pump up his team. The NCAA lacrosse tournament committee took care of that, sending the unseeded Terps to North Carolina to face a team they had beaten three weeks earlier on their way to the ACC championship.
“We didn’t talk a whole lot about how we got wronged,” Tillman said. “[We said] nobody thinks we’re any good. The way to change their minds is to prove it.”
Using the perceived slight for motivation, Maryland put together a complete game. Sophomore midfielder Kevin Cooper (three goals) and senior attack Ryan Young (two goals, three assists) helped propel the offense. Sophomore Curtis Holmes (15 of 22 faceoffs) keyed Maryland’s possession edge, and freshman goalie Niko Amato (13 saves) frustrated the Tar Heels.
With the victory, Maryland (11-4) advances to the quarterfinals Sunday in Foxborough, Mass., against 10-time national champion and top-seeded Syracuse (15-1). The winner moves on to the Final Four Memorial Day weekend at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Maryland was so in control throughout Sunday that it could have rested injured senior standouts Catalino (hand) and Joe Cummings (arm), both of whom had surgery after the ACC tournament.
Maryland also got suffocating defense from senior Max Schmidt, who blanked North Carolina’s top scorer, freshman Nicky Galasso.
