Return to Byrd Stadium a success for Maryland
Rain, wind, cold, and an 11 a.m. start made for a less-than-hospitable return to Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium for the Maryland lacrosse team Saturday.
But the Terrapins had no trouble warming to the task, leading all the way in a routine 12-8 victory over Towson.
Getting goals from seven different players — and only one from its top four scorers — Maryland (4-0) beat Towson (0-3) for the 16th straight time in the regular season. Second-line midfielders Drew Snider, John Haus, and Michael Shakespeare — all underclassmen — scored two goals each as the Terps demonstrated their depth.
“They’re really growing. We need them to be good,” said Maryland coach Dave Cottle. “Snider’s been a guy who’s been pretty good from beginning to end. John Haus has kind of come out of nowhere. And Michael Shakespeare is a guy who was a talented recruit.”
It was the first game at Byrd since Maryland hosted an opening-round game in the NCAA tournament in 2008. The Terps played home games last year at Ludwig Field while Tyser Tower underwent renovation.
“It was my first game at Byrd. Everybody was glad to be out there,” said Shakespeare, a sophomore. “It was a lot of fun, despite the weather.”
Also contributing for Maryland were junior attack Ryan Young (two goals) and sophomore attack Joe Cummings (two goals). The Terps also got stellar play from its extra-man defense, which allowed Towson to score only once in eight opportunities.
“The whole thing comes down to man-up. You gotta score in those situations,” said Towson coach Tony Seaman. “They did and we didn’t. That’s the difference.”
Defensive standouts were long-stick midfielders Brian Farrell (one goal) and Dan Halayko (four ground balls) who caused three turnovers each.
Maryland feasted in the first half on former Terps’ practice goalie Rob Wheeler (six saves), building an 8-3 lead. But in the second half, Seaman went with junior Travis Love (seven saves), who got the Tigers back in the game.
Towson cut the lead to 9-7 early in the fourth quarter behind senior midfielder Will Harrington (three goals) and junior attack Tim Stratton (two goals, one assist). But the Terps’ second midfield responded, Shakespeare scoring on a rebound and Haus beating a defender, going left, and firing past Love to put Maryland back in command, 11-7, with 7:20 to go.
“Other teams are preparing so much for that first midfield, with so many weapons on it, that it opens things up for us,” said Shakespeare. “They don’t know what sets we’re running or a lot of the plays.”
The Terps enjoyed their return to Byrd, but the Tigers found the place and the conditions difficult to deal with
“It was that kind of day. It’s a muddy field and you can’t get your feet underneath you,” said Seaman. “If [they] could play all their games this year on that kind of field, they might be national champions.”
