Maryland junior midfielder Jeremy Sieverts thought his lacrosse career was finished a little more than a year ago, but now he?s fewer than two months away from it possibly reaching its pinnacle.
Sieverts has six goals and six assists during the third-ranked Terrapins? quest to win their first national title since 1975 ? not bad for someone who never envisioned playing for Maryland.
Sieverts? plan after a stellar career at McDonogh was to lead the rebuilding effort at Butler, which had a fledgling team under Coach Stan Ross. But that changed after his freshman year, when the school in Indianapolis eliminated its men?s lacrosse program, leaving Sieverts, Ross and the rest of the Bulldogs wandering if their days of playing college lacrosse were finished.
But when Maryland (7-2) hosts ninth-ranked Navy (8-2) tonight at 8 at Byrd Stadium, Sieverts and Ross will have a reunion, with Ross in his first season as an assistant coach at Navy and Sieverts in his second year at Maryland. Ross? relationship with Cottle, under whom he assisted at Loyola College in 1996, played a major role in Sieverts being extended an invitation to come to College Park.
“I never expected any of this to happen when I decided to go to Butler,” Sieverts, who had 16 goals and nine assists in 2006 at Butler, said. “I just can?t thank Coach Ross enough for what he did for us and the other players at Butler. He helped us find a new home before he even knew what he was going to do himself. Everything always happens for a reason.”
Tonight?s game is pivotal for both teams, as the winner is in the driver?s seat to secure a berth in the 16-team NCAA Tournament, with the loser still in pretty good shape to make the field as long as it loses no more than once the rest of the way.
Maryland extended its winning streak to three games by posting its biggest victory of the year, a 13-7 thrashing of then-top-ranked Virginia. Navy had itssix-game winning streak end with an 11-10 overtime loss against Georgetown last week.
The Midshipmen, who are 2-2 in overtime games this year, lost, 8-7, in double overtime last season to the Terrapins after winning the previous three meetings.
“We could be 6-4 as easily as we could have been 10-0 this season,” Ross said. “Lacrosse is growing at every level but in Division I, which means there are a lot more quality players now and not all of them can go to Maryland, Johns Hopkins or Duke.”
Ross said he expects a strong showing from Sieverts tonight, just as he has seen from all of his former players who landed at other schools, including Mount St. Mary?s sophomore defender Dan Gassel, who played well in Navy?s 12-5 victory over the Mountaineers last month.
“All of those guys are getting a second chance now,” Ross said. “They were in the position of having something they love being taken away from them, so I think they are playing even harder now because they appreciate what they have.”
