No. 12 Maryland men’s lacrosse escapes past No. 9 Ohio State in overtime 8-7 – WMUC Sports

No. 12 Maryland men’s lacrosse returned home to face off against No. 9 Ohio State, with the Terps being the second game of a women’s and men’s lacrosse doubleheader at SECU Stadium.

Cathy Reese’s women’s team continued its undefeated season and it was her son, Riley Reese, who was the story for the men’s team. A five-goal first quarter, along with an impressive defensive performance that was capped off by Reese’s game-winner, gave Maryland a much-needed 8-7 overtime win Saturday night.

Ohio State’s defense has been arguably the best in the country up to this point. The Buckeyes have allowed just seven goals per game this season, including multiple games holding teams to five or fewer goals.

Despite this, Maryland’s attack got going early.

The Terps scored five goals in the first quarter, including a 4-0 run to open the game. Leo Johnson led the offense, assisting twice and scoring a goal of his own during the opening run.

But the first quarter was the only time Maryland’s offense looked good all game, only scoring twice for the remainder of regulation, including a zero-goal fourth quarter.

“Two goals in three quarters … you’re really not scoring a lot of goals,” head coach John Tillman said. “We’ll put a lot of time in. We just got to help these guys be better.”

Maryland applied pressure, but struggled to convert on their chances. The Terps scored just one goal in each of the second and third quarters, despite having 16 shots and nine shots on goal over that stretch.

The turnover issues resurfaced, a problem for Maryland all year. The Terps average over 14 per game, and after only one in the first quarter, Maryland turned it over nine times in the last three quarters.

With the offensive struggles, Maryland looked to faceoffs to keep the attack afloat. The Terps pair of Henry Dodge and Jonah Carrier delivered, winning 12 of 18 from the spot.

Dodge was dominant, winning 8-of-10 face-offs, including the lone face-off in the overtime period.

With the offense scuffling throughout most of the game, it was the defense that came through for Maryland. Coming off one of its best defensive games of the season last week, Maryland built on that performance again against the Buckeyes.

Ohio State lacked rhythm on offense, aided by Maryland forcing 12 turnovers. The Terps’ defensive prowess was amplified in the second half, as they allowed just two goals.

The backline was able to keep pressure away from Brian Ruppel, allowing just 17 shots on goal throughout the game. Ruppel performed when needed, making 10 saves good for a .558 save percentage.

With the Terps attack scoring four times on their first five shots on goal, Ohio State goalkeeper Caleb Fyock looked to be on his way to a second straight bad performance in Big Ten play.

Fyock rebounded in the second quarter, ending with eight total saves heading into the break and keeping Maryland from building on its early lead.

The junior dominated the rest of the game and completely locked up the Maryland attack, making multiple big saves.

“Give their defense credit, you look at what they’ve done all year, they’ve been rock solid.” Tillman said. “Caleb [Fyock]’s excellent… hats off to them, they were as advertised.”

Despite Ohio State building on its goalkeeper’s dominance to end the game, its offense lacked the firepower to overcome the early deficit.

The win for the Terps comes at a crucial point in Big Ten play. With just two games remaining in the regular season, Maryland is tied for first place in the Big Ten standings.

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