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.

Related

The Chesapeake Bay’s sheltered estuary supports countless calm, relaxing waterfront towns throughout. In Oxford, Maryland, the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry and the public shoreline at The Strand turn a small historic village into a place for scenic crossings and sailboat views. In Tangier, Virginia, ferry arrivals and meals at Hilda Crockett’s Chesapeake House make the island feel both remote and unforgettable. If you want to relax by the water, there’s no place like the Chesapeake Bay, and the 11 towns below prove it.

Oxford, Maryland

Oxford occupies a pocket of Maryland’s Eastern Shore at the mouth of the Tred Avon, with quiet lanes, colonial-era buildings, and a waterfront woven tightly into daily life. The Oxford-Bellevue Ferry, operating since 1683, remains the defining attraction, carrying passengers across the Tred Avon on one of the oldest privately run ferry routes in the country. On South Morris Street, the Oxford Museum traces the area’s past as a tobacco port through maritime artifacts, maps, and exhibits tied to local commerce. The Strand supplies a rare public shoreline in a village of private docks, with a narrow beach, open sightlines, and a front-row place to watch sailboats tack offshore. The Robert Morris Inn rounds out the visit inside a 1710 structure known for its brick architecture and polished dining near the ferry dock.

Tilghman Island, Maryland

Tilghman Island stretches into Talbot County’s southern waters where the Choptank meets the Chesapeake, with crab shacks, docks, and low horizons defining the approach. Black Walnut Point Natural Resources Management Area gives the landscape its wildest expression, with a path leading to the island’s southern tip for birding, breezes, and wide-open scenery. The Tilghman Watermen’s Museum captures the character of the community through workboat history, oral traditions, and exhibits devoted to crabbers and oystermen. Phillips Wharf Environmental Center shifts the focus to ecology with tanks, displays, and programs centered on regional fisheries and estuarine life. Wylder Hotel Tilghman Island provides the most polished dining-and-lodging option, pairing marina views with Tickler’s Crab Shack for a meal rooted in the local catch.

Betterton, Maryland

Betterton lines a small stretch of Kent County shoreline on the upper Chesapeake, where bluffs and the nearby Sassafras create a broader outlook than most Bay communities offer. Betterton Beach is the main draw, with sand, a boardwalk, a fishing jetty, and a public landing that keeps the shoreline open and usable. The Betterton Heritage Museum preserves the community’s resort-era identity through photographs, artifacts, and the restored Betterton Fishing Ark. Sassafras adds a high-end restaurant in a cottage overlooking the shoreline, with a tasting menu built around regional seafood and carefully sourced produce. The old street plan still reveals the settlement’s summer-colony roots, with roads laid out to pull attention straight toward the water.

Vienna, Maryland

Vienna stands along the Nanticoke in Dorchester County, a compact old port where historic homes sit close to the road and the waterway remains central to the setting. Emperor’s Landing Park offers the easiest way to experience the shoreline, with a riverwalk, floating docks, and space for launching kayaks or watching boats pass under changing light. Inside the restored Nanticoke Inn, the Nanticoke River Discovery Center explores Captain John Smith’s 1608 voyage and the history of the Nanticoke people with a far more specific focus than a standard local-history site. Nearby, Handsell Historic Site preserves an eighteenth-century dwelling, a reconstructed Native longhouse, and the layered record of Native, European, and African American lives. Millie’s Road House adds a casual finish with oysters, crab cakes, and Eastern Shore staples served right in the center of the village.

Rock Hall, Maryland

Rock Hall spreads along the Chester in Kent County, with slips, deadrise boats, and working docks marking one of the most boat-centered communities on the Chesapeake. Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, just south of town, brings in the natural side with trails, eagle sightings, and expansive views across the Bay and adjacent marsh. The Waterman’s Museum preserves the area’s maritime identity through exhibits on crabbing, oystering, fishing, and the labor that shaped the waterfront economy. The Mainstay gives the place an unexpected cultural edge, hosting live music in a compact venue on North Main Street that has become a serious destination for performers and audiences alike. Waterman’s Crab House anchors the dining scene with dockside tables, marina activity, and a seafood menu tied closely to local tradition.

Chesapeake City, Maryland

Chesapeake City rises above the south bank of the C&D Canal in Cecil County, where steep streets, brick sidewalks, and passing cargo ships create one of the most dramatic settings in the region. The C&D Canal Museum, inside the old pump house, explains the engineering behind the canal and the way it transformed trade along this corridor. Schaefer’s Canal House brings the dining scene into view with a deck suspended over the canal, placing diners close to the freighters moving through town. Chesapeake City Bridge supplies the strongest visual landmark, arching high above the canal and framing enormous vessels against the town’s compact historic core. Pell Gardens softens the industrial scale with formal landscaping, benches, and a lookout that works especially well for evening light and ship watching.

Smith Island, Maryland

Smith Island lies in Somerset County far out in Maryland’s lower Chesapeake, a marsh-fringed cluster of settlements connected by narrow roads and reached only by boat. The Smith Island Cultural Center in Ewell gives the clearest introduction to the place through exhibits on local speech, island life, and the watermen who sustained it. Martin National Wildlife Refuge spreads across the southern reaches with wetlands, birdlife, and a sense of remoteness that feels unlike mainland destinations. Drum Point Market supplies one of the signature local picks, serving crab cakes and slices of the famous multi-layer Smith Island Cake near the dock. Tangier Sound Watermen’s Heritage Tours adds a close working look at crab pots, boats, and the rhythms that continue to shape everyday life here.

Tangier, Virginia

Tangier sits roughly 12 miles off Virginia’s Eastern Shore in the middle of the Chesapeake, a remote Accomack County community reached by ferry or small plane and shaped by channels, docks, and narrow lanes. Tangier Island Cruises turns the trip out into part of the appeal, carrying visitors across Tangier Sound and emphasizing the island’s separation from the mainland. The Tangier Island History Museum offers the strongest historical grounding, with exhibits on commercial fishing, island settlement, and traditions that still define the community. The Tangier water trails invite paddling through marsh edges and quiet channels where wildlife is often closer than other people. Hilda Crockett’s Chesapeake House remains the best-known meal destination, serving crab cakes and other traditional dishes in a setting long associated with island hospitality.

Onancock, Virginia

Onancock sits along Onancock Creek in Accomack County, a deep-water port community on Virginia’s Eastern Shore where old buildings and a working marina still shape the waterfront. Ker Place, the 1799 Federal mansion operated by the Eastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society, stands out for its architecture and its detailed interpretation of the region’s merchant past. The Onancock Wharf and Marina makes access easy with a kayak launch and dinghy dock that pull visitors directly into the waterside setting. Hopkins & Bro. Store preserves the feel of a nineteenth-century mercantile building while now housing Mallards at the Wharf. North Street Playhouse gives the village a lively evening option through live productions staged in the middle of a compact historic district lined with galleries and porches.

Reedville, Virginia

Reedville occupies a stretch of Virginia’s Northern Neck in Northumberland County, where Cockrell’s Creek leads toward the Chesapeake and old captains’ houses still define the village streetscape. The Reedville Fishermen’s Museum explains the place best, with exhibits on the menhaden industry, regional workboats, and the fishing economy that built the community. Victorian Main Street shows off the prosperity of that era through ornate houses and a remarkably intact late-nineteenth-century streetscape. Public viewpoints along Cockrell’s Creek bring marinas, deadrise boats, and constant boat traffic into the foreground without requiring a formal excursion. The Crazy Crab supplies a strong dining option, pairing seafood with dockside seating that keeps the maritime setting visible throughout the meal.

Deltaville, Virginia

Deltaville sits in Middlesex County where Jackson Creek and the Piankatank meet the Chesapeake, a low-lying boating center known for marinas, boatyards, and sheltered access to open water. The Deltaville Maritime Museum provides the strongest historical draw, especially through the restored 1924 buyboat F.D. Crockett, which offers a full-scale link to the region’s commercial past. Holly Point Nature Park adds trails, gardens, a kayak launch, and shoreline scenery across 36 acres beside Mill Creek. Fishing Bay Marina represents the area’s sailing culture with deep-water slips and quick access to cruising grounds on the Piankatank. The replica Stingray Point Lighthouse supplies the most recognizable landmark, tying the waterfront scene to the navigation history that shaped this corner of the Bay.

From ferry rides in Oxford to the quiet remoteness of Tangier, these Chesapeake Bay towns show how much variety fits around one estuary. Some stand out for marsh trails and birding, others for crab houses, old inns, and working docks, but all keep the water close. That mix of history, scenery, and local character is what makes this region such an easy place to slow down and stay awhile.