Today’s game against North Carolina starts a very difficult four-game stretch for the Terrapin men’s lacrosse team.
After facing-off against the No. 8 Tar Heels today, the Terps play No. 2 Virginia, Navy and No. 12 Johns Hopkins in consecutive weeks. The four-game stretch presents some of the No. 5 Terps’ toughest tests this year, and each one carries heavy postseason implications.
But before looking ahead the Terps have to deal with the resurgent Tar Heels (6-2). After losing their second game of the season to Ohio State, 13-8, North Carolina has beat Navy, UMBC, then-No. 9 Penn and then-No.7 Princeton, among others.
The Tar Heels are led by attackmen Billy Bitter and Nicky Galasso and midfielder Marcus Holman, who converted from attack earlier this year after injuries depleted North Carolina’s midfield units. The lethal trio has combined for 70 points this season. Compare that to the Terps’ top-three point scorers — Grant Catalino, Ryan Young and Joe Cummings — who have combined to record 57 points.
Look for Brett Schmidt to match up with Bitter and long poles Brian Farrell and Jesse Bernhardt to apply constant pressure on Holman.
And while both of these teams boast two of the nation’s top offenses, the Terps have a clear advantage in goal. Freshman Niko Amato has impressed so far, recording 62 saves and a 5.53 goals against average in seven games.
The Tar Heels, meanwhile, are in transition at the goalie position. Steven Rastivo (7.0 GAA) replaced senior Chris Madalon (9.43 GAA) after North Carolina lost to Duke, 14-9, on March 17. Rastivo will get his second straight start today.
Today’s game provides a crucial opportunity for both teams to claim an elusive conference victory. Both the Terps and Tar Heels lost to Duke earlier this year and boast an 0-1 record in the ACC. With only one more game remaining in ACC play for both teams, a win today could make the difference between a No. 2 or 4 seed in the ACC Tournament.
Here are today’s starting lineups:
MARYLAND
Attack — Grant Catalino, Ryan Young, Owen Blye (starting for the third straight game in place of the injured Travis Reed)
Midfield — Jake Bernhardt, Drew Snider, John Haus
Defense — Max Schmidt, Brett Schmidt, Ryder Bohlander
Goalie — Niko Amato
Face-off unit — Curtis Holmes, Scott Larue, Brian Farrell
NORTH CAROLINA
Attack — Billy Bitter, Nicky Galasso, Pat Foster
Midfield — Marcus Holman, Jimmy Dunster, Duncan Hutchins
Defense — Kevin Piegare, Ryan Flanagan, Charlie McComas
Goalie — Steven Rastivo
Face-off man — R.G. Keenan
Make sure to check out The Diamondback on Monday for a full recap for today’s action and follow me on Twitter for live, in-game updates.
Jakob Engelke is The Diamondback’s Terrapin men’s lacrosse beat reporter. He can be reached at jengelke@umdbk.com. You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Jakob_Engelke.