The Terrapin men’s lacrosse team started off slow in an exhibition at Syracuse on Friday, but showed promise after finding its competitive rhythm.
The scrimmage served as both the first and final preseason competition for the Terps. Last weekend’s blizzard forced cancellation of their two other planned exhibitions. As a result, they “looked rusty,” Coach Dave Cottle said, especially in the first 30 minutes.
The teams started the scrimmage by playing a regulation 60-minute game. The Terps, ranked No. 8 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse preseason media poll, fell behind 4-1 in the first half. Despite a late surge, they lost the No. 1 Orangemen 10-7, hurt by their slow start and sloppy ball movement.
“I thought between the lines, we did not do as good a job as we typically do clearing,” Cottle said. “That’s an area we’ll definitely need to work on.”
But after finding their competitive gear, late, the Terps bested Syracuse in an extra 15-minute period of running time, 3-2, getting a small bit of revenge against the defending national champions, who knocked the Terps out of last season’s NCAA quarterfinals.
The team also saw a small victory in the play of redshirt sophomore midfielder Drew Snider, who led the team with three goals, including two in two minutes in the fourth quarter. After losing their biggest midfield contributors from last season, the team is still searching for a solid midfield rotation, and many players got on the field in the scrimmage to make their case for playing time this season.
The highly touted starting attack faltered out of the gate, with only seven first-half shots. But they rebounded after the disappointing start, led by junior attackman Grant Catalino, who notched a goal and two assists.
The experienced defense provided a bright spot. Max Schmidt and Brett Schmidt matched up well against the Orangemen. And senior goalie Brian Phipps, in his first competition since a knee injury he sustained against Syracuse last May, tied the Orangemen with four saves in the first half in a solid, if not stellar, 30-minute performance.
Kate Yanchulis is The Diamondback’s Terrapin men’s lacrosse team beat writer. She can be reached at kyanchulisdbk@gmail.com.