Maryland busts through
Terrapins win national crown
FOXBORO — Junior attack Tim Rotanz scored his sixth hat trick of the season as Maryland exorcised decades of frustration in the NCAA Division 1 men’s lacrosse tournament by defeating Ohio State, 9-6, yesterday to capture the 2017 title at Gillette Stadium.
Top- seeded Maryland (16-3), which claimed men’s titles in 1973 and 1975, appeared in the championship game nine times since last winning without taking home the trophy.
“It never came up. We never dwelled on it. We just focused on being the best team that we could this season,” said Maryland coach John Tillman, whose Terrapins lost the last two finals to Denver (2015) and North Carolina (2016). “We could have let last year impact this year except for our senior leadership which made sure we put it behind us and gave ourselves a chance.”
Tillman did lose a bet to his players, however, after promising he would get a tattoo if Maryland won the championship. “They actually just brought it up, so the secret is out. It may be the smallest tattoo in the history of tattoos,” Tillman said. “Can you get a tattoo on the bottom of your foot?”
Because Maryland beat Boston College in the women’s national championship game on the same field 24 hours earlier, the school accomplished the combined sweep that only North Carolina (2016) and Princeton (1994) did in the past.
The championship game drew a crowd of 28,971, the largest for a title match since 2012, the last time the event was held at Gillette Stadium. That year drew a crowd of 30,816.
Yesterday’s win was keyed by Rotanz, who finished the season with 33 goals. He got two-goal support from senior attack Dylan Maltz and junior midfielder Adam DiMillo.
Maryland senior defender Tim Muller was selected as the Most Outstanding Player after sparking a Terps’ defense that shut down Ohio State for one span of 24 minutes, 15 seconds while keeping the Buckeyes scoreless for the entire third quarter.
“That first day before the selection show, there was no one in that locker room that didn’t think we were going to play another three weeks,” said Ohio State coach Nick Myers, a Kennebunk, Maine, native and Springfield College alum. “I truly believe that we belong here on this stage in the (national semifinals) weekend, and believe that we’ll be back.”
The Buckeyes (16-5), who established a program mark for wins, broke on top when senior attack Austin Shanks connected with his 15th goal at the 3:58 mark. But Maryland assumed a 3-2 lead by the end of the first quarter on goals by Rotanz, DiMillo, and topscorer Connor Kelly, who had his 46th goal.
Maryland upped the tempo in the second quarter. Senior attack Matt Rambo, the Terps’ career leader in goals (155) and points (257), had his initial shot flicked aside by Buckeyes goalie Tom Carey (13 saves). Maryland retained possession and Maltz swung the cage before snapping home his 28th goal. DiMillo, who entered the game with only three goals this season, connected for his second of the game off an assist from Rambo, to make it 5-2 at halftime.
Terps goalie Dan Morris (11 saves) was doing yeoman duty at the back end, foiling a nice bid by Ohio State’s ever-dangerous Eric Fannell (seven shots, zero points) while the defense limited OSU freshman star Tre Leclaire, who had 49 goals this season, to one goal and two points.
Ohio State made a late run behind goals from Jake Withers, Leclaire and Johnny Pearson, to cut its deficit to 8-6. But Rotanz cemented matters for Maryland on a long shot with one minute to go.