In the most simplistic terms, Maryland's lacrosse season abruptly ended Sunday at Byrd Stadium because it ran into a feistier, more ferocious team with a resplendent star and the ability to slow down a Terrapin offense that proved pedestrian in the second half of the season.
For Maryland, the less said about the 16-8 first-round flameout in the NCAA tournament, the better. The Terps probably weren't beating Rob Pannell (four goals and three assists) and this particular Big Red team when they played like this, but it certainly didn't have to be Maryland's most lopsided home loss in seven years, either.
"In no way does today define our [senior] class," senior long pole Jesse Bernhardt said. "I think we
have a great group and it's a hard thing, but that pain will hopefully
eventually go away."
Still, there was a greater construct at play. There is no way to avoid the perception of this Terp team, and also of what is to come. Maryland's offense, however flawed it was, was built around its seniors.
It now leaves, and with it not only any chance of finally tracking down the championship that eluded the Terps (10-4) on Memorial Day the last two years but also likely for another year after this.
Those paying attention over the last month understood an early exit was quite possible. The offense, aside from a rout of Colgate in the regular-season finale, was neither fluid nor efficient as the postseason fast approached.
But it was an offense with five seniors starting Sunday, all of whom played some role in nudging an unseeded bunch to a national championship game in the last two years. They'd made things happen in the crucible of May before. Why not again?
"We knew from the first day we stepped on campus this year that as
long as we put that hard work in, just continue to get better each and
every day that we could be very good," midfielder John Haus said. "Obviously today, Cornell was a
little better than us. For us to lose this way, it does hurt."
Actually, the Big Red (13-3) was considerably better than their sixth-seeded hosts, and as a reward they will return to Byrd on Saturday to face third-seeded Ohio State with a trip to the final four at stake.
Maryland, 8-1 and ranked No. 1 in the country just a month ago, could easily be viewed as a massive disappointment. Indeed, this was a bitter way for things to unfold for the Terps.
It's also an instructive way to figure out how a team is perceived can be deceptive (and also to offer yet another reminder to place only so much value on any human poll --- or, preferably, none at all).
First, why was Maryland viewed as a national title contender entering the season? Largely on the strength of runner-up finish last year. That ignored a maddeningly inconsistent 9-5 regular season a year ago, one that coach John Tillman never really forgot even as chatter about his team grew thanks to only minimal losses from a season ago.
The next step? Six consecutive victories to open the season, including one against defending national champ Loyola and another a 16-7 evisceration of Duke. The Terps ascended to No. 1 by the end of February, in part because of a couple superb outings and in part because there wasn't a long line of teams to claim the top spot. Somebody had to be No. 1, and in a year without a truly elite team, Maryland was the hunted by default.
But the vulnerabilities were there. Faceoffs weren't always a sure thing. Depth was never established, particularly in the midfield.
Then there was an offense filled with solid players and no superstars, so dependent upon everyone playing well to support everyone else. Midfielder Mike Chanenchuk led Maryland with 23 goals, the fewest needed to top the Terps since 1993.
When a couple starters struggled, Maryland scrambled to approach 10 goals. When three or more sputtered, the Terps were toast. Undeniably, they didn't look like a top-ranked team at any point in the final month of their season.
"I think [goalie] Niko [Amato] said it best earlier in the season: You don't win championships in February and March," Bernhardt said. "They're won in May."
It won't happen this year --- Maryland's 38th season in a row without a title --- and it probably isn't happening next year, either. The Terps' defense should be sound, though replacing Bernhardt (perhaps with close defenseman Michael Ehrhardt?) will be a massive chore. Sunday aside, it wasn't a unit prone to shreddings.
The uncertainties will remain on offense, where the nucleus of players who were sound but not stars will give way to freshmen and the guys who never came close to nudging them off the field this year. The Terps' fourth-leading returning scorer will be faceoff man Charlie Raffa, who managed five goals.
It will be a year of transition, and it's probably best for Tillman if things are framed that way. Maybe Maryland makes the postseason for the 12th straight year. Maybe the Terps sit at home, as Johns Hopkins and Virginia are this month and Cornell did a season ago. But things surely will be different after an often frustrating spring.
"It's the daily grind, it's the process of becoming a great team, it's the habits, the details you create," Tillman said. "We candidly were very inconsistent on those things. There were times we were really locked in and in a groove and things were great. Then there were other times we were inconsistent. Today is a day where [you're facing] a team like Cornell, if you're inconsistent and you have breakdowns --- they can be the ever-slightest breakdowns --- and it hurts you."
The potential hurt next year will be expected, and in that way external perceptions will help Maryland. Tillman built up plenty of goodwill in his first two years with the Terps' tournament runs, coaxing what he could from what he inherited when he arrived in College Park rather than opting for a scorched earth approach upon arrival. A mildly down year should elicit only so many grumbles.
Probably fewer than the one just completed, actually. Even with some reasons to believe Maryland was never as good as it might have appeared, the Terps will be viewed as a championship contender emphatically shown the door in the first round on its own field.
It's never really that simple, but it will be a prism only too easy for plenty of people to look through as Maryland's window for a championship with this particular core was slammed shut.
--- Patrick Stevens
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