May 15, 2005|By Gary Lambrecht | Gary Lambrecht,SUN STAFF
COLLEGE PARK -- The third-seeded Maryland Terrapins endured a two-hour weather delay and a nice comeback by unseeded Penn State last night. But in the end, the Terps had too many weapons, the Nittany Lions committed too many penalties, and Maryland moved on in the NCAA tournament.
Junior attackman Joe Walters and Xander Ritz each scored three goals in the second half, as Maryland put together a fine offensive stretch in crunch time and pulled away to a 14-10 victory in a first-round game before 1,918 at Byrd Stadium.
Maryland (10-5) ended Penn State's seven-game winning streak by winning its fifth consecutive game, and the Terps advanced to next Sunday's quarterfinals at Princeton. Maryland will play the winner of today's Georgetown-Army game.
Penn State (9-6), playing in only its second NCAA tournament, gave Maryland its best shot. It turned an early 4-0 deficit into a 6-5 halftime lead, and the Lions pulled even with Maryland on a goal by sophomore attackman Gil Pearsall to make it 8-8 with 5:55 left in the third quarter.
But the Terps grabbed the momentum back for keeps by scoring six of the game's next seven goals, including two by Walters, who finished the Maryland scoring with 4:32 left to give the Terps a 14-9 advantage.
"We came at 'em, and then they came right back at us. That's why [Penn State] won a lot of games. Then, we came right back at them," Maryland coach Dave Cottle said. "I thought our best players and our good leaders really stepped up in the locker room [at halftime] and made a statement that our season wasn't going to end today."
The third quarter was pivotal, as the Terps scored seven times to seize a 12-8 lead.
Behind junior David Tamberrino, Maryland won seven of 10 faceoffs after getting pushed around there in the second quarter by Penn State's Greg Gurenlian. Penn State committed three of its seven second-half penalties and paid dearly by giving up goals on all three. The Terps out-shot Penn State, 17-5, in the quarter.
Maryland also got back to trusting its passing game in the second half. After assisting on just one goal in the first half, the Terps produced assists on seven of nine in the second half.
"I think playing so much man-up puts a premium on passing," said Ritz, who also had an assist. "Having those man-up opportunities got us back to our strengths, which are dodging, moving the ball a couple of times and letting the ball do the work for us, instead of trying to make it a one-on-one game."
Junior midfielder Bill McGlone added two goals and an assist. Senior midfielder Andrew Schwartzman finished with a goal and two assists.
Sophomore midfielder Patrick Heim led Penn State with three goals and one assist. Freshman attackman Max Van Arsdale had two goals.
Showing the same kind of energy that drove it during its late surge in the regular season, Penn State stormed back with a 6-1 run to take a 6-5 lead at halftime. Five of those six goals were assisted. The Lions won six of seven faceoffs in the second quarter.
Maryland tied the score at 6 on an extra-man goal by Ritz with 12:58 left in the third period. The teams then traded goals twice.
Penn State 1 5 2 2 -- 10
Maryland 4 1 7 2 -- 14
Goals: PS--Heim 3, Van Arsdale 2, Cutler, Jacober, Jones, Pearsall, Whitaker; M--X. Ritz 3, Walters 3, McGlone 2, Hartofolis, B. Healy, I. Healy, Lang, Matz, Schwartzman. Assists: P--Boyle 2, Radecic 2, Heim, Whitaker; M--Schwartzman 2, B. Healy, I. Healy, McGlone, M. Ritz, X. Ritz, Walters. Saves: PS--Courteau 10; M--Alford 10, Murphy.
