Hurt shoulder can't keep Garey down

Anyone who saw senior forward Jason Garey squirming in immense pain on the Ludwig Field grass last Wednesday night after colliding with a NJIT defender had to be pessimistic about Garey's availability for a showdown three days later with two-time defending national champion Indiana.

Even after receiving three treatments a day for what was diagnosed as a dislocated left shoulder - which Garey had surgery on in high school - the Terrapin's all-time leading goal scorer was in questionable playing condition as of Saturday morning for the much-anticipated event just hours later.

But along with the Terps' five other seniors, there was Garey, in uniform, trotting out to be honored for Senior Night. There was Garey, taking his customary spot as the starting lineup was introduced.

As if Garey's stat line - two scores and four shots on goal - in the No. 3-ranked Terps' 3-3 tie against No. 5 Indiana wasn't impressive enough, the brilliance in which it was delivered elevated his accomplishment.

Seven minutes into the game with his back to the goal, Garey took a pass from senior defender Chris Lancos in the box, nudged it to himself and, as the ball popped into the air, left his feet and launched a bicycle kick that dove into the left-side of the net on one hard bounce.

When asked if he had ever scored such a spectacular goal, Garey was quick to respond.

"Not on this stage," Garey said. "Not on Senior Night against Indiana."

Then there was his aching shoulder, which was exposed to hits all night. Garey even endangered himself with the acrobatic bicycle kick as he partially flipped and landed hard on his back.

"Unless people understand what he went through from Wednesday to Saturday to play, you can't appreciate his performance," Terp coach Sasho Cirovski said. "Scoring two goals against Indiana in itself is special. But having gone through what he did for those three days, it's borderline heroic. I'm really proud of him."

Garey was not finished. About 20 minutes later, sophomore midfielder Spencer Allen played a through ball to Garey, who was approaching the ball on the near side just as Hoosier goalie Chris Munroe came out to challenge.

As Munroe made the slightest of hesitations, Garey chipped it through him and into the open net to give the Terps a 2-0 advantage. He now has a team-leading 18 goals and 40 points on the season.

"If he wasn't the leading candidate for the Hermann Trophy before tonight, he certainly should be now," Cirovski said. "It was unbelievable what he did."

After the game, Garey said offseason surgery would be needed to repair the dislocated shoulder.

"It's killing me right now," Garey said. "It didn't bother me when we were playing that much. I had a big harness on so it didn't let me move it too much."

Terp players recognized what Garey went through to play.

"I admire him a lot," Lancos said. "He's got guts like I've never seen. Nothing kept him out tonight, and for him to score, that's just an incredible testament to him."

In addition to his magnificent bicycle kick for a goal, Garey also used the same maneuver to keep Indiana off the scoreboard midway through the second half. Down 3-0 to the Terps, but in the midst of an offensive flurry, Indiana managed to squeeze the ball past an initial line of defenders and toward the goal.

All of a sudden, the ball was athletically bicycle-kicked out of the zone by none other than Garey.

"That's him," goalkeeper Chris Seitz said. "That's the kind of things he does for our team."

Garey nearly elevated his already dazzling performance when he rocketed a shot early in the first overtime session toward Munroe, who atoned for his earlier miscue and saved what would've been the game-winner.

In the postgame interview, Garey was disappointed with the tie, but looked forward to possibly meeting up again with the Hoosiers - this time in the College Cup in Cary, N.C.

And there Garey could add another chapter to his illustrious, record-breaking career.

Contact reporter Daniel Chiat at chiatdbk@gmail.com.