2008 Woodie Awards
Youthful men's lacrosse squad exceeded expectations in 2008
Eric Detweiler
Issue date: 6/5/08 Section: Sports
On the strength of one of its best first halves of the season, the Terrapin men's lacrosse team found itself essentially one goal away from returning to the NCAA final four, May 17.
The Terps had watched Virginia erase its three-goal lead in the teams' third meeting of the season to force overtime in the NCAA quarterfinals at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. But a single goal was all that separated the young Terps from what would have been their third - and most unlikely - final four trip in four seasons.
Virginia's Ben Rubeor's unassisted goal ended those hopes with 31 seconds left in the first overtime, but it did not dim the accomplishments of a team that included 18 freshmen, according to senior midfielder Will Dalton.
"In the beginning we were a really young team, and we really didn't know who we were or what we were," Dalton said. "To do what we did, the end of the season actually made me happy as a senior. We came a long way."
The loss capped a second-straight 10-6 season for the Terps, who were projected to finish last in the ACC entering the season but finished the regular season second in the conference.
Coach Dave Cottle said the Terps exceeded his expectations for a squad that started four freshmen for much of the season.
"We were a first-round playoff loser the year before, Cottle said. We were inexperienced on defense, and we weren't sure at attack."
"We thought we could be an NCAA tournament team, but some things had to go our way. With our schedule and everything like that, I think we improved a great deal."
The Terps had some big wins, such as a season-opening victory at then-No. 4 Georgetown and an upset of then-No. 1 Virginia at Byrd Stadium on March 29.
But at times, they showed their inexperience, notably in consecutive losses to Navy and Johns Hopkins in the weekends following the Virginia win. The offense struggled without suspended freshman attackman Travis Reed.
The Terps battled a lack of consistency in their half-field offense throughout the season, while the defense, which was forced to replace a pair of All-American defenders, proved to be a cornerstone of the team behind senior Joe Cinosky, a 2008 USILA second team All-American.
The Terps had watched Virginia erase its three-goal lead in the teams' third meeting of the season to force overtime in the NCAA quarterfinals at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. But a single goal was all that separated the young Terps from what would have been their third - and most unlikely - final four trip in four seasons.
Virginia's Ben Rubeor's unassisted goal ended those hopes with 31 seconds left in the first overtime, but it did not dim the accomplishments of a team that included 18 freshmen, according to senior midfielder Will Dalton.
"In the beginning we were a really young team, and we really didn't know who we were or what we were," Dalton said. "To do what we did, the end of the season actually made me happy as a senior. We came a long way."
The loss capped a second-straight 10-6 season for the Terps, who were projected to finish last in the ACC entering the season but finished the regular season second in the conference.
Coach Dave Cottle said the Terps exceeded his expectations for a squad that started four freshmen for much of the season.
"We were a first-round playoff loser the year before, Cottle said. We were inexperienced on defense, and we weren't sure at attack."
"We thought we could be an NCAA tournament team, but some things had to go our way. With our schedule and everything like that, I think we improved a great deal."
The Terps had some big wins, such as a season-opening victory at then-No. 4 Georgetown and an upset of then-No. 1 Virginia at Byrd Stadium on March 29.
But at times, they showed their inexperience, notably in consecutive losses to Navy and Johns Hopkins in the weekends following the Virginia win. The offense struggled without suspended freshman attackman Travis Reed.
The Terps battled a lack of consistency in their half-field offense throughout the season, while the defense, which was forced to replace a pair of All-American defenders, proved to be a cornerstone of the team behind senior Joe Cinosky, a 2008 USILA second team All-American.
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