Men's lax gets physical to take care of Duke in overtime, 11-10

BALTIMORE — With two minutes remaining in sudden-death overtime of the Terrapin men's lacrosse team's 11-10 win against Duke on Saturday, Blue Devils' midfielder Will McKee took the ball and moved to the crease for the kill.

But instead of delivering a crushing blow, McKee received one. Just as he readied for what would have likely been the game-winning shot, the Terps' Bryn Holmes slammed into him, knocking both McKee and the ball to the ground.

Long pole Brian Farrell collected the ground ball and flew downfield. Fewer than 10 seconds later, the Terps (3-0) had won the game.

"I saw a red blur just go by and just crush a guy in a white jersey," said goalie Brian Phipps, who had a front-row seat for Holmes' hit. "The ball fell on the ground and we picked it up off the ground, moved it on a fast break and Grant put it away like he always does."

With attackman Grant Catalino's winning goal 2:10 into overtime, the No. 7 Terps (3-0, 1-0 ACC) claimed an 11-10 victory over the No. 9 Blue Devils (2-2, 0-1) in their ACC opener.

The game kicked off a tripleheader of top-10 matchups at the Konica Minolta Face-off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

"I feel like I blacked out a few seconds right after," Catalino said. "I didn't know what to do. It was the first overtime goal I've ever scored in my life. And, you know, I've definitely lost more overtime games than I've won."

Before Saturday, the Terps' leading scorer actually had never won in extra sessions in his college career. The last time the Terps played past regulation, they lost to Virginia in a record seven-overtime battle. The Terps hadn't won in extra minutes since 2007, the year before Catalino joined the team.

But when midfielder Dean Hart fed Catalino a pass on the left wing, he didn't hesitate before whipping a shot into the cage. Catalino scored a career-high five goals and surpassed 100 points in his career to lead the Terps in the back-and-forth affair, which included five ties and three lead changes.

The Terps also relied on big plays from Phipps on the other end of the field.
Duke outshot the Terps 37-29 and held significant advantages in ground balls, faceoffs and turnovers, statistics that typically spell victory.

But Phipps stymied Duke's attack with 15 saves. Though the Blue Devils took 12 shots in the third quarter alone, Phipps had five saves and allowed just two scores. While the Terps shot just four times in that quarter, they got three goals past Duke goalie Dan Wigrizer to take a lead into the final 15 minutes.

"We have a fourth-year starter that's a senior, and they have a freshman," coach Dave Cottle said. "We should win the goalie matchup."

Duke eventually mounted a comeback, though, using their edge in ground balls and faceoffs to control possession and score three times in the last 4:22 of regulation to tie the game.

In overtime, the Blue Devils again snatched the faceoff and held the ball in Terps' territory. But the defense held strong, and when Holmes' hit provided a window of opportunity, the Terps took advantage. Farrell grabbed the ball and led the transition charge, resulting in a goal for Catalino and a second straight top-20 win for the Terps.

Farrell especially savored the victory. After spending last year's Duke game in the hospital receiving treatment for broken ribs and blood buildup around his lungs, injuries that kept him out for most of last season, this weekend's win highlighted the progress he and his team have made so far.

"Playing in Ravens stadium with these guys, you can't beat this," Farrell said. "It's just awesome. It's fun. I'm so glad I was out there, and what a win to keep it going."

kyanchulis@umdbk.com