Notebook: Blye filling in for Reed on men's lacrosse's attack

After attackman Travis Reed went down with an upper-body injury against Towson on March 12, Terrapin men's lacrosse coach John Tillman was left scrambling to find a replacement in less than a week's time.

And although pundits have pointed to the senior's absence as a major reason why the Terps struggled to break North Carolina's zone defense Saturday, the replacement that Tillman inserted into the starting lineup after Reed went down — midfielder Owen Blye — has performed admirably for the No. 10 Terps (6-2, 0-2 ACC) so far.

In the three games since Reed's injury, Blye has scored four goals and dished out three assists. The sophomore, who normally starts on the team's first midfield line but played attack in high school, recorded his first career hat trick and notched a career-high five points against St. Joseph's on March 20, garnering praise from teammates and Tillman.

"We have a lot of confidence in Owen," Tillman said. "The hardest thing for us was finding out where to play him. With injury comes some disappointment — we obviously feel for Travis — but it also creates opportunities for other guys. Owen showed what he's all about."

The Terps remain optimistic about Reed's status, and Tillman said the senior attackman is likely to play against Virginia on Saturday. Still, players expressed confidence in Blye's ability to fill in seamlessly when called upon.

"Travis [has] a big role in our offense, but our team plays in a system, and when one guy goes down, the next picks it up," fellow attackman Grant Catalino said after Blye's first start on attack against UMBC. "Obviously, we miss Travis, but Owen did great."

n ‘THE STRETCH'

The Terps are in the midst of a four-game stretch that is not only one of the toughest in the nation but also has significant postseason implications. In the team's five games leading up to its eventual loss against North Carolina, the Terps faced only two ranked opponents, one of which (Georgetown) has since fallen from the rankings with a sub-.500 record.

During the Terps' current four-game stretch, which started with Saturday's loss to the No. 5 Tar Heels and features upcoming opponents in No. 4 Virginia, Navy and No. 6 Johns Hopkins, the team faces three nationally ranked foes and two in-state rivals that always provide competitive games.

The Terps have scheduled "The Stretch" since 1978. In that 33-year period, the Terps have won all four games once and lost all four games twice. Their overall record against the four teams since 1978, including Saturday's loss to the Tar Heels, is 60-73.

n STAY CLASS-Y

Catalino was selected as one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS award in men's lacrosse Monday.

The award, which is decided based on fan voting, recognizes four areas of achievement in community, character, classroom and competition.

The winner of the award, which no Terp has ever won in its five-year existence, will be announced May 28 during the Final Four at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

"He's a guy that we see as a leader," Tillman said of Catalino. "He's a guy that we really rely on. ... It says a lot about him."

jengelke@umdbk.com